ZAINABU

Client: N/A
Size: 21”t x 10.5”d x 5”w
Material: Bronze
Cost: Contact for pricing

This bronze sculpture began at the Los Angeles Zoo, where I spent three days sculpting alongside a very opinionated group of giraffes. They weren’t shy about supervising — leaning in, watching the sculpture take shape, then strolling off like they’d signed off on the work.

Most of the sculpture’s structure and gesture were established on-site, or plein-air, working directly from the giraffes as they moved around. The studio phase focused on refining the surface — tightening texture, cleaning transitions, and adding details that are simply easier to handle in a controlled space. I worked with the foundry on the patina and then brought the piece back into my studio to dial in the final tones and apply the wax finish. The piece carries the immediacy of the fieldwork, with the kind of finish that comes from taking the time to live with it back in the studio.