On July 13, artisans, supporters, and devotees assembled in Loveland for the Big Day, when Hanuman would be transformed from golden bronze to deep green jade.
Patrick Kipper, America's foremost patineur, puts the final finish, color, and texture on bronze statues. Patrick, who wrote the journeyman's Bible for this craft, had agreed to apply the patina to Hanuman.
Patrick took Hanuman through several stages, working hard hour after hour to clean and polish the surface of the metal, spray on a sulfuric compound to turn the metal black, then rubbed that back to a deep cocoa brown with a Scotch pad.
As we watched, the tones of Hanuman have gone from bright gold to black. Within a short while, the colors turn to brown and shades of splattered green. Even these melt and merge into the metal as the polished bronze disappears before our eyes. Then layers of splattered green followed by 350 degrees of heat with a hand-held torch. This is hard work and hot.
At one point, Bobby Page offered a blue ice pack for Patrick's head, which he soon abandoned. He is accustomed to these extreme conditions. Patrick continues to work his magic, one layer after another. Each time he applies his color treatment, he has to cover the entire body of Hanuman, all the sides and shapes, all the nooks and crannies.
Patrick adds them with amazing focus and enthusiasm, then sprays the whole murthi with lacquer and two layers of wax. The wax will protect Kauai's tropical sun and rains. In its place stands Hanuman, seemingly carved from the world's largest jade. It is a marvel. But more layers are ahead.
Hanuman stands imposing, artful, poised, His might mace ready to protect all devotees, His left hand holding Iraivan Temple, which He has carried all the way from India to the Garden Island. The creation and re-birth of Hanuman destined for Kauai Hindu Monastery are only possible because of 29 artisans in the USA and 25 more in India. Next stop for Hanuman: Kauai island!
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