Rough Cuts

It all begins with an idea. Perhaps the most important aspect of carving stone is listening to what the stone wants to become. There are two sles or techniques used by sculptors, planned and intuitive. My carvings are a hybrid of both. When planning I use artificial intelligence to inform me of suggested proportions, but not to generate an image to copy from.

I start out with a very general idea and try to draw the outline on the stone. I then use a hack saw to reduce what needs to be chipped, filed, and sanded (60, 120, and 200 grit). The sculpture is then ready to be wet sanded using 400, and possibly 800 or 1000 grit wet/dry sand paper. The sculpture is ready to be sealed and then polished.

Each piece has its own story to tell. Because there is so much dust these pieces are all rough cut outdoors. These pictures are in the early stages of work done between 2020 and 2023. It is important that anyone wanting to learn to carve soapstone, alabaster, or pipestone familiarize themselves with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment. This is all the more important if one ses power tools that spew micro dust particles in every direction or one advances to carving granite or marble.