I’m Marietha van de Venter. I started working at a bronze foundry in 2007 as an administrative clerk in a sculpture gallery, but quickly realised I preferred hands-on work. My employer gave me the chance to learn mould-making, and I fell in love with working with rubber moulds.
After relocating due to my husband’s work, I resigned but returned two years later as a manager. I later took a job closer to home and started making cold cast resin sculptures as a hobby in my garage. In 2016, I founded my own business, Pro Art Mouldings, which I ran from home for six years.
In 2022, I had the opportunity to live and work on the site of the previous bronze foundry, where I launched Pro Art Bronze Foundry (Pty) Ltd. I’m proud to work with some of the best team members from the old foundry.
Together, under one umbrella—Pro Art Mouldings (cold castings) and Pro Art Bronze Foundry (hot castings)—we produce high-quality sculptures and offer a full service to our clients, including final patinas like special finishes and foundry brown. It’s an honour to work alongside such talented artists.
The Artist's handmade clay sculpture arrives at the foundry
Aflexible silicone or rubber mould is applied over the clay sculpture to capture every detai, followed by supportive plaster or fiberglass shell.
Hot wax is poured into the mold to create a hollow replica of the sculpture.
Any seams or imperfections in the wax replica are carefully smoothed out by hand, preparing it for shell creation.
Wax rods(called sprues) are attached to the wax model to allow air and molten bronze to flow through the mold during casting.
The wax model is dipped into ceramic slurry and coated with sand in several layers creating a hard, heat- resistant shell.
The ceramic shell is placed in a kiln where the wax melts and drains away, leaving a hollow cavity inside the hardened shell.
Molten bronze is poured into the hot ceramic mold, filling the cavity left behind by the melted wax.
Once the bronze cools and hardens, the ceramic shell is broken away to reveal the raw bronze sculpture inside.
The bronze sculpture is cleaned, welded, and imperfections or sprue marks are ground away to refine the final shape.
Chemical treatments are applied to the bronze surface to create a desired color or finish, often using heat and brushes.
The sculpture is polished to enhance highlights and sealed with wax or lacquer to protect the finish.
The finished bronze sculpture is securely packaged and prepared for delivery to the artist/ client.
