The Sixth Annual Sax Stonecarving Workshops
Words: Hug PoochllcThe Sax Stonecarving Workshops are just that: opportunities to work side by side with highly accomplished stone sculptors in a supportive atmosphere, where sharing of knowledge is given the highest priority. Daily structured demonstrations are followed by one-on-one meetings to address individual technical and artistic problems. Attendance is limited to 25 participants in order to foster the personal interaction necessary between teacher and student.
Open to all levels of experience, the workshops consist of two sessions. The first session, "Historic Carving Techniques Applied to Contemporary Carving Imperatives," will be held in Rinconada, N.M., July 22-26. The instructor for this session is Allen Williams of Chester Granite in Blandford, Mass.
Williams, a granite quarrier, carver, sculptor and stonework historian, has been teaching since 1977. Through discussion and demonstrations, he will cover the topics of: tool selection, care and use; reading the grain in stone; quarrying; rigging; cutting with fire; lettering; carving; and surface finishing. Williams will explore the history of the trade and how stone was cut and moved in the days before motors and electricity, and workshop participants will have the opportunity to view his extensive antique tool collection of antique tools. This five-day course is a must for those committed to the art and craft of stonework.
The second session, "East Meets West," will be held in Rinconada, N.M., Aug. 14-20. Teaming up for their third straight year are guest artist Kazutaka Uchida of Tokyo and guest instructor Joseph Kincannon of Austin, Texas. Returning for the forth time, Uchida is an inspired sculptor and, in turn, offers an inspiring presence. He brings his exquisite Japanese aesthetic and his 40 years of carving experience to bear as he unlocks the inner beauty of the stone.
Kincannon, a guild-certified master carver, was the lead stone carver at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for 11 years. His carving vocabulary and ability to communicate and demonstrate the traditional carving techniques of European carvers are exceptional.
For more information, contact Mark Saxe at (505) 579-9179, or e-mail sax@cybermesa.com. Applications and information are also available at www.saxstonecarving.com.