Gardens, parks, town centers and plazas are important to a city's infrastructure. They create an environment that is suitable — and often even inspirational — for social interaction. The imagery of natural stone and its ability to endure in outdoor conditions for hundreds of years makes it an ideal material for these place-making features such as monuments, fountains, benches and sculptures. The stone carvers who create these sculpted pieces exhibit true handicraft as defined by William Morris during the Arts and Crafts Movement in England at the end of the 19th century.
In Chicago, the Millennium Monument elegantly marks the end of tree-lined Wrigley Square lawn space in Millennium Park. Similar to Central Park in New York City, the lawn was designed as an inviting space for visitors to relax and to stroll along adjacent walking paths. The beautiful, 40-foot-tall Peristyle monument is composed of Doric columns and includes inscriptions by the founders of Millennium Park in its base. Bybee Stone Company Inc. of Bloomington, Ind., carved the monument out of Indiana limestone.
California features a fountain so stunning that the prince of Saudi Arabia once asked the designer and carver — Bakerfield's House of Stone Inc. — if the fountain could be disassembled and shipped to his country. Amazed at this request, House of Stone's owner Eric Dobbs advised the prince that the weight and size of the fountain (60 feet in circumference) would make air travel difficult and expensive. Still persistent, the prince requested an actual cost estimate for the fountain's transport. When the figure came in at more than $185,000, the prince decided instead to purchase the fountain's eight-page set of plans so that he could have it replicated in Saudi Arabia.
House of Stone also creates fountains for the bold Las Vegas strip — a place well known for outstanding outdoor sculpture. Dobbs states that a hand-carved fountain of natural stone, accented with a water and light show, is so visually stunning that it actually competes with the excitement of Las Vegas. House of Stone Inc. is completing much of the stone carving currently in progress for The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.
Man-made natural stone sculptures are often a welcome addition to the great outdoors.
Photo courtesy of Katherine Watson
Natural Stone for Outdoor Installations
Understanding natural stone is a science and an art. Robert Ripley of Carved Stone Creations from Kaukauna, Wis., extensively researches different qualities of natural stone and what happens to these natural stones when installed outdoors. He reports that the greatest amount of carved detail can be created with marble, a material that can showcase subtleties of fabric and specific features, such as hair, on a sculpture. Granite, Ripley explains, has a tendency to chip off more easily during the carving process, making small details more difficult to highlight. Ripley describes the difference between carving in marble and granite like the difference between using clay and wet beach sand for a creation.
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Crafted by Hand
William Morris (1834-96) largely originated the Arts and Crafts movement based in England. He believed that all details in life should be influenced by art and carefully designed. To him, art was "the way in which man expresses joy in his work." To that end, he was a champion of true handicraft. Morris claimed the machine and its manufacturing byproducts were a means to kill art. In today's digital age, some people actually find comfort in art created truly by hand.
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Marble is not often highly recommended for outdoor locations, however, because of the damage that can occur to the stone from freeze/thaw cycles. If marble is used outdoors, it needs to be sealed in the fall during the dry season so that moisture penetration does not occur during the winter and spring seasons. Though it seems insignificant, moisture can penetrate into marble's microscopic veins and cause significant damage if it starts to expand during a freezing bout. Additionally, minerals in marble fade over time from ultraviolet rays breaking down their colors. When marble is used outdoors, it will weather and consequently show a patina quality — a color some find very beautiful.
Conversely, granite is an idyllic material for sculptures located outside; it will endure the elements twice as long as marble. Granite also is the most resistant to freeze/thaw cycles because its moisture absorption rate is between 1 percent and 3 percent. Further, the colors in granite will not fade in ultraviolet light because its colors were "baked" into the stone during its formation through the lava process.
The fountain was created from Galaxy Green & Bianco Catalina Granite / polished and honed. Located at Lake Sandia subdivision, Krakow, Wis.
Photo courtesy of Carved Stone Creations, Inc.
Jerry Williams, owner of Barre Sculpture Studios in Montpelier, Vt., states that certain considerations are necessary to protect granite when it is combined with elements such as electricity, water, and fire. Williams conceived, engineered and carved a breathtaking piece that combines granite and fire. One of Barre's clients requested a table that could be used for an annual father and son campout. The table would be used near a campfire. Williams proposed a sensational idea with the fire actually be located inside the table. The project is eight feet in diameter and made of Dakota Mahogany granite. The center has a custom-made iron fire pit with a bronze lid. The granite is insulated to protect the structural integrity of the stone from the heat of the fire.
Stone Carving: A Threatened Art
Since Modernism began to take root in the early 20th century, carving stone by hand slowly has been evolving into a lost art. Stone carving requires intense physical labor and dependence on apprenticeship programs, which could contribute to the decline in people entering the trade, says George Bybee of Bybee Stone Company Inc. Carving takes hard work, intelligence and a special human touch. Here are the stories of two American stone carvers who hope the handicraft won't become extinct.
Scott Halverson, Architrave Stone Carving
Scott Halverson of Architrave Stone Carving began his training in 1995 at a sculpture class through the Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin, Texas. He says he was like a "duck to water" as he began to carve his first piece. The professor of the class walked by and asked how long he had been carving. Much to the professor's surprise, Halverson shared he had only just begun that day.
Later, Halverson trained under French stone carvers in Minnesota, but he is generally a self-taught carver. He works out of a 1,400-square-foot workshop. Because he works solo, he takes on a tremendous amount of physical labor above and beyond the intellectual labor it takes to design, plan and engineer the stone. The vast majority of his work is done in limestone. He prefers to stay away from stone with high silica content, such as sandstone and granite, because those types of stone require the carver to wear a cumbersome respirator during the carving and finishing processes.
One of Halverson's impressive commissions was to replicate a limestone mantel for a mansion in St. Paul, Minn. He first took many photographs, and then started a series of drawings. Next, he engineered the pieces to attach to the wall with hidden fasteners. The final mantel was composed of 20 pieces and was well received by the client. Halverson enjoys the carving process because it requires patience and slow, meditative concentration. He gets into the artist "zone" and works slowly to unveil the image in his mind's eye.
Jerry Williams, Barre Sculpture Studios
American stone carvers face fierce competition from products such as cast stone and concrete moldings, as well as from carvers in other countries whose labor costs are often less than half those in the United States. Jerry Williams of Barre Sculpture Studios believes that his excellent customer service and the Internet are his two greatest tools to be a viable competitor. Williams trained under Frank Gaylord, the stone carver who created the Korean War Veterans Memorial in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. He has been carving for nearly 25 years.
Williams believes his design and carving method is one reason why he can maintain a high customer satisfaction rate and receive referrals for additional work. After designing on paper, he creates the sculpture out of clay at a 1/4" scale or at a 1/2" scale of the final piece. The clay sculpture then is covered and cast with Plaster of Paris. This scaled model then is either shown in-person to the prospective owner or through photographs for approval. Therefore, the client is assured of the final product before its completion. Furthermore, his apprentices use the plaster scaled models to guide their work. Barre Sculpture Studios takes only weeks to provide the final product, while imported sculptures that require shipping can take up to six months for delivery.
Very large products provide Williams with his biggest challenges. For example, the teddy bears he carved for installation at Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater, Minn., are enormous. The head of one teddy bear weighs six tons! Because of limited workshop space, these pieces are difficult to carve.
Williams' handicraft shows through stunningly in the Celtic Warriors he carved for a campground. The "Contemplative Warrior" is composed of South African Impala granite (a black stone) and the "Highland Warrior" was created from South African Blue Sable granite.
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