Mary P Williams

Meet Ray DeCatur

Ray DeCatur

Ray DeCatur, Sculpting a female face

Head to Foot the human body is a marvel. Sculpting the face, which has 43 muscles, is a challenge that Ray has taken on. Here is his bust of a girl done in clay which will eventually be cast in bronze. Working with clay to achieve the desired expression of a face is a monumental task. Ray, being a meticulous workman, works and re-works the clay in an effort to reach his final goal. The slightest change of how a muscle is shaped produces an entirely different expression on the face of the young woman.  Very tricky !!

Best Foot Forward by R. DeCatur

Amazingly, the foot has 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Here is a foot done by Ray.

The art of casting metal sculpture dates back into ancient times but we have few examples since metal was melted down and reused for war and farm implements.  In The 1900’s it became popular due to the Industrial Revolution which provided new tools for the foundry ( a workshop for cast metal). It was the rage to immortalize warriors, statesmen and writers with a statue in their honor.  Today there are a few foundries still in the United States, one of which is the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where Ray cast his foot in bronze.

Ray Decantur with Sculpture

Sculpture by Ray Decantur