Soldier's Stewardship Foundation - Bronzes of the Brave™ Sculpture

Bronzes of the Brave™ Sculpture Process:

Each Bronze bust is unique to the individual hero who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The process begins with a personal conversation with the family, as their memory of their loved one is sacred and we want to do our utmost to honor that memory with a bronze statue that truly represents not only the physical characteristics and decorations of the fallen, but also the attitude. The raised eyebrow...the curved smile...that serious stare. Those little things that only a mother, or a father, or husband, or wife can share.

Family members most often provide us with pictures that capture the essense of thier own hero, whether in full military dress, or at home in casual dress. These are the images from which our talented artists begin sculpting the bronze bust statue that will ultimately become the next Bronzes of the Brave™ honored servicemember.

With pictures in hand, our staff then confernces with the military unit of the fallen hero to make certain that the uniform dress, medals, and presentation are accurately represented, down to the uniform buttons, cuffs, and creases! With all of that information in hand, it's now time to contact our sculptress, Nancy Elizabeth Degan, who will transform all of these pictures, notes, medals, and other images into a stunning lifelike sculpture.

Nancy has 30 years experience in sculpting life. Nancy was graduated from the Memphis Academy of Art, widely respected world-wide for its instructors and techniques. From Horses to Turtles, and Riders to Military Men, Nancy has drawn, painted, sculpted, and finished the detail work for many notable pieces through the years. Her "Out To Pasture" bronze of a horse at rest is a featured piece in David Hasselhoff's personal collection, and for many years was also featured for exhibit and sale in the official shop at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. She also participated in the finishing and detail work on the life size military Veteran's Memorial statue on permanent display at the state capitol lawn in Little Rock, Arkansas. The statue is by world-reknown artist John Deering. Nancy performed much of the fine detail finishing work after the piece was cast, assembled and welded .. retextured the towel around the statue's neck, etc.

Nancy brings a keen eye to sharp detail while retaining the natural free-style that has marked her career. These two talents come together uniquely in each Bronzes of the Brave™ statue. That attention to detail is necessary for the life-like accurate representation of the military uniform dress and medals. She says that is the easy part. The natural free-style creativity necessary to sculpt each face is what takes the time. Getting the cheekbones just right...and the neckline...and making sure those eyes look at you just like the eyes in the picture. That's where the time goes.

She begins the actual bronze process by making a wax statue. Little by little the wax is added, molded, pushed, rubbed, coerced, and taken away until finally, the hero in the picture matches the hero on the table. After letting it sit for a few hours, or sometimes a few days - depending on how many bronze statues she is working on simultaneously - Nancy re-visits the sculpture over and over, tweaking out those tiny little details. Sometimes those details are not really seen, rather they just add to the intrinsic nature of the piece.

Now that the basic wax scupture is complete, it's time to send the pictures to the family, for feedback and/or approval. Sometimes they want a stronger chin, or even more of a double chin, or a softer brow - things like that - but more often than not they are simply overcome with emotion at the stunning representation of their loved one and the timeless honor they are about to receive for their own sacrifice.

With family approval, the next step is to go to the foundry. Decker Studios, fine art foundry services in N Hollywood, California is the foundry we enlisted after long due diligence, due to their fine reputation for both quality and service, premiere client list, and most reasonable pricing. Museums, name collections, production houses, and art-collecting superstars all utilize the services of Decker Studios. Decker Studios has over thirty years of experience and influence in the fine arts bronze casting industry. With their academic and historical expertise, clients can be assured that their projects are given museum quality detail and attention. That's exactly what we want at Bronzes of the Brave™. Museum quality detail and attention. And we have been thoroughly satisfied on both counts! Their quality is outstanding, and their service has been most accommidating, to say the least!

This part of the process is taken from Decker Studios Casting page: The services begin as soon as the artist comes through the foundry doors with either a full-scale sculpture or maquette. Once the mold and casting fees are approved, the sculpture will make its way through the 5000 sq. foot facility. First, the sculpture is taken to the mold room. Then the mold moves to the wax area, and the completed wax makes its way to the shell room. From there the wax is burned out and the shell moves on to the foundry for a bronze pour. The cooled bronze is moved on to the chasing area and finally, the last phase, patination (coating) takes place. During the entire process every aspect is overseen with checks and double checks, assuring only the finest Museum quality casting.

You can view pictures of the entire process beginning to end here. This particular bronze statue is of Col. Johnathan Benson, presented May 5, 2007 in Minnetonka, Minnesota at the dedication ceremony, most appropriately, of Veteran's Field.

For additional information, please contact the SSF. E-mail: commander@thessf.org