What I discovered at Johnson Digital Atelier was that I could have craftsmen there robotically scan a raw model in 3D, and then scale it up to my desired dimensions without the need for more carving on my part. The scaled-up scan would simply be fed into a computer-driven milling machine for replication in foam. For exterior installation as is, the milled sculpture would be coated with an outdoor-safe hard coat requiring only minor fairing and hand-sanding before priming, painting and mounting on a robust urethane base.
What most surprised me was that all this work could be accomplished at an affordable increment over the costs I have historically incurred for materials and professional painting. In addition to saving an enormous amount of time for which my husband and I do not charge, milling from 3D scans of my carvings in foam opens an opportunity to place large sculpture in outdoor settings that would generally exceed the budget of most buyers if made of metal or stone and purchased through an art gallery at traditional trade mark-ups! The only catch, as noted previously, is the buyer would have to appreciate the tremendous value hard-coated foam represents.
Here is the faux granite piece Johnson Digital Atelier produced from my model. Installed out of doors on a pedestal or plinth, the only way to discern the sculpture is not carved from stone is to touch it. With exterior grade paint covered with a matte, UV-resistant clear coat, it is just as weather-resistant as a luxury automobile. To ensure against shifting in high winds, a 3/4” inch matching granite slab, cut to be 1 ” proud on all sides of the base could be screwed into the bottom. The only caveat is that because the sculpture is made of foam instead of stone, it would be vulnerable to falling objects like tree limbs. Installation on a pool terrace, driveway turning circle, garden or lawn away from overhanging trees would be ideal, as would inside a large room with high ceilings.
Assigning “X” as the cost to produce this sculpture in foam, the gallery selling price would be around 3 X. Had the piece been carved from granite, however, assuming one could find a workshop willing to mill granite because of its extreme hardness, the productIon cost alone could be as high as 7 X, and the gallery selling price aound 21 X. By comparison, Johnson Digital Atelier quoted 5 X to mill my sculpture in black marble, which is much softer than granite. Still, production was estimated to involve 24 hours of robotic programming, 115 hours of milling and 250 hours of hand finishing! At traditional system margins, the gallery selling price would end up being 15 X compared with 3 X for hard-coated foam!
Johnson Digital Atelier also works with my casting foundry, A.R.T. Research Enterprises, in Lancaster, PA. Should A.R.T. Research mold and cast a bronze from the milled foam pattern of the sculpture in question, production cost would be about the same as black marble. Since Johnson Digital Atelier — in addition to faux stone finishes — can replicate the look of bronze, stainless steel or apply any color a client specifies, hard-coated milled foam sculpture should be worthy of serious consideration because of its fine craftsmanship and extremely attractive pricing!