Stone carver relates to other stone artisans

Being a stone carver, I have had little opportunity or desire to become well versed in the art of doing other things with stone. I, like most of the public at large, arrange my knowledge of stone into categories relating to my immediate need, such as chat, gravel, fill, pedestals, bases, and now and then, a larger piece, to carve into something almost uniquely mine. I do not live on a remote island, unaffected by life going on around me, but "Stone Industry News" has over the past issues, illuminated in me something that I should never have forgotten. Stonework is still a very important part of our work-a-day-world! Architects are still designing facades of stone, courtyards and fountains, and of course, much applied stone in residential kitchens, baths, and gardens, and sculpture. In addition, each of these designs requires an artisan to make them work. Please allow me a moment, as a sculptor, to pay homage to the countless thousands of you that will handle more stone this week than I will touch in a lifetime.

Stone industry is as old as, well, stone
The Neolithic period, 7000-3000 BC, is a place to start looking at the accomplishments of early stone artisans, but it is by no means the earliest evidence, or the finest example of, stonework requiring massive knowledge and skill to accomplish architectural feats that are still in evidence today! The Palace of Minos on the Isle of Crete, might serve to remind us of the important roll the stone industry has played in the history of civilization.

Quarrymen
From the Easter Island maoi, to the Lincoln Monument in Washington, DC, the skills of the quarrymen have been little noticed and largely under-appreciated, but none-the-less, required for the final presentation to have the impact and presence that they accomplish. Without these we would have precious little with which to complete our work!

Sculptors
Sculpture is the discipline of the industry in which I practice. I use the term 'practice' advisedly as I learn something new with every stone I open. I will not live long enough to learn all I ought to know, or develop all of the skill I ought to possess, or complete all of the work I wish to complete. However, each piece that I do finish is, due to the nature of the stone in which I am working, a totally unique, one-of-a-kind, never to be duplicated, item that can only exist in one place at one time! The singleness of the grain, color, inclusion, and geology, make stone the most personal medium anyone might own, and whether the final product is sculpture, tile, or countertop, the piece is unique in the entire world.