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S. Erickson was one of the thousands who died at the Oregon state mental hospital whose ashes were abandoned inside one of 3500 copper urns. I saw his picture in the newspaper and could not forget him. He has a quiet presence about him that stayed with me.  I tore out his picture and put on my bulletin board.  S. Erickson's  file stated he was a laborer and suffered from senility, he came to New York in 1883 from Norway.  Mr. Erickson was one of the forgotten souls but I could not forget him. 

Fyi- ​"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed at Oregon state mental hospital. 

I made the armature so that with a pull of the cord I could remove it from the wax. This way I can cast my sculpture without making a mold. You could never mold the beard I sculpted.  

The next step is to dip the piece creating a ceramic shell. The wax and hay will then be burnt out in a furnace. Then the bronze will be poured into the cavity of the shell. 

It is a very slow process to remove the shell from a heavily textured surface. This is why almost a bronze is smooth-ish. But I love texture so I have to do the work to get it. 

The next step is to patina the surface.