Pipe organ at the Goodson Chapel, Duke University Divinity School by Richards Fowkes & Co

From sculpture to crafts, and everything in between, we are always eager to learn about the many ways in which our customers are using our molding and casting products. Hand-built pipe organ company, Richards Fowkes & Company used several of our products to fabricate the finials for their most recent pipe organ commission for the Goodson Chapel at Duke University Divinity School in North Carolina.

Founded in 1988 in Ooltewah, Tennessee, Richards Fowkes & Company has been hand-building incredible pipe organs for churches and universities around the country. Founders Bruce Fowkes and Ralph Richards have brought together a group of talented American and European craftsmen to build these ambitious organs in the traditional manner and methods of historic northern European instruments.

Although all of the casework is hand built and hand carved from wood, the over 60 ornate carved finials that embellish the casework are made from Townsend Casting Resin. First, several master prototype finials were hand carved from oak. Then, Knead-a-Mold (the light blue material shown) was applied onto the carved finials so that an exact replica could be made. Because Knead-a-Mold picks up very minute detail, the texture and grain of the wood was captured beautifully in the mold. Once the mold was made, Townsend Casting Resin was poured into the mold and allowed to cure. The resin cured to a bright white color and was then post finished with a variety of dyes and paints that matched the natural golden brown color of the oak.

Some of the completed cast resin finials incorporated onto oak framework.

The finished pipe organ is 27′ tall, has 30 stops, and approximately 1700 pipes. The largest pipe is 16′ tall and the smallest is 1 1/2″ long and the diameter of a soda straw.

To learn more about Richards Fowkes & Co and to see more of their work, visit www.richardsfowkes.com
To see Townsend Atelier products, click here

Bust of Sarah Winnemucca, bronze

Based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, sculptor Benjamin Victor makes incredibly detailed figurative works in both clay and in bronze. Many of his monumental works function as tributes to great historical figures or to contemporary heroes like firefighters or those who have served in the military. Victor joined the ranks of Michelangelo, Bernini, Daniel Chester French, and Maya Lin by receiving his first large commission at only 23 years old. At age 26, he became the youngest artist ever to have a sculpture in our Nation’s foremost collection of figurative sculpture, the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. Art critics and organizations, including the National Sculpture Society in New York City, continue to recognize the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of Benjamin’s artwork.

Victor uses a wide variety of processes and materials in his work including Knead-a-Mold. He says, “Knead a mold is a very easy to use, versatile product which has been very useful in making quick molds. It is especially useful in molding bas-reliefs, and small sculptures for wax and plaster reproduction.”

Monument to Firefighters in clay Detail

Monument to Firefighters, bronze/installation in Lawrence, KS

Old Man, clay

Sequoya, life-sized, clay

To see more of Benjamin Victor’s work, visit www.benjaminvictor.com

Charity Elise Hofert is an artist and designer living and working in Atlanta, GA. She creates a variety of handmade, decorative, and functional pieces for the home and garden.
The intricately detailed seashells and starfish bordering her aqua blue platter are made out of earthenware clay that have been glazed and fired. To make the seashells, Charity Elise made a mold from real seashells and a starfish with Knead-a-Mold. The Knead-a-Mold picked up the subtlest of textures–allowing the details to not be lost during the firing process. The result is an exact replica of the original objects on the finished piece.

These yummy Oreo pendants were made by making a mold with Knead-a-Mold onto a real cookie and then pressing white earthenware clay into the cured mold. The fired earthenware cookies were carefully painted with brown glazesand then varnished.

This starfish pendant was made with white earthenware clay pressed into a mold made from a real starfish with Knead-a-Mold. The starfish is glazed in a lovely, soft orange which was partially wiped away to reveal the beautiful texture of the starfish. It was then glazed in a clear gloss glaze, affixed to a sterling silver bail and hung from a black elastic cord. “I grew up on the coast of Maine and am missing the ocean living here in Atlanta, and so i have started making some pieces that remind me of my salty roots!”

The pendants and earrings below are made from white stoneware clay that were pressed into a Knead-a-Mold mold that were taken from vintage cabochons and other interesting objects.

To view more of Charity’s work visit:
www.charityelise.com
www.charityelise.etsy.com
To view all of Townsend Atelier products click here