16 THE ART OBSERVER May 2008 By Wendy J Levy I recently acquired, for my pri- vate collection, a piece of sculp- ture by Dawn Rowland whose work I have admired for very many years. The bronze sculp- ture, called “The Warrior Dreams …. His Mother Waits”, is a very poignant piece that tugs at the heart strings of any mother gazing upon it. Having experienced the excitement of anticipation when ordering this bronze, I had the extra thrill and privilege of visiting ‘Pangolin Editions’, the largest sculpture foundry in Britain, used for many years by Dawn Rowland to create her magnificent bronzes. This amazing foundry casts sculpture for some of the most well-known sculptors such as Damien Hirst, Lynn Chadwick RA, Charlotte Mayer, David Nash RA, Jon Buck, Ralph Brown RA, Terence Coventry, William Tucker RA, Bernard Meadows, Ann Christopher RA, to name a few. Visiting Pangolin was a wonder- ful and enlightening experience. If everyone could see the amaz- ing work and craftsmanship that takes place here it would be blatantly obvious to all why sculpture cast in metal generally costs so much more than paint- ings on canvas. As well as the artist’s initial creation, a stone carving for instance, there is then the making of a mould (if the piece is to be cast as an edition), plus the cost of the material to be used, i.e. bronze, silver, etc. There is the hand finishing and the creating of a patina (the type of finish chosen for the bronze).   From the first stages of choosing the type of method for casting, to the final stages of polishing, and everything in between, the quality of expertise and crafts- manship at Pangolin is truly remarkable. It was very exciting to see small maquettes by Damien Hirst being made into gigantic bronzes in the foundry. Their variety of patination is outstanding; they can create any finish, making the bronze look like stone, marble, wood or even plastic if so desired. I chose a grey patina with a hint of blue for my piece by Dawn Rowland because it replicated the original stone carving as near as possible. It was a few months in the making but was well worth the wait. Dawn came with me to collect it so that she could look it over and make sure everything was as it should be. As we both expected - it was just perfect. I was utterly delighted with the finished bronze and was so excited to bring it home.   I highly recommend a book which explains all there is to know about casting and patination. It is called ‘Bronze Sculpture, Casting and Patination - MUD FIRE METAL’ by Steve Hurst, the book is produced with the cooperation of Pangolin Editions and is published by Schiffer. RED HOT BRONZE AT PANGOLIN EDITIONS Dawn Rowland with “The Warrior Dreams …. His Mother Waits” Pouring the moulten bronze