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| "Speak to me" |
It seems to me Arts are local, and are
based on local history and local knowledge, not in itself a bad
thing, however, Local-ism does not serve the world of art all that
well. If there is a lack of local history of stone sculpture, I
believe the void is filled by romancing common knowledge about the
subject. Common knowledge about stone carving is Irving Stone's
version of Michelangelo. So milking Michelangelo's Renaissance stone
carving, fills the gap. Savvy stone purveyors, stone workers and
stone sculptors work this angle to there advantage to get what I call
the Italian bump Marketing at its finest. I too love Italian culture,
food, wine, fashion, autos, and art, but like my own history,
culture, food, wine, fashion, autos, and art as well. I come from a
rich heritage of stone workers, my father and his three brothers were
all stone-carvers my three brothers, two brothers-in-law, uncle and
nephews. All worked for the largest stone company in the world. None
of us Italian. I feel no need to use the Italian bump to promote
myself, and refuse to roll my R'S to dazzle the locals. Of course
this behavior has be costly, but its a matter of self pride. There
must be a better way to generate interest in local stone sculpture,
after all the local wine growers found a way to self pride. Remember
Duke Ellington: “If it sounds good, it is good.” I say as a stone
sculpture, if looks good it is good. Good sculpture doesn’t
require a signature of authenticity, or European heritage, it only
needs to evoke a emotional response from the viewer to have value.
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| Idaho travertine |
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| SE Alaska marble |
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| SE Alaska marble |
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Montana sandstone
FOUR PHOTOS OF
MY SCULPTURE |
It seems Northwest wine makers found
the local climate and soil for grapes equal to Italy, unfortunately
our northwest basalt isn’t like European marble for carving,
however we to have wonderful carving stone. Its not the stone, but
what you do with the stone that makes great art. I am sure you could
have the greatest soil and climate in the world but not have good
wine if your not a good winemaker. Good stone sculpture is made by
good artists. And we have lots of good artists in the Northwest.
Personally I take great pride in reading local stone I source myself,
even if it is not as romantic as tying myself to Italian Mystique.
There is nothing more satisfying to me then taking a raw stone
fragment, and creating a beautiful enduring piece of art. To me the
expression reading the stone is often expressed as the stone speaks
to me.
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| Early traveler |
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| Natural cleavage |
READING THE STONE
The natural shape of the
found local stone defined both their destinies
Early Traveler from SE Alaska. Natural cleavage from New Mexico.
It seems to me the local stereotype
which am calling The Italian Bump in stone carving is a mixture of
Michelangelo's genius and savvy Italian business men promoting white
Carrara marble. The two elements become indistinguishable and
interchangeable. The end result is that Italian marble then becomes
the object of desire in itself and is indistinguishable from the
quality of the art. So rolling your rs and playing the game becomes
as important as knowing your art. All stone sculptors enjoy working
on a piece of white marble but there is little reading the stone in
white marble, there is nothing to read. Its a matter of removing the
material to revel the form in your mind. Not a bad thing, but
certainly a different exercise then reading the stone. Its a matter
of geometry and knowing your tools. The quality of the sculpture is
equal to the quality of the form in your mind. It seems to me that
stone sculpture cut from a white Italian marble, accrues the added
value of the Italian mystique. Carving Italian white marble has its
challenges and creating a art form that is in your mind is not easy
and I certainly enjoy that personal challenge but I think carving
indigenous marbles truly requires me to read the stone. The stone
defines the limits as well as the possibility of the sculpture. This
is rarely understood by by non stone carvers and of course gets none
of the Italian mystique benefit. In fact it often is viewed as
inferior product not measuring up to the Italian myth held by locals.
I have often observed that eyes light up and you get the approving
look when I tell someone in a low voice, this is a piece of Italian
or Greek marble, THE ITALIAN BUMP of importance. The little German
village I grew up in, was and still is the home of the largest stone
company in the world, also had a fine little German Pilsner brewery
but we as locals, rarely drank it, its strange how often local people
think something from someplace else must be better. Best to milk the
Italian mystique if sales is your goal, in many parts of this
country.
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| My David carved from local marble |
An image conceived in the mind, and
brought to life by removing material to fit mental image.
So even though Northwest wine makers
seem to have had some success at overcoming the Italian promotion
machine, I don’t think local stone, or modern day sculptors
sculptors, will ever be fully accepted as equals to Italian stone or
modern day Italian artists. Its to hard to overcome Italian
marketing, after all, we all understand they make the best food, the
best wine, the best cars, the best fashion, and due to there
Mediterranean dark skin, the men seem to get better looking as the
age, just the opposite as my ruddy German complexion, it seems so
unfair. But I do what I can. Growing up in a Lake Wobegon
environment has made me humble and accepting of my place in the
wonderful world of Art.
