Sculpted Paint

Frustrated with the existing options for creating portable relief sculpture, Andrew Werby began a series of experiments in an attempt to deal with their shortcomings. He wanted to develop something that was light, durable, and cleanable, that would reproduce fine detail in a wide range of colors, and that would survive unchanged for decades without needing a plastic enclosure. With the development of the Sculpted Paint process, he succeeded in all these goals.

The process involves creating a full-sized rubber mold of the intended sculptural relief. Paint is then applied to the mold surface in layers, the first of which becomes the top layer of the piece, with subsequent layers forming the undercoats. Various effects are possible that can’t be achieved with normal back-to-front painting techniques. Thicker layers and reinforcements are added until a shell is formed, which is then filled with rigid foam. Then a back layer is created to seal in the foam, creating a solid part which can then be removed from the mold and hung on the wall.