BRONZE OF KING LATEST STAR OF BURBANK FOUNDRY.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer Sun Foundry in Burbank routinely ships off its statues of wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. and Greek mythology Greek mythology Oral and literary traditions of the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes and the nature and history of the cosmos. The Greek myths and legends are known today primarily from Greek literature, including such classic works as Homer's Iliad and figures to clients all over the world. But this week the foundry will deliver one of its more noteworthy pieces - a 6-foot-tall bronze of Martin Luther King Jr. Commissioned by the city of Stockton, the statue of the late civil rights leader was created by Valley Village sculptor Rafael Arrieta-Eskarzaga, 39, who spent five months working on it. It took him three weeks to cast the statue at the foundry. Ken Kalbfleish says he bought Sun Foundry at 297-299 South Lake St. some 20 years ago and employs about 10 workers. But at 81 years old, Kalbfleish has been trying to slow down a little. ``I've just been progressively getting smaller and smaller,'' he said. ``I'm not interested in expanding or being as large as I used to be.'' Statues are cast at the foundry using the lost-wax method. The process involves taking a figure in wax, covering it with a mold mold, name for certain multicellular organisms of the various classes of the kingdom Fungi, characteristically having bodies composed of a cottony mycelium. The colors of molds are caused by the spores, which are borne on the mycelium. and then melting away the wax. Bronze is poured in and allowed to harden hard·en v. hard·ened, hard·en·ing, hard·ens v.tr. 1. To make hard or harder. 2. To enable to withstand physical or mental hardship. 3. . When the mold is removed, the bronze image is revealed. Stockton will have the statue of King - commissioned by the city and a group of black church leaders - installed in a public square near the City Hall named after King years ago. The King bronze certainly is not the foundry's first public-art project. A statue of the Wright brothers was sent to Dayton, Ohio Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Montgomery County. As of the 2005 census estimate, the population of Dayton was 158,873. , last year for the 100th anniversary of powered flight, and it is now displayed in an outdoor park. A statue of the late President Ronald Reagan is at the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . Another Reagan statue cast by Sun Foundry sits on the newly commissioned USS USS abbr. 1. United States Senate 2. United States ship USS abbr (= United States Ship) → Namensteil von Schiffen der Kriegsmarine Ronald Reagan. Arrieta-Eskarzaga, the sculptor of the King bronze, said that, in researching King's life for the project, he mainly focused on the visual record. But he also learned about the risks King endured before he was assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. in 1968. ``Just an incredibly courageous human being, that's what I learned about him,'' Arrieta-Eskarzaga said. At Sun Foundry, pictures of Reagan are posted on the walls amid humorous posted signs about everything from government to teenagers. Kalbfleish's office is cluttered clut·ter n. 1. A confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble: sorted through the clutter in the attic. 2. A confused noise; a clatter. v. with about 200 statues on the shelves and desks. Statues of Buddha, American-Indian chiefs, wild animals and Abraham Lincoln conferring with his war advisers all share space in the office. Kalbfleish said buyers in Europe and Asia have more of an appreciation for statues than do Americans, so many of the foundry's pieces are purchased by overseas clients. He sells more than 400 statues a year, mostly through dealers. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sculptor Raphael Arrieta-Eskarzaga created a bronze of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Sun Foundry in Burbank. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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