By Page H. Gifford
When people think of stone carving and sculpture, they often picture the ancient Greeks and Romans or master artists such as Michelangelo. Today, few artists are willing to trade paintbrushes for stone carving tools.
Transforming a rough stone into a polished work of art takes patience, skill, and countless hours of labor, as artists Donna Lerner and Duffy Dillinger explained during the April meeting of the Fluvanna Art Association.
The two artists learned their craft from a master stone carver who taught them how to shape alabaster and soapstone into decorative works of art.
“It is a long-term commitment and takes hours and hours and months of work, but the result is beautiful patterns in the stone,” Dillinger said.
Artists often begin with stones weighing up to 35 pounds. Unlike many other art materials, suitable carving stone is not always easy to find.
Lerner demonstrated some of the tools used in the process, including carving tools and rifflers, which are used for sanding and creating grooves. She explained that the finishing process helps smooth imperfections before final sanding with sandpaper. Chisels can leave “bruises” in the stone that are difficult to remove.
Members watched as Lerner demonstrated techniques that require both patience and precision, noting that there is little room for error in the process.
“Sometimes we use drills for certain things,” she said. “It’s a sandy, dusty, messy art.”
As she wet the stone she was working on, colors and patterns hidden within the rock began to emerge. Dillinger added that carvers often place stones on sandbags filled with non-clumping kitty litter to keep them steady and prevent slipping that could damage the piece.
Some members asked how artists develop their designs.
“I was told by my teacher that the stone will speak to you,” Lerner said. “It never has.”
“You feel your way through a piece,” Dillinger added.
For artists accustomed to sketching designs beforehand, the approach seemed unusual, though Dillinger noted that pencil lines can still be used as guides.
To polish a finished piece, Lerner said she uses a Dremel tool for light sanding before applying wax.
“It is beautiful,” she said, “but you have to be tough.”
