Months before landing at the sacred football immortality in Canton, Ohio, the iconic bronze busts of the Pro Football Hall of Fame begin as clay projects in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Sculptors Blair Buswell and Ben Hammond, accepted the challenge to enshrine the two newest Denver Broncos into the Pro Football Hall of Fame by creating their one-of-a-kind busts.
In order to produce the likenesses of Pat Bowlen and Champ Bailey, the two artists needed to get to know their subjects.
The sculptors, though, had two totally different experiences crafting their busts.
The day before Bailey came to Utah, Hammond turned a bag of clay into a “rough” version of the Hall of Fame cornerback.
Surrounded by mountains, Bailey arrived the next for his sculpting session on a brisk morning in late April at Hammond’s studio.
The first step? Decide on what type of expression will forever be preserved on Champ’s bust by studying those who came before him. Bailey decided he didn't want to be smiling.
For the next eight hours, Bailey sat in a hard-backed chair and every inch of his head and neck up was scanned and sculpted under the detail driven eyes of its creator.
The creation of Champ Bailey's Hall of Fame bust
As laughter filled one studio, the tranquility of the other was deafening. Buswell worked in silence and was forced to use only use still images and video of Pat Bowlen to memorialize him.
The photos and video sufficed to finish the bust but Blair still wanted to meet the iconic Broncos owner. So, just a few weeks before Bowlen’s death, Buswell flew to Denver for a face-to-face meeting with Mr. B, even though his ailing health didn't allow for much interaction.
After the posing and sculpting sessions concluded, final details were added before taking them to the foundry to start the long process of bronzing the busts.
At the foundry, the clay busts were molded in order to create a wax copy. The hot red wax was poured into the hollowed-out structure, retouched and prepared for the extreme heat that soon engulfed them.
The waxed busts were sprayed then dipped in slurry, converting them into a cast that can withstand over 2,200-degree temperatures.
The oven melted the wax creating the hollow shell and was ready for the pour.
Molten bronze was carefully poured immortalizing the iconic busts that will live in the Pro Football Hall of Fame forever.
After cooling and then sandblasting, imperfections were scraped away then prepped for the final step in the journey.
Coloring the busts involves heating, layers of stain, and a watchful eye to know when the perfect color was achieved.
With the two-month process complete, satisfaction arrived for the sculptors knowing their work will live forever in Canton.
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