This is an article I wrote for our Gem and mineral club and local paper.
Little did I know, when making my first trip to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina some five years ago, that I was embarking on a journey that would combine my lifelong study and interest in rare gemstones and life sciences, with an added dimension of power tools.
My fascination with rocks and gems began many years ago, and I already was in possession of a modest collection at the time of that first visit to Cherokee and Franklin, North Carolina.
My search of additional specimens eventually led me to a small rock and gem shop in Franklin, where I met an amazing man named Pedro. Pedro greeted me coolly at first, but eventually, recognizing a kindred spirit I suppose, invited me to his workshop. There he introduced me to the unique and fascinating art of lapidary.
Lapidary, or stone carving, differs from other types of carving or from sculpture in that the medium is a hard gemstone that requires water-cooled, diamond abrasive power tools to cut it. Favorite stones for lapidary include jade, agate, quartz and ruby. For my first lesson Pedro gave me soapstone and showed me the rudimentary elements of stone carving. Leaving the area at the end of the weekend with samples of soapstone, I spotted a woodcarving shop and bought my first Foredom power tool, with an assortment of diamond burs.
And so it began…
Arriving home, I immediately set up shop in the basement. Using the soapstone, I taught myself the basic steps of carving and produced some very elementary shapes. Almost immediately, I realized several things. I realized that I had some talent, that I was not going to be satisfied with soapstone as a medium for long, and that I absolutely loved carving. Nothing else in my life could compare with the feeling I received from creating something with my own hands and my own imagination. From soapstone I moved on to agate, and moss agate, and produced some quite credible frogs and other creatures. Finally I was ready to move on to gemstones.
My goal in carving has become this: to match and combine the elements of the stone I am about to carve to the form and dynamics of North American creatures. The only way this is possible though, is to know the characteristics of the subject matter.
One of my favorite examples of this fussion is a carving I call “ Sculpin In Moss Agate”. In this piece, the mottled amber hues speckled with embedded manganese spots of the stone matches the shape and form of this bottom dwelling fish almost perfectly.
The sculpin has always fascinated me, from the first moments that I became aware of the varied types of fish present in the streams I was swimming in, to the later years, when I would snorkel in those same streams watching bass, perch, goggle-eye, suckers, chubs, and of course, the sculpin in their natural environments.
In studying this fish's habits, one can see how this fish is able to camouflage itself in stream bottoms, among these very types of stone, and the natural pattern of the stone lends it an almost life-like characteristic. After it was completed, I realized that by carving this fish I had captured a piece of myself. I had taken one of those moments that I carry around in my memory, and subconsciously transferred it to the stone. The finished product depicts the subject as I remembed it.
In learning my newfound craft, I continued traveling throughout the Midwest, attending gem and mineral shows, visiting rock and gem shops, and talking with artisans of every kind. My biggest influence has probably been the workmanship of the Cherokee Indian artisans, specifically in Cherokee, North Carolina. From talking with them and enjoying their crafts, I was able to fully understand that carving and lapidary is all about capturing the spirit of the world around us.
One other type of carving is called “in situ” carving, which involves starting with a stone that is made up of two distinct minerals, usually a gemstone in a matrix. My favorite specimen for this type of carving is ruby in zoisite, which is found in Tanzania, Africa. In this mixture, the contrast of the ruby crystal imbedded in the bright green zoisite lends itself to the creation of pieces such as “Ruby Tree Frog”.
Then arrived the biggest challenge of all. After mastering the art of carving fish, frogs and reptiles, I felt I was now prepared to advance to the carving of mammals. In Potosi, Missouri I live very close to the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch, and have had the opportunity to study the form of the American Bison. This became an inspiration to me, and eventually led to the creation of two other favorites of mine “Bison in Jade” and “Prairie Demon”.
This piece is carved from a large two-pound ruby crystal that possesses the strength and symmetry needed to portray the spirit of the American Bison.
It was after the completion of these two pieces that I became acquainted with Mark Hadley, a member of the Mineral Area Rock and Gem Club” that I belong to. Mark had discovered a fascinating new stone, almost literally in his backyard, which lies just south of Taum Sauk in the St. Francois Mountains.
The stone is beautifully layered jasper with rich earth tones, and hues of red, brown and yellow. Mark Hadley is also a lapidary and he has named this stone “Dreamstone”. He uses it to fashion Southwest-style jewelry. I had always wanted to find a native Missouri stone that was suitable for carving, and in Dreamstone, I have found that perfect medium which has led to the creation of “Bison in Dreamstone”. This carving was donated to the Sayersbrook Art Auction, a local fundraising effort that provides scholarships for students in Washington County, Missouri.
I recently saw a documentary on PBS about the late philosopher, Joseph Campbell, in which it showed portions of an interview in which he had said, “Follow your bliss, it will take you where you need to go.” In carving, I believe I have found that bliss.
Carving has given me a way of combining the nobility of the gemstones that I admire, with the life source of the subjects that I have studied, and of creating pieces of art that can be shared with others. In this way, I’m hoping to portray a different aspect of the natural beauty that surrounds us, and communicate that to others in a new and unique way.
Re: Rock Hounds Unite 
Nemo me impune lacesset. ~Unattested 
The rock is from the Cascades in Washington state, and the site is unreachable because of snow right now. Maybe I'll get up there this Summer on one of my Sasquatch expeditions and grab a few pounds. 
