My process for the fabrication of this figurative work begins by taking thin shell molds off the live model. Through a process I hope to illustrate one day in a video tutorial,I restructure and strengthen the molds to accommodate the heat of welding and the weight of steel without deforming. I then add the bits of scrap flush against the inner surface of the mold,cold forming the pieces when required,choosing the overall pattern of the parts and strategic areas of NEGATIVE space,and welding them one by one to their neighbor ONLY when they are a perfect fit. In this way the totality of the form is built up slowly and meticulously until the full figure is achieved...To my mind this process is in essence ancient ALCHEMY RESTORED for I am beginning with a crude and base material(steel),but by the overlay of my wit and wisdom,can transmute ,in the crucible of the studio,and render a rarefied form,(gold),an object of great beauty whose value becomes readily apparent and greatly exceeds the base material upon which it was predicated...