CONCRETE SCULPTURE

[Wildbird]

I want to do a large sculpture in concrete and would like to know if there is some type of colour that is permanent and how to apply and seal them.
I love the colours of some of the pigments but am not sure if they would be lightfast.

[tobias]

I have seen lots of colored concrete that is out doors and seems to be lasting very well. I dont know much about brands or what ever but it is possible.

[Lady Fingers]

I'm in Melbourne, Australia and have used pigments from his company
http://www.abilityproducts.com.au/

They have been very helpful, offered free samples (which in some cases where more than i needed to do the job)
i guess you could contact them for suppliers elsewhere

they have a great range of products, some you can add into the concrete mix before you pour (These are the products used to make coloured concrete paving etc.), others you can paint on afterwards.

The mix-in types that I've used (Abilox) have produced intense colour, are UV resistant and I've been very happy with the outcome, two years on (outdoor) still looking great. Always do tests first to get the ratio and colour you're after

The paint-on type is thick, basically you're painting another layer of concrete on, so no good where there is a lot of detail.

Hope that helps.

[vern terry]

Originally Posted by Wildbird

I want to do a large sculpture in concrete and would like to know if there is some type of colour that is permanent and how to apply and seal them.
I love the colours of some of the pigments but am not sure if they would be lightfast.

I work in cement and have had great success with products from www.ronyoungpatina.com. The works weather very well and the color pallet is extensive. Sealers are also available. His products are a polychrome which lay on the surface of cement
If you are intrested in acid stains then explore Scofield Products and Brickform Products. These products are acid stains which attack the lime in the cement mix and are absorbed into the cement. I have had excellent with products from these three companies.

The above materials survive very well with the ultra violet sun rays! Good Luck!

[vern terry]

Try www.ronyoungpatina.com for what you need. I have used his products for years with great results. Explore Brickform Products and Scofield Products on the web. GOOD LUCK!

[sculptor]

or:
There are many colorants that can be added to concrete, for an integral color that goes all the way through.
most are available at cement and stone companies
most harden the concrete in the bargain

if pouring into a mold,
mixing various colored batches at time of pour can add swirls smudges and lines mimicking folded rock formations as in the alps
the darker colors are ok with gray portland, while the lighter shades want the white

by controlling the surface, you can create "rocks" of seeming different porosity and density

then there are the surface stains
which can be used much as painting or patination
which might come in handy cor controlling tone or depth
(but, which, i.m.h.o., are usually best left to coloring concrete which already exists)

[mctc]

I have also wondered about this since I saw this sculpture:

It was in some brush at macalester college and one day they cleared all the brush and there were tons of, apparently, dyed concrete sculptures. so I am glad you asked about this. It seems like it would be a chalanging medium to work in.

more photos:
religious dyed concrete sculptures at Macalester.

[mctc]

looking close I think that there is a main shape of the sculpture in some normal concrete and a weird spackeled on layer that seems to be done with a palet knife.

[sculptor]

Originally Posted by mctc

It was in some brush at

long ago near Holstein park in Chicago,(a german catholic community of the early 1800s) while i was taking a predawn stroll of the neighborhood i chanced to glance up toward the raised rr tracks and saw a beautiful cowled figure carved in white marble completely surrounded by tall weeds and grasses---it seems that when they had put the tracks in, they chose to not disturb the site wherein stood the statue,
but
grounds-keeping wasn't their strong suit
and,
the Ozymandias folly of our struggles sang softly to me as i climbed over the fence and spent an enlightening 1/2 hour pulling weeds and greeting the sun coming over the tenements shining brightly on the marble at the center of my secret shrine.

loredo taft made many concrete sculptures which are scattered about o'er Chicago's south and near south west sides
maintenance has been left to the uninformed and uncaring and the patches do not match the original
ads a discontinuity when viewed up close
not, i'm fairly certain, what loredo had in mind

[mctc]

it sounds like they must have been interesting pieces to come across. very cool