New Resin Edition - Zizi Arab Filly
Years ago, I asked the Lord to teach me patience and he made me a sculptor. As I matured over the years, I have learned that some art takes much more time to develop and create than others. This is one of those instances where I have learned patience to wait for technology to catch up with my artistic goals. Chicks (Peeps) take 3 weeks to incubate but this particular HorseModels project took decades to finally produce! Larry and I looked into 3D printing for my existing model editions 13 years ago but my journey into 3D printing went back even further, over 36 years! I saw the first 3D miniature print of Nolan Ryan’s face and hand when I was at Valley Bronze back in 1986. I was floored by the amount of detail in these mini sculptures where even his pores were visible! Over the years, I kept this info in the back of my brain wondering when I would be able to do the same with my art.
From Nano to Classic Scale
She's adorable at 30 microns!
What Zizi looks like after being digitized at 30 microns in this digital rendering.
Why Did It Take So Long?
Since 1980, I have sculpted many editions in bronze and resin by hand working from life with real horse models. I am not a digital artist who uses Z-Brush or Blender to create my art. I still sculpt from real live horses with my hands and hand tools using my FXclay 2-part epoxy clay. I may be old fashioned doing it this way but I love the tactile feel of sculpting that I can never get on a computer. Being old fashioned doesn’t mean I won’t use technology though. Far from it! I am taking advantage of technology to recreate my sold out editions in miniature. Fast forward to 2012 where Larry and I met with a MakerBot distributor to see if they could even print my models. It was disappointing to find out that their process left a lot to be desired. They didn’t have the technology yet to recreate the intricate details of my horse sculptures. It took another 8 years before we found a metrology company with high resolution inspection scanners. We meet with this company over three days to get scans of 4 of my popular model limited editions which were all sold out.
Zizi - Available April 1st, 2022
After getting the models scanned, I had high hopes we would finally be able to print 3D resin models but my patience was to be tested again for another 2 years! In February 2022, Larry purchased the parts to create a screaming fast computer to handle the billions of polygon points in order to finish the post processing of the scanned models. A few weeks ago, we got our first 3D resin print of my Aisha Azzizi (Zizi) one week old Arabian filly in 1:32 scale (SM). Since that time, we have been building up an inventory of Zizis in 6 sizes! We have two 3D printers working their hearts out to produce my resins in tiny packages. They are so exquisite and delightful, that I smile every time I look at them!
Zizi is waiting for you!
She's just a little feisty!
Nano Scale? Your're Kidding?
Where Can I Get My Zizi?
I have decided to offer them up as limited editions with the exception of the Micro and Nano Minis (available as I have time to print them up). Each limited edition resin will come with an RFID microchip for theft protection, authentication and colorful COA in their own glossy presentation box, except Classic. The Micro and Nano mini Zizis come in their own special round tin to protect them from breaking while handling and shipping. I don’t know how many more I will be able to print until we start the next model, so when they are gone, that may be it for a while. I believe they are going to be devoured like hotcakes so if you want one or more, plan on securing them right away as they are ready to ship now. Remember, these are artwork and not toys! They are delicate, especially the Nano Minis (1:128 scale). Because they are to scale from my original sculptures, the legs are very thin. My Artist’s Copy of Zizi is what I used for the original scan and she has details I was not able to put in the original edition. Since printing 3D allows for amazing details, I put a lot more into the CMing of my Artist’s Copy so the minis would be even more incredible. I don’t believe there are any foals with this much details in these tiny sizes anywhere in the world. We pushed the technology to the limit as far as we could go. The only limiting factor right now is the resin itself.
