MEET THE MEMBER – Powderhall Bronze Editions
This month we spoke to Lucy Caster, Director of the Edinburgh-based gallery and metal foundry, Powderhall Bronze Editions. Lucy told us about the artwork on display in the gallery, what goes on at the foundry, why Powderhall Bronze Editions decided to become Own Art members back in 2023 and why she would encourage more galleries specializing in 3D and sculptural artwork to join the Own Art scheme.
What is the story of Powderhall Bronze Editions?
Powderhall Bronze Editions is an offshoot of our main business Powderhall Bronze, a fine art foundry offering a bronze casting service to practising artists. A couple of years ago an opportunity arose for us to open a gallery in the centre of Edinburgh and it’s quickly become a thriving addition to our business. The gallery specialises in cast bronze sculpture, with everything on display having been cast by us in the foundry, as well as wall art and handcrafted furniture by Scottish craftspeople. It is a family-run business, established in 1989 by my parents Kerry Hammond and Brian Caster after they met at the Royal College of Art where they both specialised in sculpture.
What goes on at the foundry?
The foundry offers bronze casting facilities to artists and a full creative consultancy service that helps take artwork from initial conception to installation. Our customers include artists, designers, architects, local authorities and corporate bodies and we cast pieces from small handheld items to monumental public artworks. Over the years the foundry has cast a huge variety of works sited throughout the UK and overseas, some of our most notable UK works include ‘Really Good’ by David Shrigley, sited on The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London and ‘Your Next Breath’ by Kenny Hunter, a COVID memorial to NHS workers, sited outside the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.
We also offer tours of the foundry to members of the public, where we invite people into the workshop and explain the ancient lost wax casting method we use to create our bronzes. It’s been fantastic to have our gallery customers visit the foundry, and we always find that they have an extra appreciation for their sculptures once they understand the complexity of the hands-on processes used to create the final bronzes.
What could we expect to find in the gallery?
The sculptures in the gallery vary from small handheld items such as our very popular cast bronze apples to large garden sculptures. It’s great to show such a wide variety of scales in the gallery as well as showing the vast array of finishes possible with bronze as a material. Our artists are largely Scottish; however, we do work with artists from the rest of the UK and further afield. Running the gallery as a family, we are fortunate to all have a similar taste in artwork and can fill the space with pieces we all admire and are passionate about. The gallery is set out to give the feel of an aspirational living setting, with furniture and modern staging to help customers envisage how pieces could look in their own homes. Bronze sculpture is a considered purchase and so the gallery is designed to suggest modern ways of incorporating pieces in a home setting.
Why did you join the Own Art scheme and how has it supported your business so far?
Due to the labour-intensive processes of bronze casting, bronze sculptures are considerable purchases so Own Art is a fantastic way of allowing customers to pay for their artworks over time. Additionally, we showcase our sculpture at various art fairs so it’s great to be able to offer Own Art payment plans at these events as well as in our gallery. Own Art has enabled us to make sales which would have otherwise not taken place. By giving people the opportunity to make monthly instalments with no extra costs, Own Art has helped us to access customers who would not have previously been able to commit to larger purchases with us. It’s fantastic how quickly the application can be created, approved and signed, and that customers can walk out with their artwork the same day. The system is very easy to use and not time-consuming for customers to go through the application, which is great.
Specialising in traditional materials such as bronze, it can be quite difficult to reach a younger and evolving audience, so Own Art has been great in broadening our customer demographic. It’s lovely to see younger people wanting to spend money on decorative items and fantastic that we can help securely facilitate this by using monthly payments. I would highly recommend other galleries specialising in sculpture to join Own Art – not only does the payment plan bring in sales from our customer base, but it is also helping us realise a new, younger customer base as well.
Browse Powderhall Bronze Editions’ collection here
Book a tour of the foundry here
Powderhall Bronze Editions will be exhibiting at the London Art Fair at the end of this month.
Business Design Centre, Islington, 21 – 26 January 2025. Get tickets here
They will also be exhibiting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May. Royal Hospital Chelsea, 20 – 24 May 2025. Get tickets here
This article was written and edited by Steph Garratt following an interview with Lucy Caster. All answers come Lucy from herself, edited by Steph for length and clarity
Image credits: Amelia Claudia