 Joya, Indian Rhino in the clay and ready to go to the foundry
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 Joya’s parts as they came out of the mother mold. The base and feet were molded separately from the body.
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 After flaws in the wax copy were corrected (2% the wax), Joya was further cut apart in order to end up with a hollow body. The dark green “tree” and “branches” (sprues and gates) are located so that when the ceramic encased whole is heated all the wax will melt out cleanly. Then the ceramic shell is inverted and molten bronze poured in following those same courses.
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 After the wax is melted out, the empty ceramic shells are inverted for the molten bronze to be poured in.
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 After the ceramic shell was broken off and the parts of Joya cut away from the now bronze “tree”, the sprues and gates are saved and re-melted for later casting. The remnants of the gates that are visible inside Joya’s body remain when each bronze is welded back together.
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 Joya’s large wrinkle made the ideal place to weld him back together.
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 The metal fabricators need to re-establish whatever texture (including extremely smooth surface) the artist created in clay or wax. Jimmy had quite a job re-creating Joya’s wrinkled skin.
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 I used a miniature rose branch to create the branch that was copied and spot welded into Joya’s mouth before his lips were retextured.
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