Artistic Statement

                      

Living Stone Art is best described as a blending of nature’s most resilient creation, stone, with the finest of my artistic abilities to cut, hone, and merge it aesthetically to form shallow relief mosaic creations.

Stone, gathered from around the world, has become my color palette.  Thousands of pounds of it line industrial shelves in my shop. Granite, Quartzite, Travertine, Marble, Slate and Onyx are my favorite staples. The finishes range from highly polished to “wild rock”, found in its natural weathered patina. No other time in history has there been such variety available at our fingertips.

                   
      I was drawn to stone for many reasons.  For one, its color does not fade. Its surface durability is incredible. This material has opened doors to areas that are unthinkable for any other art medium. Living Stone Art is art for almost any location. Floor entries, backslashes, shower enclosures, masonry over the mantel, are popular spots to integrate this art directly into the fabric of a structure. The art has evolved to include gallery wall mountable pieces. Angle iron metal framing makes it structurally possible to hang even the largest stone art pieces successfully, securing firmly.

                    
     Another reason to use stone is that it is already art in its own right. Forged by extreme heat, pressure, and time… Every slice reveling uniqueness from a journey, eons in the making. The trick is pulling them together to represent other lifeforms, landscapes and elements.   That’s the difficulty that takes a large variety of materials to pull off. It can be a real all-consuming mind-bending puzzle. What stone makes the best bighorn sheep eyes? Its horns? Its fur? Its nose? What stone makes the wooliest buffalo hair, or the nicest sagebrush? What rock makes the best mountain? In the alpenglow, in the shadows, or reflected in a placid mountain lake.  

      My ultimate goal, as an artist, is to trigger the viewer's imagination and perhaps pleasant memories. “Golden Moments”, those sentimental, peaceful, memories that connect us to nature, each other, and our Creator. Art created with natural stone has a fascinating ancient history story within the story. Enhancing this already self-inspiring material by taking it to a next level finished product, creates value and interest, with durability and permanence to be enjoyed for generations.