I’ve spent the majority of my life in the Pacific Northwest. After working in graphic design, my interests in animals and osteology led me to the more tactile experience of Taxidermy—with skull and bone collection at the forefront. Mixed with my underlying love for metal, casting bronze bones was the ultimate next step in my animal preservation journey.

Hi, my name is Dustin and I’m addicted to nature.

It’s interesting to see how life meanders through different experiences which don’t seem to correlate, but then in fact culminate into a well-rounded passion. Bare Bones Interior is an expression of that passion.

Dustin Iseminger
Bronze artist and nature enthusiast

My Process

Mold it

Each bare Bones interior piece is created through an ancient casting technique called lost wax casting.

Using bones I’ve found or have been given by others, I first make a silicone mold of the bone. Building up the silicone layers and Calculating division planes is different for each item. My process is unique in that the original skull remains fully intact and preserved.

Heat up the Wax

After removing the bone from the new silicone mold, I pour in hot wax to form a duplicate of the original bone. Multiple wax pieces are then attached together on one large center wax post to form a tree'. Next, This tree is covered in a thick white silica coating that hardens into a shell when heated, simultaneously melting all the wax from inside the new silica mold. This is how it gets the Lost Wax casting name.

Pour it

bronze melts around 1,742˚F (950˚C) but is usually poured around 1,800˚-2,000˚F. Once the tree has hardened and cooled, the outer Silica shell is broken and sand blasted off revealing the bronze casting. I then cut, grind and finish each piece with a variety of polishing, patina and electroplating techniques.

My Complete process from Bones to Bronze takes anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. Any custom orders will have their own timeline.

Custom Orders

I am currently accepting commissions per my discretion. For inquiries, please fill out the contact form on my about page. custom orders can take upwards of 4 weeks, depending on current projects.

NOTE: Though my passion lies with nature, I will consider alternative custom pieces depending on the project and compatibility with my lost wax casting process.