StudioEIS and the Digital World of Sculpting

StudioEIS in its 40th year has entered the digital age - albeit a bit late. Our first venture for Smithsonian involved a digitally printed copy of our bronze sculpture of Thomas Jefferson we made for Monticello.  That project, some years back brought some fire on the subject of digitally copying the contents of museums - thereby lessening the value of collections. The current two projects, one for National Harbor in Maryland and the other for the Museum of the American Revolution, have caused us to marry our visual vocabulary with the skills of a great 3D Designer Michael Fontana.  

Michael worked with us for many years at EIS and has ditched hammers and chisels for a very powerful computer and his skills as a sculptor.  Together he and I have painstakingly created this extraordinary figure of Henry Ford that is now in the foundry being cast in bronze and unveiling late August at National Harbor.  It's being cast in 36 separate pieces and is the single most complex object I have ever made ( see below).   

The golden horse head seen here is part of a project we're doing for the new Rev War Museum that will open next year in Philadelphia.  We're making a life-sized version of a sculpture of King George on his horse- pulled down in NYC just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and based upon published material by the New York Historical Society who actually have a few pieces from the original English sculpture shipped to the colonies in 1770.   

King George and his horse have been digitally recreated and will be milled in foam and then finished to look like the original sculpture cast in lead and then gold leafed.

The Henry Ford sculpture has been an astonishing journey full of unexpected twists and turns and worth the wait.

We will update this story as the production on both projects continue this summer.