Wally Shoop

The artist, Wally Shoop, draws his inspiration from his observations of the natural world, his imaginative searching for images both accurate and powerful, and his American Indian heritage of respect for nature and the almost spiritual qualities of animal life. The realistic bronze sculptures produced in his studio provide ample evidence of his creative force and dedication to his artistic intent – to capture human feelings within natural forms.

Using the lost wax process of bronze casting, which appeared nearly six thousand years ago, Shoop first sculpts in soft wax; then makes a rubber mold of the wax model. From the rubber mold he creates multiple wax impressions of the original. Each wax impression is encased in a ceramic shell and placed in an oven; with temperatures exceeding fifteen hundred degrees, the wax melts rapidly. The ceramic shell is packed in sand and molten bronze is poured into the shell. When the bronze cools, the ceramic shell is broken. The bronze casting is then finished with meticulous handwork to capture and enhance every detail of the original wax model.