The Sculpture Works Studio materialized from the desire of Lou Fuchs to escape from his previous engineering career and follow his dream of becoming a sculptor. Ignoring the current trends of abstraction and modernism, Lou has gravitated towards the traditional and realistic sculptural art form, which includes animals, portraits, and figures – in wood, bronze, resin, and even paper.

Adding his own twist to traditional and realistic sculpture, Lou sometimes incorporates non-traditional methods and materials during this process. His latest venture in non-traditional methods has been the introduction of the chainsaw and additional power tools into his wood sculpture methodology which he categorizes as “tree carvings”. While wielding the chainsaw, Lou can create much larger pieces and quickly visualize the forms in a tree stump or log by roughing out the shapes in a fraction of the time the is required by traditional hand gouges. The use of the chainsaw also forces him to make instant decisions regarding each cut, keeping the entire sculpture lively and fresh. Depending on the type of finish applied to the tree carving, Lou can prepare it for an indoor or outdoor setting.

On the other end of the spectrum are Lou’s fine art sculptures. These pieces are more refined than the tree carvings and are not limited to wood. Generally each piece is first modeled in oil-based clay using reference photos and live models when available. He then casts the art work into a final material, such as bronze, plaster, resin, or paper. The process of generating a cast requires that a mold first be made from the original clay piece. This allows the sculpture to be duplicated in limited or mass quantities and also allows the same piece to be cast in different materials. If the final material is wood, the clay model is used as a guide while Lou utilizes traditional carving techniques he acquired while studying woodcarving in Austria. A mold can be made from a wooden sculpture, allowing duplicates in other materials to be produced.

The basic premise of Lou’s Sculpture Works Studio is directed at creating sculpture, both whimsical and serious. On a deeper level, it really is about following a dream, taking chances in life, and enjoying life to its fullest.