what type of stone to carve

[gary grossman <grossman@zzzzzzzzz>]

Greetings Carvers, As a new carver I'm still experimenting with stone.
I started on soapstone and alabaster and have now carved limestone,
chlorite, sandstone, and hacked a bit on hard Alabama and Georgia
marble.  Several folks have commented on the variety of stone that I
carve, which made me think if folks had opinions on which type of stone
is best for a certain type of carving.  For example, alabaster, with its
translucency and inherently appealing colors would be a great stone for
abstract work IMO, because it adds color to the movement and geometry of
the piece.  At the same time, I wouldn't use highly veined stone for a
bust or a nude because IMO it would distract from the form of the piece.
  I was curious whether folks had preferences or ideas regarding the
best types of stone for different types of carvings. good carving, g2

--
Gary D. Grossman

G. Grossman Fine Art
http://www.negia.net/~grossman/

Distinguished Research Professor - Animal Ecology
Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, USA 30602

http://www.arches.uga.edu/~grossman/

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