Thursday, February 4, 2010

Tim "Frogman" Cotterill's fanciful sculptures depict a childlike playfulness that resonates with a wide range of people. One need not be a fine art collector to appreciate these bronze frogs with their bright patinas and humorous personalities. Tim is an enthusiastic artist, and loves to regale art collectors with tales of his many adventures and mishaps growing up in working-class Leicester, England. He also loves to recall his solitary forays into the untamed wetlands near his home, where his fascination with small amphibians flourished into a lifelong passion.



Cotterill starts each day with boundless enthusiasm and interest, thankful to be living an artist's dream. When he's not traveling to art shows and galleries, days unfold in "Paradise", his hidden oasis in Venice Beach, California. Behind an unassuming gate in an industrial area lies a verdant botanical garden, complete with koi pond. Every plant and rock was chosen and placed by the sculptor, who lists "stone mason" on his varied resume. He still takes time each day to be still and observe the goings-on in his frog sanctuary, much as he did as a child in England.


These bright frog sculptures range in size from miniature (like the tiny tree frog of Costa Rica) to monumental at twelve feet high, and from an artistic portfolio of over one hundred sculptures in limited editions of up to five thousand.



Frogman sculpture is produced through the lost wax process, a labor intensive method involving the creation of a wax replica of the original, which is then encased in a ceramic shell. The molten bronze is poured into the shell after the wax is melted out of the ceramic shell, or is "lost". Finally, after extensive polishing, the skilled artisans of Frogman Inc. apply a variety of heat-sensitive chemicals and colorful dyes, some with the intense heat of a 350 degree torch. Silver Nitrate is used to create colors and finishes with an iridescent quality and a prismatic luster. Thus, as a hand-finished work of art, no two Frogman Limited Edition Bronze sculptures are alike.
Park City, Utah is the home of Frogman Publishing, responsible for publishing each of Cotterill's sculptures in Limited Edition Releases to fine art galleries that represent his work. The Park City arts community is enlivened with the display of Frogman Limited Edition Bronze Sculptures at Silver Queen Fine Arts Gallery on Main Street.

You can find more on this artist at http://www.frogmancollection.com/

Till tomorrow ... keep creating !
Tina aka Daily Muse

4 comments:

Mary Lamoray said...

Absolutely fantastic!! So beautiful... I LOVE frogs and lizards! :) Thanks so much for sharing about this wonderful artist...

MaryL :)

Unknown said...

I so appreciate you sharing the technique as well as the work...I'm enthralled by his color and craftsmanship..quite intensive! WOW. Beautiful beautiful. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Glad everyone enjoyed, when I found him on the net I was just overwhelmed by the colors and how he managed to make these wonderful creatures ! Of course since my current passion is polymer clay, you know I just GOTTA try to make some with the PC ! Will post pictures IF I have any success !

EyeDesire said...

OMG! I love those little frogs and gekkos!
They are beautifully done and wow!

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