My Larger Work

I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to create large-scale pieces for outdoor and indoor installations. And while I have my own vision, I often get great ideas from my clients. It can be their vision along with mine that propels a piece from being table-top size to larger than life.

On this page you’ll learn more about my larger work, how I create it, and some of my musings about large bronze.

7'_Wall_Street_Waltz_Installed_1

I completed this 7′ Wall Street Waltz over a year ago. It took quite a while for the shipping, then the installation had to wait for the completion of the new Millennium Plaza down in Sal Salvador…but it’s finally in there and we got some pictures! To see a few, click here.

7' Wall Street Waltz Bronze Bull Sculpture

This is a fun shot of some raw metal that’s ready for chasing. It compares the size of the connecting arms of my 7′ Wall Street Waltz with the 11″ table top version. It gives you an idea of how much bigger the bigger one is!

large bronze

I also use this page to talk about current large-space projects I’m working on.

One I’ve just finished is the 9′ Moongate that’s heading to a nice locale near the new art building at the college campus in Casper Wyoming. I’ll post images of it installed as soon as I get some!

large bronze

I’m still waiting on word of the install of the 8′ Ode to Joy that’s heading to a mystery public location. This is me with the piece before wrapping and shipping. You’ll have to be patient and wait for the big reveal on the final location.

Moongate Bronze Animal Sculpture Architecture

Concept drawing for the Moongate arch, which I designed to meet the client’s requirements.

The Artist-Patron Partnership

Do you have a space where you’d like to see a large-scale piece of art? Just starting the process can be a bit overwhelming if you’re new to this sort of thing. It’s a unique individual who can fully envision how a piece will look in a particular space. I can assist you not only in determining how a piece will look installed, but explain all of the steps it will take from the initial concept through to completion.

It starts with inspiration on your part: You fall in love with a design and have a place in mind. You can send images of the location where you would like to install a piece and we’ll make a mock-up showing the piece in situ, similar to the samples shown.

Once we determine the desired size I can make an estimate on the cost of the piece. The production time will vary; there are an incredible number of steps in creating a large bronze statue. If there is a deadline I do my best to make it happen. I won’t promise what I can’t deliver.

Public Art Installations

I have been honored that communities across the United States and beyond have embraced my work for public art pieces.

In working with public art committees, I find that communication and coordination are keys to a successful project. I and my team are consummate professionals who create schedules and meet them.

Bronze Animal Sculpture Doxie Bump

Laurel and her 5′ Doxie Bump

Within Reach Aluminum Fox Sculpture by Laurel Peterson Gregory

My Within Reach being installed in Running Fox Park in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Appropriate!

Clay Bronze Animal Sculpture by Laurel Peterson Gregory

Laurel working on the large Pause for Reflection

Beauty of Scale

There is something magical that happens when a sculpture literally becomes larger than life. The sculpture can even be of common objects. The Denver Art Museum installed a broom and dustpan, “The Big Sweep,” which is more than 30 feet tall. The piece makes a big impact, but think about it: All you have to do is take something common, enlarge it to 30 times its size, and it becomes art.

Now, enlarge an original sculptural design and you have something really special.

When I was studying sculpture one of the first things I learned was the effect of scale. I am always delighted when I have the opportunity to enlarge and install one of my creations. Hardly a common object, each piece becomes incredibly powerful within its new environment.

Having said all that, a sculpture needn’t be monumental in size to make a great addition to an outdoor location. My original Bunny Bump is installed in a river walk park in Little Rock, Arkansas. The city created a tall pedestal to secure it and give it more presence. Over the years I’ve received lovely emails from folks who have seen and enjoyed Bunny Bump as they stroll through the park. Scale does count, but a piece doesn’t have to be super large to make an impact.

Bronze Fox Sculpture by Laurel Peterson Gregory
Bronze Bunny Bump Sculpture by Laurel Peterson Gregory
3D Printing for Laurel Peterson Gregory's Bronze Sculpture
Wall Street Waltz by Laurel Peterson Gregory

Wall Street Waltz scanned into the computer and a few of the 70+ 3D-printed sections sprued and ready for dipping in shell at the foundry in Colorado.

Traditional Processes and 3D Printing

For years the typical means of creating bigger pieces was to first create foam enlargements using a variety of manual methods. This is how I made the 5′ Doxie Bump. Some of companies spray a layer of clay over the foam enlargement for the artist to bring back detail, add texture, and make any needed modifications. That is still a very popular way of creating enlargements.

However, in recent years sculptors have started to embrace the 3D print industry for their enlargements. We now have the option to have an existing sculpture 3D scanned. The file created by the scan can be used to print the piece to any size using a variety of print media.

For example, as the images here show, there is now a material that can be printed and directly cast at the foundry, taking the place of the wax in the traditional lost-wax process. Because the process of removing the material completely from inside the shell is more complex, only a limited number of US foundries currently offer this service.

This process gives me a great deal of flexibility to enlarge pieces to meet the needs of the buyer. I have used this process for multiple enlargements, one of the largest of which is a 7′ high Wall Street Waltz being installed in San Salvador. Interestingly, it was the height limitations of the transport that determined the size of the statue. Oh, how I would have loved to make it larger!