Distinctive ‘Touch of the Artist’ Makes Bronze Sculptor’s Tiles, Plaques Unique

In a painting, a “touch of the artist’s hand” might be a brush stroke unique to that artist. The artistic techniques used by Denise Siegel of deniseSiegelbronze in her sculpting, casting and finishing likewise make her work – from bronze tiles to plaques to custom decorative installations like hardware and fireplace surrounds – distinctly recognizable as her creation.

“I try to capture in my work a ‘look and feel’ that honors the bronze and celebrates the sculpting process,” says Siegel. For example, Siegel utilizes patinas, which are surface coatings, that enhance the natural beauty, warmth and earthiness of bronze rather than “defy” it.

“Patinas can be used to make bronze look like granite or marble; but why?” Siegel explains. “Exquisite variations in color and texture happen naturally when bronze is sand cast and patinaed. These variations are to be celebrated, not masked.”

Instead of being painted and machine finished, all deniseSiegelbronze plaques, tiles, hardware and handles, fireplace surrounds and other bronze pieces are hand finished by Siegel in her studio.

Recently, when commissioned to create a large, commemorative bronze plaque incorporating the logo of a 100-year-old church, Siegel chose to go with a background texture that occurs naturally during the sand cast sculpting process – a texture that mirrors the natural variations and patterns of the fine sand used in the casting. An alternative might have been to employ a prefabricated texture onto the surface of the plaque. But again, her determination was to utilize a method that connected her more directly to the finished artwork.

The result? A enduring, one-of-a-kind memorial that has thrilled congregants and could easily continue to do so for another hundred years.

“Again, it’s an artistic choice to reveal the hand of the artist rather than the wheel of the machine.”



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