The constitution did prove to be the biggest challenge with the piece. “This put me to the task as I am a great designer but not a sculptor. How do you place a 100-pound bronze eagle on top of a government document that is pleasing to the eye and that can be cast in the lost wax casting process to the level of a premier world-class sculpture? This was the problem I had to solve, as Lorenzo was currently sculpting an amazing eagle and the best he has ever done. I used polystyrene foam as my base and cut it with a band saw measuring 18” wide by 28” long and 1/4” in depth. This pliable sheet of foam was my base. I inserted sculpting armature into all the edges so that it would hold its shape into the final design. The next step was the text. I hired an engraving company to digitally etch the font and script from Article One of the U.S. Constitution into a copper plate. After five different attempts, perfection was discovered as we lasered the text onto a 1/16-inch magnesium plate. This allowed me to bend the text and plate into the clay and foam base that I created making the perfect base for the piece. Most importantly the plate was readable, and we were able to pull a great master mold impression from the original creation,” says Mark Russo.

The American Patriot was originally created as a limited edition in bronze with an edition size of 777.  After successfully selling 167 of the pieces, the original rubber/plaster mold began to deteriorate to a point where no more castings could be produced, so the sculpture was no longer marketed. At the request of numerous high-end art galleries and new customers wanting the piece, Mark Russo and Foundry Michelangelo decided to restore and redesign the sculpture. “That was one of our hottest selling pieces. It generated millions of dollars in revenue, and now it’s time to bring it back, but we need to make it even better,” says Russo. The process was relatively simple in that the company used the original mold and poured a soft wax of the piece. Although the mold was in bad shape most of the eagle poured very well, and the part that was in the worst condition was the text from the constitution. The good news was that Mark kept the magnesium plate used for the original production. A new more detailed eagle was re-sculpted, the piece was raised a few inches, and a new base was made to include a medallion with the Great Seal of the United States. The edition size was also reduced to only 350 in bronze, 10 in pure silver, and 1 in solid gold. Now complete, the piece is truly amazing. Over 20 of the new Eagles have already been cast in bronze with many more on order. Our second pure silver American Patriot was also cast with over 1000 troy ounces of .999 pure silver, and another three silver pieces have already been ordered. This new image is now on display in many high-end art galleries to include locations in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, Colorado, and many others. On Jan. 9 of 2019, Foundry Michelangelo unveiled the 1000 troy ounce silver eagle at the National Annual Safari Club Convention in Reno, Nevada.

About Foundry Michelangelo

Foundry Michelangelo has a diverse business platform, creating and providing fine art in original sculptures from small desktop images and collectibles to larger than life heroic monuments. The company’s master mold collection contains over 1000 original molds from world-famous artists in the United States and around the globe. For more information, visit foundrymichelangelo.com.

The post Foundry Michelangelo and Founder Mark Russo Redesign Top Selling Sculpture of Patriotic Bronze Eagle appeared first on Foundation Michelangelo.

The acquisition of this collection now allows FM to cast these extraordinary images from these molds in bronze, silver, resin and other mediums.  Adding to FM’s already phenomenal master mold collection, the company can now cast nearly 2,000 different pieces. “The time and effort that went into creating over 1,000 molds are truly amazing.  The cost alone just to replace these, even if possible, would exceed ten million dollars and that’s just the cost for the molds. The rights to reproduce these images would cost many times that.” says Russo

This additional collection represents artists’ works from all over the world and in sizes ranging from tabletop objects, a few inches tall, to heroic, monumental size pieces standing over 12’ in height.  “Having this massive and broad base of images and subject matter will allow FM to not just focus on high-end sales but small images as well, and at lower price points. This will allow us the opportunity to place our pieces in high-end galleries and literally thousands of locations and points of distribution.” Says Casey Powell, CEO.

Orders for pieces from the new mold collection are already arriving. The delivery of 21 Fredric Remington works in original sizes have already been delivered to the company’s Battle Ground, Washington headquarters and are being prepared for shipment.   “We have never been more excited than we are now.  Adding this collection of master molds to our asset base was an incredible move and could not have come at a better time.”, says Mark Russo, Founder, of Foundry Michelangelo.

www.foundrymichelangelo.com

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Laran recently completed several commissions for Foundation Michelangelo. The most recent examples include a 34” bronze Grizzly Bear entitled Prize Catch, a 38” bronze American Bald Eagle, Bold Spirit, and, what has now become one of FM’s most-sought-after pieces, Stage Coach Gold. Laran Ghiglieri’s Stage Coach Gold is a stunning seven-foot long Concord stagecoach drawn by a distinctive six-horse team. Each horse is an individual study: powerfully built, reacting to the driver’s whip, straining to pull the magnificent coach to safety.

Within the genre of wildlife artists, few compare to Laran Ghiglieri. His works are in private collections, and on public display, worldwide. Having created over 100 limited edition bronzes, many of his pieces have sold for over $100,000. Tens of thousands of his bronzes have sold, and most of his earlier limited editions are entirely sold out.

Mark Russo, Foundation Michelangelo Corp. founder, knew that Laran was the right artist for this important commission. Working from his studio in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and close to FM’s headquarters in Battle Ground, Washington, Laran has completed the original pencil renderings. After meticulously detailing the final drawings, he’ll begin the sculpting process, building upon a wood and steel armature platform using professional-grade foam. Laran will then use a special artisan wax for the final detail work. The result will be a pair of larger-than-life American Bald Eagles violently grappling over a salmon.

Once Laran completes the wax original, FM will carefully transport the piece to its foundry where the master mold will be created. Upon completion of the mold, which will include numerous in-process, quality-control inspections, the Foundation Michelangelo team will proceed with production of the piece, cast in bronze, in a limited edition of only 50. Once completed, and over 10’ in height, it will be quite simply, spectacular!

About Foundation Michelangelo Corp

FM has a diverse business platform, creating and providing fine art in original sculptures from small desktop images and collectibles to larger-than-life heroic monuments. The company’s master mold collection contains hundreds of original molds from world-famous artists in the United States and Europe. For more information, visit Fineart1.com.

Media Contact:

Mark Russo

Foundation Michelangelo

(360) 954-5453

mark@fineart1.com

The post Pacific Northwest Master Sculptor, Laran Ghiglieri, To Create Heroic Monument for Foundation Michelangelo Corp. appeared first on Foundation Michelangelo.

Casey was the founder of Sequent Computer Systems in 1983 and acted as president, chairman, and CEO until it was acquired by IBM in 1999 for $1 billion in cash. Sequent built the world’s first symmetric multiprocessor computers by creating an innovative architecture that is still utilized today in multicore commercial multiprocessors. This architecture provides low-cost, powerful computer systems replacing giant single processors with inexpensive, mainframe systems. When acquired by IBM, Sequent employed over 3,000 people, with operations around the world.

Before founding Sequent, Casey was general manager for Intel’s Microprocessor Operations.

Following the sale of Sequent, as principal of Eagle II Consulting, Casey was responsible for the successful turnaround of several technology companies around the United States.

A graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Casey has always volunteered his time in numerous community and professional organizations: former chairman of the National Electronics Association Oregon Chapter, member of the board of the National Electronics Association and president and member of the Board of Trustees for St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Casey is also a commercial, instrument-rated, multi-engine pilot with over 5,000 hours of personal flight, including 2,500 hours of Learjet and Citation 5 time and 1,500 hours of Single Pilot Citation 5 time. As a drag racing enthusiast, Casey has acted as a driver, sponsor and team owner with the National Hot Rod Association.

Foundation Michelangelo is excited to have such an experienced, capable and dynamic leader as Casey Powell at its helm, enabling FM to expand and further develop its unique mission and legacy of giving that benefits all involved yet allows all to prosper while focusing on philanthropy.

“I have known Casey for over 20 years; he is a true genius. He built a culture in the company that people still talk about today as the greatest place they have ever worked. Casey knows how to build a business culture, and there is no one better at business functions and operations. Not only did he take his company public and sell it for $1 billion but his annual run rates were $1 billion. We are lucky to have him,” says Mark Russo, founder of FM.

About Foundation Michelangelo Corp.     

FM has a diverse business platform, creating and providing fine art in original sculptures from small desktop images and collectibles to larger-than-life heroic monuments. The company’s master mold collection contains hundreds of original molds from world-famous artists in the United States and Europe. For more information, visit Fineart1.com.

Media Contact:

Mark Russo
Phone: 360.954.5453
Email: mark@fineart1.com

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