MARBLE/marble XVIII
For many years I have wanted to attend MARBLE/marble, an annual sculpture symposium high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. After taking a one-week stone sculpture class last year, I finally felt I might be up to the challenge; I had a truly superb time. I will likely go back on an annual basis as do most of the participants. Here is a little diary I kept during the experience.
Friday, July 14
Left on my drive around 8am this morning. The drive to Marble takes you through some spectacular scenery as you traverse Loveland and Vail Passes. After winding through the engineering marvel of Glenwood Canyon, a left turn takes you up toward Aspen. Take the Carbondale exit and a few miles past Carbondale you reach the tiny town of Marble, population 85. It is from here that Colorado Yule Marble is mined. While there, we could see a huge block of marble sitting on a flatbed truck, destined for a rehabilitation project on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington DC.
Arriving at 1pm, I thought I would be plenty early. Turns out many of the sculptors sign up for all three sessions – enough to insure that all the prime carving stations and tent sites are spoken for. I picked a tent spot that had not yet been homesteaded which earned a brownie point or two. Next, I scrambled around to find a carving station. These stations are quite like camping spots in a campground. I found what turned out to be an excellent spot.
Next stop: choosing a stone. There are about a gazillion chunks of marble lying around in every imaginable shape. This is where the skilled instructors make there first contribution to your knowledge of the ways of the sculptor. Some stoned have internal flaws which can give you mid-week panic by way of an abrupt implosion. The experts can hear every little flaw by tapping the stone — ensuring a solid stone. Once chosen, you enlist a couple of the staff to hoist and transport your stone to your station and place it on the stack of criss-crossed 4×4s (“dunnage”) that holds it a working level.
This symposium was founded and is run by Madeline Wiener, one of the most renowned stone sculptors and a truly delightful person. She and her amazing staff have been doing this for 18 years!
As I pulled out of Fort Collins, I had only a vague idea about what I wanted to carve. But by time I pulled into the symposium grounds I had conceived a basic design and had a pretty solid mental model. Later in the evening I created a clay maquette – a small scale model of the completed design. It is an abstraction of the upper torso of a female figure in a goddess-like pose.
Saturday
Most of the morning us first-timers attended orientation where we are given enough information about tools and techniques to begin working our stone. These daily workshops quickly become a crucial part of the beginner's experience.
In the afternoon, we began the seemingly unending task of removing unwanted bulk--the first of the "three infinities" of sculpting. This is generally done by cutting slots into the stone at about 2cm intervals, then chiseling away the resulting vanes.
I realized I needed the piece lying on its side. This required a visit from the fork lift.
Sunday
MARBLE/marble hosts a great "meal plan" produced by on-site chef Mark. I'll probably take advantage of this next year but on this trip I came amply provisioned. Today's breakfast: grilled pork chop and grilled polenta. French-pressed coffee.
The second day of carving is often the low point. So little visible progress -- so far to go. That first infinity really begins to weigh on you.
My day starts out with a pleasant experience. After setting my stone on its side using the forklift, Rodger, with his "parting" chisel gave a masterful demonstration of parting along the bedding plane of the stone. In a matter of 3 minutes, he dislodges a two foot long chunk of marble. The surface of this is amazing: a very rich "sugar" texture. Beautiful.
At the end of the day I am tired and less than thrilled with my piece. I know I can rely on a better disposition in the morning so I let it go. After my shower, I reworked my maquette so that the "head" is more smoothly integrated into the sculpture. I like the result and it will certainly make the implementation easier.
Lunch: whole wheat tortilla with cheese and sliced grilled pork chop. Delicious!
Sunday evening of the second session is always a big party at the Redstone Art Center. Redstone is a town (small but much larger than Marble) a few miles away. Most of the work on display is invited works from past symposiums. A great inspiration and truly fabulous food I drove on down to Carbondale to get a fix of WiFi and cellular service and shop a bit at City Market.
Monday
Breakfast: Cereal with fresh raspberries; hot Ovaltine. The morning workshop was all about in-line air chiseling. Lots of good content here from Scott and Rodger. Rodger, a granite monument sculptor, is one of the three principles in the Weiner studio in Denver. At the morning coffee talk, Kathy Caricof (the third principle) assisted me with baking my now-modified macquette. This firms it up which is really helpful on site where it's constantly getting bumped.
Today for lunch I made bacon-wrapped filet mignon followed by raspberries and dark chocolate for desert. I certainly am eating well on this adventure! This especially satisfying lunch gives me a psychological boost for the afternoon where I really made good progress. My piece now comes much closer to the maquette in overall shape. So much so that I am now realizing the original design is too flame-like. Now my quest is to somehow redesign this thing so it doesn't look like a giant candle. Kathy recommended I try out her diamond blade. I'm hooked. Perfect for precise cutting and shaping. Thank you Kathy! What a difference! A while later, Myles from 2Sculpt let me try out the "cup" grinding blade. Again, I'm hooked. Tools can quickly become an expensive habit up here I'm finding.
Slowly the stone is taking shape.
Dinner: warmed up a suppersolutions burrito I made last week. Toasted bread and applesauce.
Tonight, there was a slide show. Here we get to see everybody's past work. What an interesting treat! Some great artists are here.
Getting back to my tent is tricky. I forgot to pack a flashlight so I'm relying on my otherwise-useless cell phone to illuminate the path home.
Tuesday
Today is a long day. I'm told the "day four funk" is common. I just miss it.
The workshop at 2pm today is a "face off". Scott and another staffer (name?) simultaneously carve faces into marble and wood, respectively. During the process the two take turns describing their technique. The students are spellbound.
Mid-day a large flatbed truck backs down into camp and thunderously dumps next week's supply of marble.
Lots of rain and lightning this afternoon. We hear later that 7 people were hit by lightning nearby. Electric tools are set aside for the duration.
A bit of progress is noticeable. I've split the top into separate "hands" in an attempt to defuse the "flame" look. It's gratifying to see the shape forming, yet exasperating to realize how much bulk must still be removed! Especially in back. I want this sculpture to be enjoyed from all sides.
Wednesday
Today's workshop: sharpening tools followed by texturing techniques. At 2:00pm there was an "Art Chat" put on by the inimitable Scott. This turns out to be one of the high points of the week. I'll note even attempt to describe except to say that Scott's talk inspired a name for my piece: "The Muse of Dance".
At 3:00 pm is a workshop on bas relief by Kathy which I regrettably missed. Next year.
Removed a ton of bulk from the back . Thought I would punch a hole through today. For sculptures with negative space, achieving this provides needed elation. So close.
More rain. Nonstop from about 5pm. Showered in the rain.
Tonight is 'ping pong' at Connie Hendrix' house a few block away in Marble. This is an annual event for the second session. Usually lasts till midnight. The long-time reigning ping-pong champion, Petro, lost to Chef Mark. The Hendrix' hospitality was a perfect mid-week opportunity to act like humans for an evening.
Thursday
With less than five minutes of chiseling this morning, I had punch through! This gave me a big boost. Short lived, though. While spinning my 5 inch diamond-encrusted blade in a not-much-larger than 5 inch space (unwise) I slipped and caught the back of my wrist. After careful cleaning and inspection by sculptor/doctor Hugh, it was determined that a trip to Glenwood for stitches was not necessary. Some butterfly bandages and a tight wrap put me back in business.
Today I pretty much finished the shaping of my piece and for the last hour did some power sanding. This is so gratifying! To see and feel smooth luxurious marble surfaces emerge.
Lunch today was Risotto! The only bad part was that I had no one to share it with. It was lovely. It made a nice dinner too (with stewed tomatoes mixed in).
Today's workshop, Pinning and Mounting, I skipped it thinking I would catch it in a future session when my piece actually needs it.
Only two more days! This should be enough for me to pretty much finish the piece except final surface sanding, I think.
Notes for next year: I need a flashlight! This LCD backlight thing is very limiting.
Other things to bring next time: folding-frame shelter; tarp for tent area; reading material; large coffee press; large water bottle; rainwear; toolbox; larger icebox
Friday
Today's workshop is on moving. With sculptures often weighing hundreds of pounds, special tools and techniques become important.
Lots of fine tuning of edges and surfaces today. Sequenced sanding using 60, 120 then 220 grit. The 200 grit leaves a finish just short of sheen that really brings out the sugar-like crystals common to Colorado Yule. I discovered a solution for achieving perfect ripple-free concave/convex surfaces: hand sanding with a hard block with velcro-attached diamond-grit paper (thanks Myles). Using the hard hand sanding block with 60 grit immediately makes the unwanted highs show up distinctly and quickly renders them flattened. Following up with 120 and 220 diamond paper yields a surface with nurbs-like perfection -- begging to be caressed.
Ending the day Friday was the Wrap-up Party; complete with hired local band (they were good!), beer keg and tecquila.
Saturday
Just a lot of putsing around with sanding today and visiting other sculptors. Some amazing work!
Certainly my favorite part of each day is the "Announcements" segment preceding each morning's workshop. It is here where Madeline -- the mastermind behind this 18 year tradition -- starts with a cheerful and motivational good-morning wearing that million-dollar smile. It's easy to see why all the sculptors adore Maddie.
UPDATE: A local gallery has expressed interest in showing this piece. I've got to get it done!
