Foekje Buijs Art

BRONZE SCULPTURES

Every shape seems to be possible in this material

Jumping opera frog

Jumping opera frog

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Deer calf

Deer calf

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Don't shoot the messenger

Don't shoot the messenger

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Minotaur jumping from Pandora's box

Minotaur jumping from Pandora's box

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Argos ears

Argos ears

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Inclined portrait of my mother

Inclined portrait of my mother

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The art of the rose

The art of the rose

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Panther motion

Panther motion

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I experimented in bronze with different shapes and emotions. I have also shaped motion in space in the sculptures, giving it extra tension in space. Experiencing motion in a sculpture is not a matter of a snapshot image. The sculpture brings across my feeling when I witness the motion, expressed in an overall impression. Like a portrait of a person in bronze of paint is the result of an overall impression that a person makes on me, not one photographic composition.

The gallery on this webpage present the most important sculptures I made in bronze. They show how I explored bronze to express myself, from realistic to more abstract and absurd.

The opera frog shows happiness and has a clear tension in space,
The deer calf approaches the viewer curiously and tentatively like young animals do.
Don't shoot the messenger displayes raw, naked emotions and reaches out.
Argos ears is inspired on the political listening in scandal, in the form of having everyone's watchful ears on your desk.
The panther explores the expression of motion in animals.
The portrait of my mother is made in an inclination because a horizontal position is static. The portrait is alive, not fixed.
The liberated minotaur jumps out of a birdshaped Pandora's box. In the Greek myth human sacrifice was repeatedly made to pacify the minotaur on Crete. It is a metaphor for the sacrifice of freedom in Europe suffered by terrorism, and related, the Greek and overall financial crisis.
The rose is a nice bronze decoration. It is elegant and by its shape and shadow adds character to a room. The art is to capture the character that a plant brings to a room in an abstract bronze sculpture. Any kind of abstraction of a plant is possible.

I often first make a design for a bronze statue in a wax and copper skeleton, an example can be found in The making of. Duplicates of an existing scuplture or a series of one design can be delivered. It is also possible to make a statue by tying willow branches together and converting it into a bronze statue. Otherwise the willow wood will degrade fairly quickly. An example is the deer calf shown in the gallery. Statues made of willow branches is subject of a separate page .

GALLERY

Opera frog

Sculpture expressing happiness, which has a lot of tension and motion in space. It is placed at a pond where the frog seems to jump from.
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Deer calf

Statue made originally out of willow branches, and then constructed into bronze. If you are interested in a statue design in willow branches please contact me. That design can then be carried out in bronze.
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Don't shoot the messenger

Sculpture expressing grief and its raw naked emotions, simultaneously reaching out.
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Argos ears

Abstract sculpture having watchful Argos-ears eavesdropping everywhere, in the context of political listening in. Paper weight on desk.
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Panther

Jumping panther. Sculpture exploring motion in animals.
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Portrait

Portrait of my mother looking up. Portraits looking straight forward have a static conventional impression. This portrait has a different inclination which gives it dynamism.
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Pandora's box

The liberated Minotaur rises from birdshaped Pandora's box. Minotaur can be seen as a metaphor for terrorist strikes in Europe demanding sacrifice for freedom, but also the Greek and financial crisis. The box unfolds by birds flying away.
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A rose

Having an artificial bronze rose is charming and throws a beautiful sharp shadow in light. Any plant shape is possible. The art is to capture the character a plant brings to a room in an abstract bronze sculpture.
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THE MAKING OF

I often first make a design for a bronze statue in a wax and copper skeleton, or in a statue tied together by willow branches. A plaster cast is made of the design, after which molten bronze is poured into the cast. The orignal design melts into the bronze or evaporates in the heat. An example is shown below. Duplicates of an existing scuplture or a series of one design can also be delivered.