‘Behind the Scenes: Creating Echoes of Glory’

This is how a Legacy Piece comes to life - from concept to creation

What goes into a Legacy Piece? This is the complete journey of creating 'Echoes of Glory' - from first conversation to bronze sculpture. See why collectors wait months for work like this.

Step 1. From Story to Concept.

It all started with a conversation.

During our Visual Taste Test interview, key themes emerged: a deep love for ancient Greek art, the power of bronze as a medium, and how the equestrian lifestyle shapes every aspect of daily life.

Within minutes of our conversation, I had a complete vision:

A 3D sculptural portrait crafted from precision bronze wireframe, with fragments of meaningful moments captured between the lines - creating a living memory that shifts with perspective.

The goal: *'to capture the feeling of being in motion, the elements you notice, the pure joy of connection, and the beautiful bond between human and nature'.*

Material exploration included: **Fine art prints on translucent acrylic • precision bronze wireframe • authentic textural elements**

People told me this concept was impossible with thin bronze lines. "It would never work," they said. But I saw it in my mind. So I knew it could work.

Stylized illustration of a horse's head with a landscape scene of fields, a river, and a sunset inside the horse's silhouette.

Stylized illustration of a horse's head with geometric design elements.

I used AI visualization to create initial concept sketches - helping translate the vision from imagination into something tangible that everyone could understand and build upon.

Artwork of a horse's head with sections illustrating rural landscape scenes, including fields and trees, integrated into its mane and neck with a stylized appearance.

Sculpture of a horse's head made of geometric panels in black, beige, and gold, displayed on a pedestal.

Step 2. testing materials.

I created physical prototypes using acrylic glass shapes, test prints, and brass wire to make the concept tangible. This hands-on experimentation phase is crucial - it's where theory meets reality and potential problems reveal themselves before production begins.

Acrylic graphic shapes, combined to make a 3D collage.

The first try out, with fragmented memories on acrylic glass, and bronze lines.

I'm a visual thinker, so I made a test to see how my idea corresponded with real life.

In the actual piece I will first make a complete frame out of bronze and afterwards add the slides with the fragments of memories, but this is a good start into the creation process.

Elements used in this test:

- Natural textures and environments

- Lighting at different times of day

- Seasonal details (autumn leaves, grass, bark)

- Personal artifacts meaningful to the story

- Architectural elements from significant places

- Organic materials that capture essence and memory

This prototype phase reveals how light, texture, and memory interact within the sculptural framework.

Step 3: Scale and Technical Planning

Wire sculpture of a horse's head on a pedestal.

Creating a life-size bronze sculpture requires extensive anatomical research and precise dimensional planning.

I study the subject's proportions, research breed-specific characteristics, and calculate optimal dimensions for both accuracy and visual impact.

Key considerations include:

- Anatomical proportions and natural stance

- Viewing angles and display requirements

- Structural integrity for the chosen materials

- Pedestal height for optimal experience

This technical foundation ensures the final sculpture captures both biological authenticity and artistic presence.

The planning phase typically involves detailed measurements, structural calculations, and material stress testing before production begins.

For research I went to the Living Horse Museum. A beautiful place with a lot of history and inspiration.

Two smiling women sitting at a table outside of a restaurant, with drinks, a small plate of lemon slices and a green cocktail, decorated with flowers, brick wall background, and a man sitting across from them.

I also had the chance to meet with André Marques Alcantara, a professional horse rider from Portugal. He shared his deep love for riding and what it means to him—it was incredibly insightful!

André also gave me some interesting tips, like using a GoPro camera mounted on the chest or head to record riding sessions. This might be a cool way to capture the surroundings and movement.

I made a 3D model out of the horses head, as a tool to explain to the technical designer what I need for the calculation of the object.

*Side note: I made this drawing, without the real horse hair. This will - of course -be a part of the final piece.

The Final Technical drawing for the frame.

To Bronze or to Brass, that is the question.

A copper kitchen sink with a polished interior and a rusted exterior finish.

Material options:

Patinated brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The zinc content can vary, typically between 5% and 40%.

Brass sculpture resembling a stylized bird with a long beak, mounted on a black marble base.

Material options:

Patinated bronze

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, although it may also contain small amounts of other metals like aluminum, phosphorus, or silicon.

So here’s an example of how the company that’s going to assemble the frame bronzes brass. ↙️

Brass kitchen sink with internal dimensions of 50x40 cm, made of solid brass, with a bronze finish, handmade in Amsterdam, featuring a natural antibacterial and durable design, displayed on an ecommerce webpage.

A woman using a power tool to carve details into a piece of wood in a workshop.

A woman in a woodworking workshop is talking on the phone next to a wooden horse head sculpture, holding a glass in her other hand, with tools and wood supplies on the workbench.

(not breaking) the mold

But definitely a lot of finetuning! After many adapted versions, I could finally add the finishing touches on the mold for the bronze design.

Person taking a mirror selfie outdoors, holding a long stick with a whip at the end. The person is dressed in tan clothing, and the photo reflects a large vehicle and steps behind them.

Picking up the bronze

Planes, trains and automobiles. It was a journey, but the bronze is in!

Cutting 280 bronze rods.

The first weld being made

A woman wearing a white hat and beige sweater taking a selfie with a man sitting at a kitchen table. The man is wearing a purple hoodie and looking at the camera, with papers and a banana on the table. There is a lamp, a small horse figurine, and window blinds in the background.

Welding bronze is not for the faint of heart. It took me a good deal of digging and then I found a bronze caster in the east of The Netherlands, upon referral.

But the intricate wireframe design proved more challenging than expected. The precision required for 280, individual 4mm bronze rods demanded specialized computer-steered welding techniques.

In comes blacksmith Cuiper, to save the day!

My bronze supplier came over to Amsterdam to personally deliver the extra bronze rods I had to order and gave me the phone number of a specialized blacksmith, that can work with special metals.

Coincidentally my bronze supplier came over to Amsterdam to personally deliver some extra bronze rods. I showed him what was happening with the bronze caster and gave me the phone number of a specialized blacksmith, that can work with special metals.

Next day I met up with Blacksmith Cuiper, who uses a computer steered welding technique, which requires less heat, so the welds are controlled and perfect.

Happy days. The first part is in. Finally the result I'm looking for! So happy. ETA: April 12 2025

With this project, everything took its sweet time, but here the last welds where being made.

I decided to skip the real horse hair, so here we made the hair out bronze, as well.

Picking up the prints at Gallery Color. Right then and there, we had an idea: what if we would laminate the fragile prints, instead of placing them in acrylic glass. 💡

About 5 reprints/attemps to achieve the perfect lamination - wasn’t easy, but we made it work!