george and u of md

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Edie,
I don't have any connection to Maryland now. After many moves I've landed in
Western NY. Originally, I grew up in the hills outside of Ithaca NY. Old
farm , dirt road, woods and fields that grew more rocks than crops. My dad
loaded up the truck and moved to DC to be a National Grange Lobbyist.

I grew up in Prince George's county just outside of DC. Graduated from Oxon
Hill High School in 1972, so our paths did not cross. As best as I can
remember, and its fuzzy, I ,,,reentered Prince Georges Community College in
1976 with the illusion of being a lab tech. After 1 1/2 years of beating my
head against chemistry, I found (thank god) the sculpture building out by
the parking lots, and discovered stone sculpture.

Here is where it gets interesting. I was going to my car, and saw a scruffy
looking guy drilling holes in a block of stone, asked what he was doing, and
my direction in life was permanently changed. The worker was the stone
sculpture teacher. His name was Carl Goldhagen, and its more likely you may
have crossed paths with him.  I learned later that he was a student of Ken
Cambell . He might be 10 years older then me. After discovering marble
sculpture, I had to withdraw from all the science courses, because I just
couldn't go back. I worked in the PGCC studio for 2 more years and then
really got the urge to find a higher level of education. Ken Cambell was
just a name to me, but he was always mentioned as the guy behind most of the
teachers and students I was running into in the art circles. I finally got
up the nerve to track him down at U. of MD, told him my story. I just wanted
to soak up more stone sculpture, and move forward. He didn't care that I
wasn't seeking a degree, so the next semester I was working at the sculpture
studio on campus.

Cambell was not there much, but when he was , he would come over and check
out what I was doing. I think it was easy for us to talk because there was
no teacher, student tension. We did not talk about technical stuff, but more
in the area of why do stone work, how to think about abstract work, and how
to judge your own work. I asked him once ,how can you give a grade to a
student when everyone was doing their own personal expression. He said that
he did not grade the piece. He gave grades based on the students growth and
improvement. He just quietly kept on opening up my mind, as the semester
went on. I had to leave after on semester. The pressures of making money,
and living forced me on. I really wish I had been able to spend more time
listening to him, but the short time at the studio  had a lasting influence
of me.

There was another stone sculptor/teacher there who I did not get along with.
Farioli was his name. He was a fine carver , but did not appreciate an
ignorant student interrupting his carving time to ask stupid questions, like
how do you carve such small detailed stone  sculpture? He stopped, glared,
and said ,"I get my chisels very sharp, now don't bother me again". His
advice was exactly right, but I've always regretted not breaking his nose.

I got what I needed from Ken Cambell, the inspiration and confidence to stay
on the path I'd started. It was a good thing to move on after one semester,
and not get thrown in jail for assault!

Over the years I've often used second hand marble monuments. I figure the
original owner must have a tiny bit of influence on the outcome . That got
to be a good thing!

I've always wanted to locate Carl Goldhagen. Do you know anything about his
story and whereabouts? He moved on after I had been there for one year. I
think he went to NYC.

Its been a fun trip down memory lane,
Take care
George Graham