BOOTHILL BRONZE WORKS

LOST WAX CERAMIC SHELL BRONZE CASTING

       Cast bronze Cremation Urns - Keepsake urns - Bronze Wind Bells

Studio of Douglas Covert

A Fine Arts Bronze Foundry

About the Artist

DOUGLAS COLLIER COVERT WAS BORN IN BILLINGS MONTANA AND RAISED IN SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA.  LIVING IN OLD TOWN SCOTTSDALE IN THE EARLY SIXTIES DOUG WAS EXPOSED TO ALL OF THE ART AND ARTISTS OF THE FIFTH AVENUE AND OLD TOWN GALLERIES.   IN A HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL ART COMPETITION HELD BY SCHOLASTIC MAGAZINE DOUG WON A GOLD KEY AND HONORABLE MENTION FOR A SCREEN PRINT.  THE EXHIBIT WAS DISPLAYED IN NEW YORK.  AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HE GOT A JOB THROUGH ARTIST MICHAEL McCLEVE AT DAYTON STEEL AND IRON FOUNDRY FOR TWO YEARS LEARNING THE FOUNDRY TRADE. HE WORKED AS A FURNACE TENDER MELTING  1,000 POUNDS OF IRON AT A TIME.  FOR THE NEXT YEAR DOUGLAS TOOK 0N NUMEROUS CONSTRUCTION JOBS ALL OVER THE SOUTHWEST.  THE NEXT STOP WAS NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY MAJORING IN ART.   AFTER TWO YEARS  OF COLLEGE DOUGLAS DECIDED COLLEGE LIFE WAS NOT FOR HIM. BECAUSE OF HIS FOUNDRY EXPERIENCE, DOUG WENT TO WORK AT THE COSANTI FOUNDATION-BRONZE, BRASS, AND ALUMINUM FOUNDRY-CERAMIC STUDIO- HOME AND STUDIO 0F VISIONARY ARCHITECT PAOLO SOLERI.  DOUG LIVED AT COSANTI AS ARTISAN IN RESIDENCE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SOLERI WAS WORKING ON ARCOSANTI AT THE TIME DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING A NEW FOUNDRY. DOUG WORKED WITH ROGER TOMALTY SOLERI’S ENGINEER FOR THE BEST LAYOUT OF WORK AREAS FOR THE NEW FOUNDRY. AFTER PAOLO FINISHED THE STRUCTURE, DOUG'S NEXT TASK WAS THE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF ALL THE MACHINERY AND TOOLS TO START PRODUCTION OF THE WORLD FAMOUS SAND CAST BRONZE WIND BELLS AND SCULPTURES. DOUG OVERSAW THE FOUNDRY WORK AT BOTH COSANTI AND ARCOSANTI FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.   DURING HIS TIME AT SOLERI'S  DOUG MET JOHN HILL, AN INDIAN TRADER.  IN THE EARLY 70'S HE MADE SEVERAL TRIPS WITH HIM TO SANTA FE AND TRADING POSTS ALL OVER ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO COLLECTING MUSEUM QUALITY  "OLD PAWN" JEWELRY.  DOUGLAS AND HIS BROTHER MAC STARTED A SERVICE BUSINESS AND RAN IT FOR 22 YEARS. DURING THIS TIME AFTER MUCH THOUGHT ABOUT HIS SOUTHWESTERN INFLUENCES AND EXPERIENCE IN METAL CASTING AND ART DOUGLAS BEGAN SCULPTING IN THE ANCIENT ART OF "LOST WAX BRONZE CASTING".  WITH THE HELP OF HIS BROTHER MAC, BOOTHILL BRONZE WORKS WAS BORN.  DOUG'S GOAL IS TO RECAPTURE THE IMAGES, TEXTURE AND COLOR OF THE PRIMITIVE  AND MODERN SOUTHWEST.