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Bronze sculptor Frank Watson has spent more than 40 years working in the industry, and last year he moved to Puhoi to fulfil a long-held dream of having his home and workshop together, allowing him to continue creating his own work.
His passion for making things started at a young age, inspired by his father, who used to build incredibly detailed model trains.
During his twenties, Frank worked with wood and other materials, eventually developing the skills that led him to a position as a technician at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design, where he taught students basic 3D construction techniques.
In the early 1980s, Frank completed a course in art foundry and moved to Auckland, where he started working at
Art Works Studio. There, he learned how to cast bronze sculptures for New Zealand artists.
“In 1985 I bought the original two partners out and continued to run the business until 2000,” Frank said. “During that time Art Works was responsible for casting virtually all bronze sculpture in New Zealand, including the Edmund Hillary statue in Orewa.”
It was not until 2010, however, that Frank started producing his own work.
He set up a studio on a farm in Clevedon, where he started creating his own sculptures.
“I do lost-wax casting, which involves creating a pattern, usually in wax, which is then invested or coated in a heat-proof refractory material and then placed in a kiln to melt out the wax,” he said. “The void inside the mould is then filled with molten bronze, which then cools and, once cleaned up, becomes the beginning of your bronze sculpture.”
Frank’s work focuses on creating light and delicate pieces, rather than the large, heavy sculptures traditionally associated with bronze.
Each piece can take up to a couple of weeks to complete, going through multiple processes along the way, which is one of the reasons bronze artworks can be so expensive.
“I love the thought that I’m creating a piece of work which may literally last generations, and the expense then is sort of irrelevant,” he said.
Frank has set up his Puhoi studio to work as a one-man operation, with everything he needs to create his sculptures. However, he also occasionally runs workshops for people interested in learning the basics of bronze casting.
“I think it’s a shame not to pass on some of the knowledge I’ve picked up over the years, and it’s also lovely to meet keen artists who want to find out about this ancient craft.”
