These are numbered, signed, limited edition sculptures. They are cast in bronze, using the lost-wax process, by Artcast Foundry, Georgetown Ontario, from the wax original created by Hilary Clark Cole, A.O.C.A.D.

Bronze lost-wax casting is an ancient process, used because of the ability to exactly reproduce the fine detail of the original. To this day, the method, tools, and materials remain essentially the same. Chemicals applied with heat give this sculpture its unique, natural colouration, which is called a patina. When the edition is completed, the mold will be destroyed.

Windswept
(detail of bronze pictured on Selected Works page)

She is myth, a Daphne, transforming with the blowing wind into a tree. She is a dancer... the figure is fluid and lyrical, possessing a delicate strength. She is connected to the earth, but truly free. She is an individual. She has a message.

Although each bronze I have created has had its inherent difficulties, Windswept's were formidable. This sculpture is a small bronze version of the theme of 'Windswept Silhouette', a life-size, hand built welded Corten Steel sculpture I have created which can be seen in other areas of this site.

As usual for bronze casting, I was to make the original sculpture in wax. Thus began a technical challenge that I often felt would never end up as a standing bronze. It took months of trial and error and correction. The casting of this sculpture, and adding the patina, is continuing to be extremely difficult for the foundry, because I have broken all the rules to get what I envisioned.

Windswept is exactly what I hoped she would be.

Edition of 12. To order, e-mail hclarkcole@gmail.com



"The Swing"

It was a balancing act from the beginning... a swing without a swing. I really wasn't sure that it would work, this sculpture that seems to defy gravity.

When a sculptor sets out to create a unique fantasy, there are no patterns or pictures to help visualization.

The Swing is about that experience when a person reaches for the stars, and just for a brief second, the burdens of life are gone, and one is weightless, breathless, flying free.

It is like being on top of the world. Each of us strives to capture that feeling.

The people who love this sculpture know moments like that. I had one of those moments when this image in my head and heart became a sculptural reality.

Edition of 12, Sold out.



Athena

Because bronze is an ancient and a classic medium, I sought to create a sculpture that is also ancient and classical... a figure of the Greek goddess, Athena.

Greek Mythology is often a remote fairytale, something we touched on in school. But the myths endure, and are fascinating.

Women are very powerful individuals in these stories, and the lessons of the Greek myths can apply to anyone's life, then or now. I wanted to reach into the past, and make Athena's life relevant to our lives.

Athena is the Daughter of Zeus, the Goddess of Athens, and the Goddess of War. Her temple is the Parthenon. The stories of her battles and victories are colourful and fantastic.

But Athena is also the Goddess of Wisdom, and not only is the wise owl her totem, she can also transform herself into this bird. This image is elusive and rarely mentioned in the stories, or shown in sculpture. She is often depicted with an owl, but not AS an owl.

For me, it is her wisdom that appeals, not the symbols of war. So I chose a moment of transformation to tell my story of Athena, the moment of enlightenment and truth... the flash of knowledge.

A real woman finding her moment of wisdom. Metamorphosis.

Edition of 12. To order, e-mail hclarkcole@gmail.com.



Perfect Oval

It is amazing to me to watch particular dogs prepare for sleep. They find their spot, and walk in a circle that gets smaller and smaller, until they finally plop down into a perfect oval. Paws are tucked in, head is rested, tail is wrapped around the neat package.

This is a small study of that quiet phenomenon, created in a winter kitchen as one of my two dogs slept. She was a humble and willing model. She patiently allowed me to reach into the spaces around her legs to figure out where she had put them. She periodically would go out for a break, and then come back into the house and resume her position perfectly.

Although I had always loved the sight of the dogs coiled as they slept, the period spent documenting it in bronze heightened my respect for the natural order of things.

Years of evolution have created the simplest of solutions for warmth, comfort and safety. It is a small sculpture, palm-sized in fact, in order to encourage the viewer to touch it. The patina is simple, and over time it will mellow... the high points will gleam, as many hands will polish the surface.