Miniature Bronze Hand-Painted Figurines

Fine Art Miniature Sculpture
Lost Wax Cast
Handmade in the USA

A Complete Catalog
1994 to 2017 – All Pieces
240 Editions – All Retired

 Are you looking to start a collection, or are you looking for a particular piece? For more information, contact rszadar@tutamail.com.

 

The Zadar Bronze Miniatures Catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to tell the story of Zadar Miniatures and to document the work by providing information to collectors. Information like production numbers and issue prices is valuable to art collectors. The production numbers are of major interest to collectors as they reveal the rarity of the work. That information is kept in journals in the studio. Now it will be available online. The records indicate that the work was never mass-produced because of the difficult process of lost-wax casting. Production numbers are low (usually under 100 pieces), making the collection rarer. It is also important to note that all the pieces have passed through my hands at every stage of production. The work was always produced in my studio, where I sculpted the pieces, made the molds, cast them, and painted every piece.

 

The story of Zadar Miniatures is one of overcoming obstacles and challenges. Of being resourceful and creative to find solutions to complicated problems. There were many failures and setbacks, but I always kept going because I believed in the art, and the collectors expected me to advance to new levels. Each piece presented its own set of challenges, from sculpting, molding, casting, and painting. But that kept it interesting. So there is a story behind each piece.

My intent with this catalog is to inform and provide insight into the work. Sometimes, just looking at a piece makes it difficult to appreciate what it took to produce it. Each has a story. At times, I had to break the rules in casting. Basically, to cast bronze, I had to heat the metal to about 1850 degrees and then spin it around at high speed in a centrifugal casting machine. Things can go wrong, and sometimes they did when working with molten metal.

 

 

 

 

 

This archival catalog covers all the pieces made, from the first to the last. There are 240 pieces in the collection, from the first one in 1994 to the last in 2017. Production numbers are included in the catalog, as are unusual items like studio samples, artist proofs, prototypes, and paint tests. All pieces are on the secondary market.

The Beginning

Before going on, I should probably comment on how this all got started. I am often asked how I got started making miniature bronze figurines. A different career choice, and one I didn’t plan for or even know existed. So the best answer is that it found me. In 1992, I was running my own office machine business. I became restless and started looking for another career. This started me on the road of creativity, something that was not new to me, as I was always creating things growing up.

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing I tried were some inventions based on a mechanical motion. At the same time, I discovered my love of antique classic cars, especially the 1948 Tucker Automobile. The Tucker Car was the spark that really started it all. Many of the early projects I made featured a Tucker, including some wood-burnt plaques that I made featuring antique cars. One of these plaques of the Tucker, I showed to my uncle, and he suggested I sculpt a Tucker out of wax and cast it using lost-wax casting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had never sculpted anything before and had no idea I could. My uncle was a part-time jeweler and knew about the process. As he showed me the wax and how to shape it, something inside me said, “I can do this.” I took the tools and supplies home and eagerly started sculpting the Tucker miniature car. From that project, I learned how to sculpt, make molds, cast, and finish pieces. My uncle set up a casting shop in his garage, and we spent an entire year working through failure after failure until I finally had a good casting of the Tucker. The lessons learned in these early days formed the basis for my mold-making and casting successes throughout my career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took one of those Tuckers to a local miniature show and met a miniature art dealer from Chicago. He encouraged me strongly to continue and to work smaller on the 1/12^th scale. That was the fall of 1993, and by the spring of 1994, I had my first six miniatures ready for their debut at an art show in Chicago. By 1995, business was booming, and I closed my office machine business and went full-time into creating miniature art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing is for sure, I never got locked into a certain theme. The body of work is very diverse, with many different themes. I always tried to keep it interesting and fresh by constantly pushing myself to new levels. This variety, I believe, was a major benefit to the body of work and something collectors continue to enjoy. The miniatures will continue to live on, and I hope the legacy of this unique art form will continue to grow in awareness and value.

I would like to thank all the collectors who came to the many studio events over the years and who supported this unique art form. Many in-store promotions around the country, miniature shows, and collector conventions. We had a great time and made many friendships. I really enjoyed making these miniatures for collectors and meeting so many wonderful people. Thanks again

Thanks for visiting

rszadar@tutamail.com