Yanira's sculptures are made of clay, polyester resin and bronze. They are the result of individual processes of modeling, casting, finishing and patination that give to each piece Yanira's distinctive touch.
Clay
Yanira uses clay for modeling because it is soft and yielding in nature. Clay is easily shaped, enabling corrections as the final work is brought forward. It is often used as a transitory material before the ultimate casting is made in bronze, polyester resin or another more resistant material (Rich, 4).
Yanira uses clay also as a final material. If clay is baked at very high temperatures inside especial ovens, it achieves hardness and becomes more durable, yet it is still more fragile than other materials. Clay is not expensive and can be easily purchased. However, clay sculptures are unique, not cast, which adds additional value to them.
Polyester resin
It is probably the most widely used synthetic resin in sculpture, and the second most expensive material Yanira uses. Polyester resin is a plastic, which is durable, resistant to corrosion and relatively easy to handle.
Yanira's artistic ethic limits her to make usually up to nine copies of each piece thought plaster molds can be reused several times more. The resin sculptures are individually polished using especial sandpapers and equipment. Then, they undergo a patination process that result in a change of color and texture of the surface, giving an aging effect usually green.
Bronze
Bronze is the most widely used metal in sculpturing, and it is also the most expensive and heaviest material Yanira uses. It has a high structural strength, great physical permanence and resistance to atmospheric impact. Bronze also provides a surface that allows for excellent finishing and patina.
Bronze is basically an alloy of copper and tin, yet other metals are occasionally added for color proposes. Its can range from pure silvery through golden-yellow color. Yanira's bronze sculptures also undergo a patination process in which the surface is treated with acids and heat. Such acids provide cleaning agents to etch the surface or change the color.
