"After painting comes Sculpture, a very noble art, but one that does not in the execution require the same supreme ingenuity as the art of painting, since in two most important and difficult particulars, in foreshortening and in light and shade, for which the painter has to invent a process, sculpture is helped by nature. Moreover, Sculpture does not imitate color which the painter takes pains to attune so that the shadows accompany the lights."
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519),

"I say that the art of sculpture is eight times as great as any other art based on drawing, because a statue has eight views and they must all be equally well made."
Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571),

"Sculpture is the best comment that a painter can make on painting."
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973),

"Sculptures are drawings you fall over in the dark." Al Hirschfeld (1904-2003),

"Sculpting is a way for me to convey a message about life and nature." Felix Velez (Alive and Kicking)

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Felix Velez is today is no stranger to art, particularly to masterpieces in bronze. But his earliest works of art came to life at the age of 16 in the form of wire sculptures which he made from hangers and sold to American tourists on the white sand beaches of Puerto Rico where he was born. As a young man, the age of 20, Felix decided to follow his dreams on a grander scale and moved to the United States.

Upon arriving in the United States Velez had no formal training in art, but he had a passion, a drive, a love of his faith, and a sense of adventure. Learning from experience, this self-taught artist and self-made man began to develop his talents and soon found his dreams becoming a reality, he was sculpting professionally and full time.

MASTERING BRONZE

Although Felix has worked with other mediums such as wood, wire, ceramic,and modeling clay, his favorite to this day remaines bronze, in fact, besides his large bronze sculptures he is one of the very few sculptors who has  ever owned and operated his very own bronze foundry and art gallery!

In his foundry Felix used what is known as the "Lost wax process" of creating fine bronze sculptures. This process involves melting bronze ingots down to a red hot molten state and then pouring it by hand down into the cup of a ceramic mold or already prepared ceramic shell. During the bronze pour, sand supports and protects  the critical ceramic shell from breakage and cracking. The negative space in the ceramic shell will then become the positive bronze cast. Once the bronze has cooled down, the shell can be broken away and the bronze piece will be ready for prepping. Using various methods such as sandblasting and grinding the piece will be prepped before it moves on to the more final stages.

As business and the demand for his work increased Felix felt it was necessary to leave behind the more hands on approach of the foundry and decided to concentrate his efforts and time on the creative aspect of the process while outsourcing the casting portion of the process. He says " My work is always changing and I am in the process of expanding my collections to include Biblical themes and characters".

SEE HIS WORK

Today, Felix is internationally known for his life size bronze sculptures. He specializes in customized pieces for buildings and homes but his sculptures can be found in public buildings, hotels, and private collections around the world. "Under My Protection" is the largest piece he has done measuring 11' feet in length, it's a life size sculpture of a Manatee and her calf that was purchased by Sea World of California. "Golden Moments" is another life size sculpture commissioned by Volusia County of Florida for it's DeLand library, and a plaque in bronze for the Governor of Puerto Rico are among many of his other notable works. Many more of his latest expressions in bronze can be seen at the Wild Eye gallery in Evergreen, Colorado.

INSPIRATION

 Felix's works range from playful dolphins to a thoughtful Albert Einstein to even smaller figurative pieces. When asked what his work means to him  Felix says "For me, sculpting is an outlet to be creative without limits. It is also a way to convey a message about life and nature. I am very interested in serving God through the sculptures that I make."  When it comes to imagination he draws his ideas and creativity from nature, which he calls his greatest inspiration. Wildlife and the human figure are his favorite subjects. "God has created the human body and it is very interesting with its muscles and movements. The main thing is to capture the moment and make it life like." He says he chose sculpture over other art forms because of the three dimensional effect. "It's more life like," he states. "Some people will pet a wildlife sculpture as if it were alive."

TODAY

Felix Velez resides in Denver, Colorado and continues to sculpt and create bronze masterpieces  when not involved in his other labor of love, spreading the Gospel, or his newest of hobbies, running. He also enjoys classical music and reading his Bible. If you'd like to see more masterpieces in Bronze, would like to join the elite group of proud owners of his work, or find out more about the "Lost Wax Process", go here to BRONZE SCULPTURE.or here to SCULPTURE.

P.S.

This Hub was written by his son.