THE SPHINX - THE PROCESS
- This sculpture took 3 years to complete.
- The Safe : It is not a real one but rather a metal box and door created to look like a safe. A real safe would be too heavy to move. The safe box is made of steel: it is welded, soldered, and riveted. The door was created as a separate piece from the box, and it is made of resin reinforced with metal. This door has only one position, which is open, until the sculpture is lifted up. There is a hidden apparatus inside the safe box, a motorcycle lift, so it can be raised and moved around. There are pins in the lid of the safe box to hold the banker in the right place. The gold bars are made of resin and painted.
- The Banker : A real life person served as the inspiration for this figure, a wonderful actor from Denis Villeneuve’s short film Next Floor (2008) – a film that Jean worked on as a prop designer. A general mold was taken of this actor, but before the casting process most of his features were altered and accentuated: he was made fatter, his facial features were changed, etc. He is made entirely out of resin that is reinforced with fiberglass, and coated in real bronze powder. He is then polished, oxidized with patina, and then sealed and varnished.
- The Sphinx : She is loosely based on a real model, and most of her facial features were adjusted in the casting and modeling process to give her look more intense look and Grecian styled hair. She has a soldered steel frame inside of her that goes from the wings into the body. Otherwise she is hollow inside, to keep her lightweight. There are pins that secure her to the banker, through his belly. Over the steel frame, she is sculpted from resin and reinforced with fiberglass, and then coated in real bronze powder. She is then polished, oxidized with patina, and then sealed and varnished…
