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By Andries Loots 21 August 2000

There are not many New Vibrant Art Foundries in South Africa were artists can take their works with confidence and were they will get expert advice on casting.

Ingwe Editions however is one of these Fine Art casting foundries based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. The foundry has been closely associated with acclaimed South African wildlife sculptor, Dylan Lewis, since 1994. As time  passed and the demand for better quality increased so did the foundry progressively develop it's craftsmanship and the quality of the bronzes they produce. The foundry offers a complete casting service to artists - from mould manufacture to patination and the final presentation of the sculpture. Strict quality control ensures that bronzes of  consistently high standards are produced.

Unique to Ingwe Editions is the ability to produce Cupro-Nickel castings. This technique was developed on demand of a client who needed a casting resembling cast polished silver,  without the high cost associated with casting in sterling silver. The aesthetically pleasing silver colour and excellent corrosion resistant properties of the alloy makes it ideally suited for contemporary artworks. 

The team at Ingwe is young and innovative and is constantly striving to find new
techniques to improve their products and to solve their client's special needs. Excellence is the main aim and they work closely with clients to ensure that  individual needs are met.

Recently the Ingwe Team attended a three week patination workshop under internationally acclaimed patination expert Ron Young who was on a visit to South Africa.  This was followed by a period of intense experimentation and in doing so they developed a set of unique finishes for the artist Dylan Lewis's latest works. It was the ability to combine hot and cold patination techniques that enabled them to produce particularly fine finishes.

The foundry is open to visitors and potential new clients and anybody is welcome to make an appointment and to come for a visit.

The Foundry is currently working on establishing their own website through which they will stay in touch with the rest of the world and were international clients can have a look at the quality of artwork that is produced locally. 

They  also recently cast artist Brett Murray's public sculpture, 'I Love Africa'  in Cape Town.

Further enquiries and information on  mould manufacture, casting and
finishing,  patination and shipping of bronzes worldwide can be directed to Gerhard
Deetlefs at:

ingweed@cybertrade.co.za