Pipe organ at the Goodson Chapel, Duke University Divinity School by Richards Fowkes & Co

From sculpture to crafts, and everything in between, we are always eager to learn about the many ways in which our customers are using our molding and casting products. Hand-built pipe organ company, Richards Fowkes & Company used several of our products to fabricate the finials for their most recent pipe organ commission for the Goodson Chapel at Duke University Divinity School in North Carolina.

Founded in 1988 in Ooltewah, Tennessee, Richards Fowkes & Company has been hand-building incredible pipe organs for churches and universities around the country. Founders Bruce Fowkes and Ralph Richards have brought together a group of talented American and European craftsmen to build these ambitious organs in the traditional manner and methods of historic northern European instruments.

Although all of the casework is hand built and hand carved from wood, the over 60 ornate carved finials that embellish the casework are made from Townsend Casting Resin. First, several master prototype finials were hand carved from oak. Then, Knead-a-Mold (the light blue material shown) was applied onto the carved finials so that an exact replica could be made. Because Knead-a-Mold picks up very minute detail, the texture and grain of the wood was captured beautifully in the mold. Once the mold was made, Townsend Casting Resin was poured into the mold and allowed to cure. The resin cured to a bright white color and was then post finished with a variety of dyes and paints that matched the natural golden brown color of the oak.

Some of the completed cast resin finials incorporated onto oak framework.

The finished pipe organ is 27′ tall, has 30 stops, and approximately 1700 pipes. The largest pipe is 16′ tall and the smallest is 1 1/2″ long and the diameter of a soda straw.

To learn more about Richards Fowkes & Co and to see more of their work, visit www.richardsfowkes.com
To see Townsend Atelier products, click here

Townsend Atelier Booth, NAMTA show 2008

Townsend Atelier has been hard at work participating in and planning for spring and summer trade shows.
We recently returned from the annual NAMTA (National Art Materials Trade Association) Show in Reno, NV. We met a lot of wonderful people and added many new stores to our growing family of retailers who carry our products. To view a list of stores that carry our products CLICK HERE. Don’t see your local art store on the list? Email us [Email address: info #AT# townsendatelier.com - replace #AT# with @ ] and we will contact them. Or ask for Townsend Atelier products next time you visit your favorite supply center.

Where will we be next? Townsend Atelier will have a booth at two trade shows this summer. If you are in the area, please stop by to see us!

July 18-20 CHA (Craft and Hobby Association), Rosemont, IL

August 8-10 Loveland Sculpture Invitational, Loveland, CO

Bust of Sarah Winnemucca, bronze

Based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, sculptor Benjamin Victor makes incredibly detailed figurative works in both clay and in bronze. Many of his monumental works function as tributes to great historical figures or to contemporary heroes like firefighters or those who have served in the military. Victor joined the ranks of Michelangelo, Bernini, Daniel Chester French, and Maya Lin by receiving his first large commission at only 23 years old. At age 26, he became the youngest artist ever to have a sculpture in our Nation’s foremost collection of figurative sculpture, the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. Art critics and organizations, including the National Sculpture Society in New York City, continue to recognize the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of Benjamin’s artwork.

Victor uses a wide variety of processes and materials in his work including Knead-a-Mold. He says, “Knead a mold is a very easy to use, versatile product which has been very useful in making quick molds. It is especially useful in molding bas-reliefs, and small sculptures for wax and plaster reproduction.”

Monument to Firefighters in clay Detail

Monument to Firefighters, bronze/installation in Lawrence, KS

Old Man, clay

Sequoya, life-sized, clay

To see more of Benjamin Victor’s work, visit www.benjaminvictor.com