Claire McKenna
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Claire McKenna - left

Below - Claire using a tilting furnace to pour her own bronze cast bowls working with her husband John McKenna the sculptor at the a4a foundry.

Claire McKenna designer and maker of bronze cast bowls

Claire McKenna works alongside her husband the sculptor, John McKenna, creating public art sculpture and bronze statues at their A4A art for architecture studio foundry, based on the south west rural coast of Scotland.

Claire is an artist in her own right and personally designs each of her bronze bowls. She makes each as an individual artwork but following a creative theme. She draws inspiration for her bowls from her love of textiles, flora and fauna, decorative arts and nature.

The bowls are each uniquely modelled as wax artworks, which Claire then invests using the ceramic shell technique. This precision casting technique produces a beautiful quality cast bronze. Claire often pours her own bronze bowls and is involved in their creation at every stage. She carefully selects which type of colour to patina each bowl and then undertakes this colouring process herself.

These bronze bowls are artworks that are truly handmade by a contemporary artist living and working in Scotland. A Claire McKenna bronze bowl is not only decorative but also a functional piece which would make an ideal unique gift or be part of a personal art or craft collection.