"Funeral urns don't have to be ugly, strange, or awkward to have around. An urn should be something quietly beautiful and deeply resonate. An urn should gather and enfold your loss, carrying it forward into the larger human prayer and struggle."
- sculptor/designer David Orth |
Crafting a Bronze Cremation Urn
Metalcraft is a loud & fiery thing, but from beginning to end this dynamic process is tempered by a quiet inner search for the heart of the matter. Here in my shop, the funeral urns are pounded out of solid plates of sculptural bronze. A timeworn surface slowly emerges over the anvil. The curves are shaped with a heavy mallet over a rounded surface. The closely fitting parts are welded with intense heat into a seamless whole.
An opening is formed on the bottom of each urn and a cover plate fitted carefully and bolted down tight. Grinding, sanding, and burnishing bring a satin sheen to the urn and prepare it for the patina. The ancient patina solutions are applied repeatedly until the bronze itself glows with patience, depth, and wisdom.
Each urn is a unique answer to the question of the heart with which it began. I send each one out with a prayer for all who suffer and a hope for all who must carry on.
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