Bronze Beauty Timi Sobrato has always loved animals—particularly horses. As a kid, she took every opportunity to be around them: not only through riding, but also by drawing and painting them. Even after being awarded a master’s teaching fellowship at Loyola Marymount University following her B.A. in English, she remained a part of the international dressage and horse racing communities and pursued her artistic passions. After teaching literature at LMU, she was moved by the demand for her commissions to pursue a career in the arts full time. While she creates bronze pieces of all kinds of animals, her familiarity with horses led to her work being sought after by top competitors and collectors worldwide. It was art that connected her to her husband, John Sobrato, an ’83 Santa Clara graduate who shared her Jesuit values. His dedication to the University inspired her to create the untamable bronze Bronco—a piece that is gifted to members of the Founders Society. Click through the gallery for a window into Sobrato’s bronze casting process. Bronze is heated to about 2,150 degrees Fahrenheit before it's poured in the mold. All photos by Jim Gensheimer.Once cooled, the mold is carefully hammered and chiseled away until the bronze casting of the bronco sculpture is revealed.Timi Sobrato has a deep understanding of horse structure, which she earned growing up with race horses and riding dressage.Patina—the colors of the surface of a bronze—is created by applying chemicals on the sculpture with heat and brushes such as the ones seen here in Sobrato's workshop.Timi Sobrato inspects her latest bronze bronco casting.Once the chosen chemicals have been applied, the patina is blasted with fire to set.Timi Sobrato with her bronze Bronco sculpture, which is gifted to members of the SCU Founders Society.The philanthropy of the Founders Society members supports SCU through gifts of $1 million or more.
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