BACK History
Located
in San Diego, Calif., Sandicast, Inc. is the premier manufacturer of hand-cast
animal sculptures.
The company was started in 1981 when artist Sandra Brue
realized her dream of creating a business that combined
her God-given
artistic talent and her lifelong love of animals.
Challenged to bring home
$10,000 more a year Sandra, a graphic artist for 12 years, started sculpting animals.
Initially, she began selling her sculptures through gift shops in Southern
California. Little did she know, in a few short
years Sandicast animal
sculptures would be available and collected around the world.
With four
animals, Sandy started Sandicast in her garage. The first piece released was a
bunny she sculpted while
observing him in her own backyard. Thus a bunny
is part of the Sandicast company logo. She then created a fawn,
squirrel,
and Cocker pup.
In the beginning, to find out which were the most popular
dog breeds, Sandra called pet shops across the United
States. As more
retailers carried Sandicast and consumer interest soared, shop owners began to
overwhelm her
with customer requests. Consumers begged for more dogs,
cats, and wildlife. Today, Sandra determines what to
sculpt by reviewing
consumer requests, breed rankings, other decision-making factors and her "gut."
New
Sandicast sculptures are released twice a year--January and July.
The
Sandicast Pedigree
Artist Sandra Brue has a unique style and ability to
capture the personality and inner spirit of each animal with
unmatched
realism.
Sandra studies and works with live models. She observes and bonds
with her subjects at breeders, zoos, and in the
wild.
Sandicast
sculptures often take months to complete. Sandra's passion for perfection requires
countless hours of
painstaking attention to detail--her Jack Russell
Terrier Original has 65,358 individually sculpted hairs!
Recognizing Sandra's
talent, Disney commissioned her to create The Lion King collection in 1994.
Sandra
Brue's work can be found in the homes of United States Presidents, the Queen of
England, and discerning
collectors worldwide.
Sandra has been
featured on countless national television and radio shows and has been a guest
speaker for a
number of groups around the world. Her captivating success
story and unique management style have resulted in
her being honored
as "Woman Entrepreneur of the Year" and recipient of the "San Diego
Women Who Mean
Business" award.
Creating the Unique and Recognizable
Sandicast Look
Studying and Observation
Artist Sandra Brue works
with live animals. To truly capture the realism and individuality in her work
Sandra visits dog
breeders. She observes and plays with the dog in its
own setting to learn about different breed characteristics and
get to
know their unique traits. Accuracy is very important. Sandra strives to create
a true representation of each
animal. She never compromises their integrity
for the sake of being commercially "cute."
For more exotic animals,
she is allowed to go behind the scenes at the San Diego Zoo. There, Sandra usually
gets
face-to-face with elephants, koalas, lions, and pandas. At the zoo,
she met her 2 1/2 month old Tiger Cub model,
"Chuffer." He
was constantly batting his paws at Sandra and it took a few assertive "no's"
to keep from being mauled
by his sharp teeth. Visiting before park hours
so she could catch them out of the water, Sandra sculpted her African
Collection
Hippopotamus while actually inside its enclosure. Standing a mere six feet away
from tons of muscle,
Sandra says, "I felt an instant respect for
these magnificent beasts."
Turning to North American wildlife, Sandra
continues to work with the live subjects. When sculpting North American
wildlife,
such as wolves, bison, moose, and bears, Sandra visits Bear Country USA in South
Dakota. There she can
observe North American mammals as they roam freely
over 300 acres of natural environment. Her personal favorite
was a black
bear cub she named, "Gus," who nuzzled in her lap for a nap. Later,
Sandra learned that bears, unlike
cats, don't retract their claws--and
had the scratches to prove it!
After experiences like these, going to the
local cat shelter to sculpt is tame stuff! When sculpting cats, Sandra may
visit
a breeder or use a friend or neighbor's cat.
Sculpting
Sandra
uses an oil-based clay that never hardens to create her original. Its softness
allows her to painstakingly
recreate the fine detail of hair and fur
that has become her hallmark. After making several trips back and forth to the
breeder or wildlife park, and only after knowing the piece looks just
right, will she begin to put the hairs on the animal.
Sandra doesn't
take any shortcuts by using a rake or comb.
Etching each individual hair,
one at a time, is an extremely time-consuming process and can take days to complete.
.When I start talking ‘doggie talk . to a clay sculpture, I know
it .s time to put down my tools. .
When the clay original is ready to be
cast, Sandra carves her name, "BRUE," on each piece. Be sure to look
for her
name and an official Sandicast copyright decal. This will ensure
that you are acquiring authentic Sandicast
sculptures by Sandra Brue.
Sandicast and Sandra Brue are registered trademarks of Sandicast, Inc. In addition,
Sandicast animal sculptures are protected by both United States and International
copyright laws.
Creation
A casting mold is made from Sandra
Brue's clay original. Next, a special cast stone mixture is hand-poured into the
molds. Hand-casting is a slow, methodical process that produces a piece
free of flaws and bubbles. Every intricate
detail is captured--be it
a bulldog's furrowed brow, the velvety texture of a Siamese cat's ear, or a West
Highland
Terrier's little, curled tongue.
Following casting, each
Sandicast sculpture must pass strict quality control before it can be painted.
Our artisans
use both bristle and air brush methods of painting. Multiple
painting steps and techniques take longer, and cost
more to produce.
Sandicast creates the highest quality, most realistic, and lifelike sculptures
on the market today.
The final step is the insertion of specially crafted
glass eyes. Glass eyes give more sparkle and many are custom
made for
Sandicast. Often people comment when looking at Sandicast animals, "It feels
as if they're staring right
back at you!"
Award-Winning
Packaging
Before Sandicast sculptures are placed in our award- winning
packaging, they must once again pass strict quality
control. Some sculptures
are packed on a recyclable foam tray then shrink-wrapped because no other substitute
has
proven effective. We try to use the least amount of packaging materials
to protect our sculptures as they travel around
the globe. Our packaging
is made from recyclable materials and is recyclable. Our foam tray does not contain
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and our filler "peanuts" are made
of water-soluble cornstarch. Be assured that we are
constantly looking
for new, environmentally friendly materials.
Commitment to the Environment
Each
Sandicast sculpture is a tribute to our love of animals. At Sandicast, we value
the environment in which all
animals, including man, must live. Because
of our concern, we have redesigned all of our packaging to be as
environmentally
friendly as possible.
Commitment to Animal Lovers
Since 1981,
Sandra Brue has sculpted more than 900 animals. The Sandicast Collection includes
dogs, cats, and
wildlife. Sculptures are available through retail dealerships
around the world.
Sandra loves to spend time with the animals, play with
them and get to know their unique personalities. Her artistic
goal is
to always capture the realism and inner spirit of each animal. She never compromises
the integrity of an
animal for the sake of being commercially “cute
.. There will be no elephants in tutus! She loves to receive letters from
collectors
sharing stories of their sculpture or favorite pet and shares these letters with
her employees at monthly
gatherings.