Placing beautiful artistic statues outdoors can be a challenge. There are many materials to choose from for the construction of an outdoor statue. There is marble, granite, bronze, aluminum, wood, fiberglass, cement, plaster, plastic, etc. Each material has its pros and cons. Art Sculpture Studio is expert in counselling churches in the best options for their needs. Fundamentally, the decision boils down to a choice between longevity and price. Assuming a statue can be crafted in each material to be equally beautiful, is the church willing to pay more for a material that will maintain its beauty for 100+ years, or choose to pay significantly less for a statue that may last for only 20-30 years before requiring a refurbishment or replacement?
Further, there is a question of beauty. As we know, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Many churches prefer the look of a full-color statue, where the human figure looks almost life-like, with colored clothing, and flesh-colored skin and colored eyes, etc. To achieve a full-color statue for outdoors is the most challenging. There are only a few choices for this. The most popular is fiberglass. Fiberglass is a material that has a long history of outdoor applications, especially in the marine, automotive, and garden accessories fields. Fiberglass itself is highly weather-resistant, and the special paints and finishes available can further protect the surface of the statue. The combination of heavy-duty fiberglass, with an epoxy primer, special automotive exterior paints, with a topping of a polyurethane clear coat has proven over time to be extremely durable outdoors. We can craft a beautiful fiberglass statue with such an exterior finish for significantly less cost than a marble or bronze statue. If well-maintained, these statues should look beautiful for 30 years. A re-painting may be required at that point.
If the customer prefers the monotone look of real marble or cast bronze, these materials are the best to withstand the elements, and will look beautiful for 100+ years with minimal care. We are able to achieve the same level of high artistry sculpture with both materials.
Typically, when a church comes to us for assistance in choosing the material for an outdoor statue, we will provide a full analysis of the particular circumstances, including whether the statue would be covered, proximity to the ocean, proximity to landscape irrigation, direction it would be facing, local climate, etc. This helps us make an informed recommendation.
