I’ve made my large Hare Sculpture in a variety of finishes including ‘Rusty’ Harriet in cold-cast iron, and ‘Moon-lit’ Harriet in cold-cast pewter. Recently though, a British Craft House customer asked if I could make an ‘ethereal-looking’ version in bronzes and greys, and this is the result! 
I’ve called her ‘Iced Bronze’ Harriet, and you can see a short video of her on my ‘Kirsty Armstrong Sculpture’ YouTube channel via this link;
The little video above shows the various stages which my Harriet Hare Sculpture went through during the year it took to sculpt her. Obviously I was producing other work during that time as well because I needed money coming in before she went into production, but she took around 200 hours to sculpt…
If Harriet has been a ‘one-off’ then all that sculpting time, backed up by my 30 years sculpting experience, would have had to have been reflected in the price of the ‘one’ Harriet, so instead…a mould was taken from her and I now make her in different metallic finishes. This way all that initial designing and sculpting time, as well as the production costs, are spread over the limited edition number making her more affordable for more people.
Customers sometimes don’t realise the time, skill and cost which goes into producing handmade pieces like Harriet. I was recently asked if I’d sculpt and then produce in cold-cast iron a gentleman’s two pet dogs… I explained the process of producing these ‘one-offs’ and their likely cost. As is often the case, he unfortunately changed his mind when he realised they couldn’t be made cheaply!
The purpose of this post then is to show you the many stages of a sculpture’s development from the initial 3D sketch (or maquette) which I make in wax through to the finished original with ALL its detail, and this is before it then goes off into production! It is also to point out that art doesn’t just materialise. It takes skill, knowledge, practise, expertise, patience, attention to detail and … the love of it. ❤️
After a bit of a delay in production, the rusty iron version of Harriet Hare is now back in stock!
I originally sculpted her in wax and she is now being produced as a limited edition in three different finishs; iron, pewter and with a weathered bronze patina.
She’s quite ‘hefty’ at 6kg in weight and I feel ever gram when I polish her on my bench grinder!!
I began by making her as a ‘Moon-lit’ Hare in cold-cast pewter, but I now also produce a resin bronze lacquered piece (which has a green verdigris patina), and this latest cold-cast iron version.
This rusty Harriet is first treated with acid to accelerate the rusting process and then I highlight the detail and add shading with various metallic and black waxes. I think rusty Harriet is my new favourite … ?
She’ll be listed in the next few weeks once I’ve got a few more cast!
Kirsty