The everlasting beauty of bronze

Frederick Aman is in his seventies. He and his wife have lived in Florida for the last fifteen years since they retired. Fred was a taxidermist for 25 years before he evolved into a noted and award winning sculptor in bronze. This soft spoken senior citizen had thought his artist days were long over until he arrived to visit Ethiopia last month.
What happened to revitalize the talent which had lain dormant for years?
Find out in this exclusive interview Capital's Tesfu Telahoun conducted with renowned sculptor Fredrick Aman.

Capital:- How did you begin your artistic journey?
Frederick Aman:- I worked as a taxidermist (mounting animals and birds) for twenty five years and sort of wandered into a more permanent art form. I chose what is called, "The everlasting medium of bronze." I built my own foundry - and finally made my first bronze sculpture after two years of trial and error and experimentation.
Capital:- Is building a personal foundry common among sculptors?
Fred:- No, it isn't. Most artists today make the original sculpture and then have the casting performed by an Art Foundry. I wanted to become familiar with, and control the entire process myself just as the famous sculptors of renaissance Europe and prior times did. I spent several years learning and perfecting the process without marketing a single piece, but in the end, it worked out very well for me.
Capital :- In what ways have your skills in taxidermy contributed to the artist in you?
Fred:- Working with animals and birdlife for 25 years has given me invaluable experience and knowledge of anatomy. Doing taxidermy, you acquire a clear and highly detailed picture of how each part of the exterior is affected by what lies under the skin or feathers.
Capital :- Has your work been recognized?
Fred:- Yes, I have participated in many shows and on several occasions, have been awarded "Best of Show". This is at national (United States) competition level. A number of my pieces are found in corporate collections and others were commissioned for special occasions such as memorials.
Capital :- What would you describe as the defining theme that is consistent in your pieces?
Fred:- I am known mainly as a wildlife artist, but I have also done abstract work in bronze as well as marble. There were and are lots of other genres I would have liked to do but I have concentrated on themes that are of interest to people that appreciate nature as I do. I'm from Wisconsin (in the northern mid west) and the particular area I live in is a popular tourist area. People that frequent the area are often interested in wildlife, so most of my work is associated with North American wildlife. However, I have made several sculptures with African themes. One of my largest pieces depicts a Masai Lion hunt. Two Masai warriors in a "face off" with two lions. It was the first time I portrayed lions.
By the way, I was highly impressed by the many sculptures of lions I saw here in Addis Ababa. The lion - especially the Lion of Judah features very prominently. And the Lions at Sidist Kilo are really magnificent. This inspired me to make a lion of my own. Fortunately, I had brought some sculpting wax along so I made the lion piece as well as another prototype of a duck hunter. The duck hunter is calling the ducks in flight, he is hiding his face from the ducks but the dog (a retriever) is looking up at the ducks - with a knowing look. Any duck hunter will relate to this piece.
Capital:- How permanent are these prototypes…being wax I mean?
Fred:- I warm the wax in the sun to soften it for sculpting and to enable it to accept the fine detail. Thereafter, if kept cool and out of the sun, it will hold up pretty well. Keep in mind, the wax original is not intended to be retained as a collectible piece. The final bronze sculpture is a duplicate of the wax original, and that is what the collector cherishes. The bronzes are serialized and of limited edition. My pieces have typically been issued in editions of ten to twenty, and occasionally a collector has commissioned a single one of a kind sculpture.
Capital:- Tell me how it is possible to put in so much intricate detail in these wax prototypes and, will you lose some of these incredible details when you cast it in bronze?
Fred:- Well, if I decide to turn the prototype into a finished piece, I will sculpt it again perhaps two or three times larger than the prototype. Fine detail and accuracy is a hallmark of my work, and collectors have come to expect that. In regard to losing some of the intricacy of the wax prototype when it is cast in bronze, there is a slight loss but not significantly so. The process itself is called the "lost wax process."
By the way, these pieces (shown in picture) are not for customers but for me. I retired about 15 years ago - my wife Mary and I ran a wildlife art gallery and gift shop in Eagle River, Wisconsin. We have since retired and now live in Florida.
Capital: Parting thoughts?
Fred:- Frankly, being retired - I didn't think I would make more sculptures, but there are so many things in Ethiopia that inspired me, I found myself sculpting. I truly wish I were a younger man as I would have liked to travel around this beautiful country and do sculptures of the people. I did manage to visit the countryside during my brief stay and have very much enjoyed seeing the people and the country.