Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: cliffrod on February 06, 2023, 09:00:45 AM
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I know there are some folks on WG that like or appreciate obscure aspects of our world. Maybe this will be interesting to them.
As a full time granite sculptor for now over twenty years, the realities of living the dream is that sometimes it’s less dreamy than other times.. Last year was going well. Just after I finished multiple stones and got my CX100 by May, I sold a large life-sized angel memorial project that had been in discussion for nearly two years. When I placed order for stone in early June, i expected a long wait to receive it based on industry conditions. 3 months is normally a long time the get stone, so figured maybe 6 months as the industry was really backlogged by a historic combination of reasons. It would great to have work for the winter. Nope. I was told, “It will be a minimum of 12 months” until the stone is available.. everybody else is screwed now too because no one can get stone. it’s made a long and modest season here at my studio & shops. And maybe it will be here this summer…
During this time, there have been even more serious talks about the actual permanent loss of the craft. The sculptor colony in Barre, VT is drying up. The half dozen remaining elder Masters are dying, medically compromised, fully retired or simply too old to have enough time left to apprentice anyone. When training someone as a carver in the industry, it’s considered to require an average of 10 yrs of full time work to become break-even employee. It’s longer to actually become a sculptor while can originate, produce and finish projects. There are exceptions, but not many. There are 3-4 “young” people carving in VT who are “only” in their 50’s like me. Some are more fluent or motivated than others. Then there’s me, 1000 miles away here in SC working via the granite industry center of Elberton, GA. There are no other professionally-trained, industry-level sculptors left working in the USA.
I’ve been asked numerous times about moving back to VT to help train people but it’s not a viable option, especially to do it as an independent contractor. There are people within the granite memorial industry who want to learn. They are trying to learn on their own and there are some “experts” muddying the waters to make a buck without actually teaching anyone how to carve or sculpt stone. Some granite people have been here for instruction but it’s generally too expensive for anyone to be here for long. There’s no way to do this work cheaply. The biggest benefit of being somewhat isolated is that I’ve been able to preserve and protect the craft in a unique way. Without the typical slow & unnoticed changes caused as technology creeps in, I’m still doing it the way I was taught to do it.
So, to both archive what I was taught & have learned and to help perpetuate the craft, I started a new Virtual Stone Carving Apprenticeship video series on YouTube. I’ve done a lot of videos during this slow time. I’m hoping the VSCA series will reach the more serious audience during the next decade of time I would like to think I still have to carve.
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_1Ai-Hj_MMN-dHVeTqtGRQF-EgBbTAql
A major goal is to present an accurate representation of professionally approaching & working in a traditional craft. When a Master retires from full time work, the next generation becomes responsible for perpetuating the craft. We’ll see how it goes.
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Fantastic. Just watched your episode 1 and looked at the clean interface of your 8 episode (so far) apprentice series.
For me this is very interesting because every time I have looked at the stone carvings on buildings or in museums I think about the craftsman that made such things in antiquity, what tools they used and how the art has stood for centuries.
I’m going to watch many more of these and I tip my hat to you that you are doing the right thing. Many future carvers thank you in advance I’m sure. :bow:
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I went to high school with the son of a stone carver. I don't know if he took over the business or not. I looked on Google maps and it appears that it is still a thriving business. It is Buzzi Memorials between Stonington and Mystic Connecticut. If the name Buzzi sounds familiar, Ruth Buzzi of Laugh-In is Eddie's sister, she was two grades ahead of me.
kk