| The history of anything can be captured
in a variety of ways. For example, film and recordings can
be made and stories can be written. Even art can be used
to capture a specific moment in time. In Springville , Utah
, sculptor Jeff Decker is perhaps the only artist in the
world who specializes in lost-wax cast bronze sculpture as
he attempts to capture some of the most important moments
in the Golden Age of Motorcycling. Recently, Brian had a
chance to visit with Jeff in his Hippodrome Studio and there
he witnessed the process of Jeff's art being created.
Brian first asked Jeff the reason he got started in the
business. Jeff told Brian that he grew up in the " California
car craze" and that he was always around cars. On his website
Jeff writes, "Before I could walk I attended the Antique
Nationals. I grew up watching my dad and mom race vintage
cars. From [riding upon] the shoulders of my father I could
see, feel and smell the exhilaration of racing.I never decided
to be a Motorhead, I was nurtured to be one" ( http://www.hippodromestudio.com/abouttheartist.html).
Jeff also said that later, when he was in school, even though
he was mechanically oriented he also excelled in art as well,
and even though he would rather have been a racer, mechanic,
or restorer, this is where his talent took him.
After his graduation, Jeff worked in a foundry that specialized
in castings for fine art bronze. It seems as if it was then
that Jeff combined his artistic ability with his love of
motorcycles and he began to try his hand at sculpture. As
he writes, "after completing my first motorcycle, there was
no turning back" (http://www.hippodromestudio.com/abouttheartist.html).
Jeff told Brian that one of the most fascinating aspects
of the job is in the research itself when it comes to choosing
a particular bike or photo to recreate in a sculpture. Leaving
no stone unturned, Jeff goes to everyone who could have a
possible connection to the bike including riders, owners,
manufacturers and historians. All the while he continues
to read everything available about the bike he is about to
re-create. Then, after all the research is complete, Jeff
is ready to create the original sculpture in artist's wax
or clay. That original is then cut into as many as fifty
original pieces in more complex sculptures and those pieces
are coated and re-coated with latex to make a precise mold.
After that process, by filling the latex molds with hot wax,
Jeff creates a perfect wax image of each part of the sculpture.
After finishing, or "chasing" the wax is ready to be coated
again and slurry and sand until a complete plaster mold is
created. The next phase of the procedure is why it is called
the "lost wax" process for when the plaster is fired in an
oven the wax inside is melted. Now the plaster molds are
ready to be filled with molten bronze. After spraying the
filled molds with water to help the sculpture cool evenly,
the plaster is chipped away to reveal the bronze casting.
One of the final steps is in the application of the patina
and that is when Jeff told Brian, "What makes bronze important
is its ability to accept color. It won't corrode; put it
outdoors and it will survive."
So, what's next for Jeff? At present he told Brian that he
is restoring an old Crocker motorcycle and may sculpt it after
he completes it. Then he is supposed to sculpt Lawrence of
Arabia's motorcycle, so it seems as if he will stay busy. Jeff
went on to state that his largest distraction is in making
a decision on what to do next, and even though he believes
that the artistic community may not fully accept the art that
he creates, his target is the motorcycle community as he hopes
to alert its members to their own history. Certainly Jeff is
doing his share to preserve that history and make it well known
to the world.
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CRN8016
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