When ordering from our site, your purchases will appear on your credit card statements under Ulu Productions, not Steven Lee Smeltzer.
FAQ
Each sculpture is handmade, and though Steven may make multiple, similar editions of a sculpture, each will be somewhat different, and one of a kind.
Worldwide. Within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, sculptures are shipped via FedEx, 2nd Day Air. The Fish Prints, as well as items listed under Merchandise, such as Note Cards and Coffee Mugs, are shipped U.S. Parcel Post.
INTERNATIONALLY – Shipping is sent via FedEx or U.S. Parcel Post. You would need to contact us directly to get the exact charge.
When purchasing sculptures from the SHOP on our site, orders within the U.S. are shipped out on Tuesdays, FedEx 2nd Day Air. As long as there are no delays with FedEx’s schedule you should receive your sculpture by 2 days later.
Prints and Merchandise is shipped U.S. Parcel Post and normally arrives within 5-10 days.
International orders depend on final destination. Contact Us for more info.
All sculptures are carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, then double boxed with a cushion of crumpled packing paper between boxes.
All sculptures are carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, then double boxed with a cushion of crumpled packing paper between boxes and shipped FedEx 2nd day air.
The following items are shipped USPS.
Prints are shipped in a shipping tube. Depending on how many packs of Note Cards you purchase, they are mailed in an envelope. Coffee Mugs are double boxed. Tote Bags are mailed in USPS Flate Rate Envelopes.
The sculptures dimensions are listed as H = Height, W = Width, L = Length.
If the sculpture is Longer than it is Wide, like the Fish Fantasticos, the measurements are based on their H/Height and L/Length. If the art is taller than it is long, the measurements are based on the H/Height and W/Width.
We are located on the beautiful island of Maui. If you are on island, your order may be picked up from our art studio. Please proceed with your online order. Shipping charges will be refunded upon order pick-up. Contact Us to schedule a day and time to pick up the sculpture.
In the unlikely event your sculpture arrived damaged, save ALL of the packing material and the boxes.
Contact Us for an assessment of the damage. We will contact FedEx and take care of the return, and the art will be repaired or replaced.
The sculptures are very durable and can be gently cleaned with running water. They can be outdoors for short term display but will be adversely affected with long term exposure to the weather and sun light.
Steven’s inspiration comes from everywhere, everything. Beware, you may be his muse and never know it.
A fun line from a movie, a meme, or a catchphrase can tweak his creative thoughts. Most often inspiration comes from visual input, be it from the day-to-day outer world, or his off-the-wall inner sight provoking his imagination.
The vast majority of Steven’s sculptures are made of high-fire stoneware; all eyes (and often the teeth) are made from porcelain clay. The Fish Fantasticos start out on the potter’s wheel as a hollow vessel and afterwards are shaped into the fanciful fish.
After the pieces have dried, they are dipped or sprayed with an oxide stain that is then partially wiped off. The art is then placed in the kiln and fired to 2000 degrees.
Many of the sculptures have a metal rod that attaches to the sculpture its base. Also the “squiggles” that you see on pieces like on the heads of the Penguoid’s are made from various flexible materials.
The next step is color. Steven applies acrylic paint to give everything a vibrant color.
Depending upon our workload, you may Contact Us to schedule a day and time to visit our art studio.
Steven does accept commissions. He does not sketch out the sculptures before creating them, so he will not provide sketches to you in advance. The characters will be based on photos that you provide and input you may have. Please remember the end product will be a caricature, not a true to life sculpture.
When placing a commission, you’d pay half down, and the remainder upon completion. Depending on how many orders are on his list, there can be up to an 18 month wait for completion of your piece.
Email us your phone number and we will give you a call so we can discuss your vision.
The bronze sculptures are traditional lost-wax casting. Self-taught, Steven made a home foundry with friends to cast sculptures. Currently, however, he is using a mainland fine art foundry.
Each bronze is a limited edition, signed and numbered.
Currently I am part of the Four Seasons Resort Artist of Maui Program. I display my art every Wednesday from 8:00a.m. to 1:30p.m – 3900 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui. You do not need to be a guest at the resort to enjoy/shop/meet the artists involved in the world class program.
The art is also available at Maui Hands four gallery locations.
Though I love painting, sculpting keeps me very busy. Eventually I hope to carve out more time for painting. Right now I do have one hand carved, cold cast Imp-A-Skip frame available—like the one in the Portfolio—which I’d be happy to create a small painting for. If you’re interested Contact Us.
The Fish Fantastico Prints came about because of all the requests from clients that purchased the fish note cards, then asking for larger prints to hang on the walls. This also gave birth to the coffee mugs.
As far as the prints, as stated under View More of each of the prints, each Fish Fantastico print is 18 x 24, signed by the artist and comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The fish prints are images of the artists sculptures printed on a high-quality, hand-molded watercolor paper made in Germany that is also OBA free and contains a metallic coating. It is important that the substrate you print on is OBA free to have longevity. The paper is 340 gsm ~ 100% cotton ~ natural white.
The combination of the high-end watercolor paper and a unique process using 11-color pigment inks, plus Chroma optimizer allows the paper to absorb the ink and give it a one-hundred year plus life span.
Please note that hand-molded paper may have irregularities.
The term “GSM” stands for “grams per square meter.”
For example, paper with a weight of 55 gsm will be much, much lighter and thinner than paper weighing 400 gsm. The 400 gsm paper, meanwhile, will be heavy, thick, and much more durable. OBA means ‘optical brightening agent’. OBA are unstable molecules and may turn yellow over time, which will lead to paper discoloration. Being OBA free extends the longevity of the print.
No, we do not. We ship the prints; the framing is up to you.