From:
"John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>
Date:
Mon, 7 Jun 2004 09:53:43 -0500
Subject:
why carve?
----- Original Message -----
Quoted text begins.From: "Norman Watts" <Norman_Watts@------- >
I'd like to ask a question about why you all do what you do.
End of quote.
Well Norman, since you asked.
Have always been nuts about stone-- I was the kid with the rock
and mineral collection. Seemed natural to get a degree in
geology. Soon realized that for the most part, geologists do
not really work with stone so because of that and some other
early 70's reasoning, I left the professional life and began
pushing a wheelbarrow for a masonry contractor. Knew immediately
that that was the career path for me. After a few years of OJT,
I figured that I knew enough to begin contracting my own work.
That's when the education really set in. But I was getting to
work with stone on a daily basis. Fast forward a few years -- I
had the opportunity to watch an International Sculptor's
Symposium unfold in my adopted central Texas town. (at the time
supposedly the first in this country) Watching those guys was
inspirational and educational to a guy with only a rock hammer
and trowel in his stone working kit. Another few years--
several more sculptors are invited to add to the collection, and
by this time, I am hand chiseling some ornament (simple
keystones, quoins, sills etc) for my stone veneers and otherwise
trying to make my work look more like that from a century ago
rather than the 1980's central Texas norm. Visited with these
sculptors every afternoon for several weeks, watching, asking
questions, and other wise being a general nuisance. One of them
literally gave me permission to carve (remember my education is
in hard science, not art) when he told me to just pick up a
stone and carve something. That if I liked it was art, and if
I didn't like it to throw it out the back door and carve
something else. (believe that addresses the other thread on
aesthetics) Began doing that and didn't throw too many out the
back door.--several of those very first pieces are in private
collections around the country now-- but still earned my living
by contracting masonry work. Mid 80's a mill owner who I bought
some cut stone from came by the house and asked if I could help
him out working in his cutters shop. Told him I didn't know
anything about that, but he said he could see what I could do
from the sculpture, and felt like I could do it. That was my
introduction to the esoteric world of architectural carving, and
I felt right at home in it. Been doing it ever since, earning a
nice living, and getting to sculpt too.
Sorry about the book, I guess the short story is that my entire
life has been a journey along a path that lead me to where I was
supposed to be, doing what I had always been doing in the past.
Or, something like that.
John VanCamp/ JVC Stoneworks
- References
- message 00055: aesthetics - Ken Barnes (07 Jun 2004)
- message 00058: why carve? - Norman Watts (07 Jun 2004)
- Previous by Thread: message 00059: why carve? - Simon Brown (07 Jun 2004)
- Next by Thread: message 00070: why carve? - Clive Murray-White (08 Jun 2004)
- Previous by Date: message 00059: why carve? - Simon Brown (07 Jun 2004)
- Next by Date: message 00061: aesthetics - John VanCamp (07 Jun 2004)
