Fine Art Bronze Sculpture
By Gary Hall
Alchemical Foundry is the transformative power of creation. Each bronze sculpture channels the ancient art of alchemy, merging the elemental forces of earth, water, air, and fire to reveal the sacred feminine and the noble warrior. The feminine form represents divinity, intuition, and creation, while the male soldier embodies strength, courage, and the disciplined spirit of the warrior. Together, they express the eternal balance between creation and protection, spirit and steel.
About the Artist
“I started my higher education as an engineering major. In high school I was interested in math and science. I wasn't great at it. I was also interested in art but not particularly good at that and no guidance counselor is going to say "You should do art." As a general education requirement at BYU, I took a ceramics class and clay just felt so full of possibilities. I switched my major to art. After graduating with a BFA in ceramics, I started doing bronze foundry work and that has become my primary medium. Cast bronze is like magic, all of the wonderful textures and process marks that are characteristic of sculpting in clay or wax get transformed into a durable alloy that is full of even more possibilities like increased tensile strength, various patinas and luster metallic surfaces.”
What inspires Gary?
“I had a hard time narrowing this question down so I asked my wife what she thought and she said that she sees my art as my quest to understand my place in the universe. That is the over arching motivation and within that there are many aspects to this quest: What is divinity and what is my relationship to it? What is beautiful? What is my responsibility to my materials and the people that view my art? What is my responsibility to my students? In addition to my foundry work, I am an adjunct professor at Utah Valley University teaching Intro to Sculpture.”
“I have found my most genuine connections to divinity or the divine is through my wife and that has shown up in my art as female figures with wings and crowns and halos. Another theme that might not be as readily apparent but has been very consistent in my art is spiritual alchemy. Looking within my self and considering everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. Then using that introspection to find what needs to be brought into balance. Many of the female figures I sculpt have a quietness and softness that contrasts with aspects of my experience as a soldier, artillery is loud, field conditions are the opposite of soft. I served in Army National Guard from 2011 to 2017. I’m not sure if it was a midlife crises but after finishing my MFA I was completely burned out as an artist and enlisted at the age of 41, the maximum enlistment age at the time. Another aspect of spiritual alchemy is to look at material processes (biology, chemistry, physics) and find lessons about balance and harmony within these processes. Foundry work is a rich source of such lessons. Earth and water, air and fire combine to transform my creations into enduring forms in bronze.”
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