Welcome...

I have been a professional artist my entire adult life and have been involved in countless different projects over the years. I've sculpted many things in different mediums, wood, resins, foam, metal and cement. I've done direct modeling with cement several times. I love the possibilities creating unique one of a kind sculptures. Five years ago I told a client I could create dolphin sculptures to go on his walls at the Shores Hotel in Ventura and he commissioned me  to create them. 

Now I offer them to you. Who doesn't love creatures of the sea. 

My sculptures are impervious to the weather and will last for years to come. I have several other designs in the works and would be happy to create any custom design you can conceive.

Thank you for visiting.

Please contact me with any inquires.     artist4la@yahoo.com or phone/text 818 772-0602



My

Sea Art



Pricing - Installation - Availability


Please contact me by email, phone or text to discuss pricing.


Availability: To date I have installed approximately fifty different sculptures from Santa Barbara to the San Fernando Valley. They are gone as soon as they are ready to be delivered so I don't have an inventory yet. I will soon.  When they are cast they need to dry for two weeks. The color lightens in that time and they can be stained and sealed. If you don't want them colored or sealed they weather nicely and can be installed a day after casting.


Please feel free to contact me with any questions. 


Thank you for looking,

Daniel Phillips   818 772-0602    artist4la@yahoo.com      




Tide Pool Villas in Santa Barbara

About My Sea Art...

I created these sculptures several years ago for the Shores Hotel in Ventura. It wasn't until 2022 the city had approved the wall where they were going to be installed. 


I have created four different dolphins, two swimming left, two swimming right. They are approximately 54" wide. The color of the casting material is the perfect color for a dolphin so they are not stained. Everything is sealed with industrial waterproofing. They have glass eyes that shine in the light. 


The octopus is 24' x 48". It can be stained with any variety of colors. The eyes are blown glass made for me by Ali, a true glass artist. They can also be made in different colors.


There are two different mermaids, one swimming left, the other right. Both are approximately 50" wide. I've been staining their hair different colors, gold, red, brown and purple. The necklaces are stained different colors, all hand painted. At this moment, 1/19/2023, I'm sculpting a third mermaid in a vertical position. I plan to sculpt another a little smaller soon.


I have four different starfish, different sizes and shapes. They really add to the look when placed around the other large sculptures. They are stained different colors.


I have designs for two crabs, three species of shark and tropical fish. I've been thinking it would be fun to do some of those bizarre deep sea creatures. Soon!


About the process and materials:  It begins with getting the design on paper. The dolphins and the octopus are sculpted out of MDF, a wood material that is made of glued sawdust. It shapes wonderfully. The octopus details were then added. This is nice because I have the original sculptures. Making a mold doesn't damage them. Same process for the starfish.


The mermaids are sculpted from modeling clay. Due to the scale and the detail it is quite time consuming. I used real shells for the necklace and top.


The mold is made of silicone. It takes two days to make the mold. It requires building a form and pouring the silicone. It takes many coats to build it up to a good thickness. Then I build a fiberglass shell to support the silicone. Then it is ready to cast.


The castings are a special cement. A very fine material mixed with cement and reinforced with fiberglass shards and metal rod. An incredible material that sets to 10,000 psi in an hour. To mount them on wall there are metal pins cast into the backs to hold the sculpture in place as the mounting adhesive sets.


I've had several inquires about putting them inside swimming pools. I've researched it and it can be done a couple different ways. I'll take on this adventure someday in the future.


I've also started casting them out of fiberglass. The advantage is the weight. They are painted and with a little maintenance should last for years outside.



Clay Sculpture

This is close to being a finished sculpture. A few details are missing in the necklace and the arm band.

Finished Casting

This is just out of the mold. It is still damp. As it dries it will be almost white or a beige depending on what type of sand is used. 

Fiberglass Sculptures

These are on the fence at our Topanga House. I made these out of fiberglass because they needed to be lightweight. The cement cast sculptures are perfect for cement, brick or stone walls but would require quite a bit of reinforcement to be hung on a wooden fence. A really nice thing about this is the types of paint I can use, Acrylics, spray paint or as I used on the mermaid, reactive metallic copper paint.. These will work great in interior or exterior applications such as inside a home, office, schools or a restaurant. They can be made and delivered quickly because they don't need to dry like the cement sculptures.



CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Murals...

I have had the honor and privilege to have painted many murals over the years

at people's homes and at many different businesses.

Here is a few with ocean themes.