Conditions being what they were of late with snow storm after snow storm, I stayed away from the stone project in-progress and gave myself a propertyless assignment. The premise was to compile a collection of photos that illustrate the work life of a solitary stoneworker; with myself as the subject and past projects as the source material.
Read MoreThere’s much to be considered in the process of producing of a stone memorial. Even something as simple as a bench requires discussion about setting, size, shape, materials, and the wording, layout and carving of a dedication. Often there are many family members and friends involved in the choices to be made. My task as a memorial designer/builder/installer is to gather individually held emotions and transform them into a collective expression. Hopefully, everyone will recognize something of their personal feelings reflected in the finished work.
Read MoreTemperatures in the 20’s F, steady 10 mph winds gusting to 25. Stones fastening themselves to the surface of the ground with frost. Time to close down walling activities for the year, right? Wrong. The wind chill was definitely bracing on the work-site hilltop this week but building went on apace. In fact, some things got easier as a result of the cold. No more wet gloves or bucket loader-eating mud holes. Underfoot turned to hard, no-slip surfaces, bringing welcome stability for plucking and plopping stone.
Read MoreThe seed shape is fructuous. Its asymmetricality suggests continued growth and development. The entry point of the garden, the pinched end of the seed, expresses the concept of compression used by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in his design of foyers. His idea was to constrain the vestibule area to hasten movement toward the voluminous inner space. Compression springs expansion. The sense of garden bountiful is increased by passing through a narrow portal.
Read MoreIn the beginning the idea was to make it a solitary object out in the field north of the garden. I had visions of a compost carousel with four pie-shaped stalls. Then it was a long barrow-shaped affair with tractor ramps to the top of the bins. I knew little about composting but I was having lots of fun with modeling clay imagining the construction of a dry stone Ruminator. Scale model making is an enjoyable pursuit that helps develop spatial acuity. The process of shaping clay is slow enough for deliberation to take place and fast enough for a form to observably emerge. Results unfold in an organic fashion.
Read MoreTwo month ago I laid the first stone for the new Columbarium at Center Cemetery in Norfolk, Connecticut. Since then I’ve been working long hours, four or five days a week shifting, lifting and setting 100 tons of stone.
Materials used in the construction were sourced from five locations. Besides 1 ½” crushed stone for the base, I used tailings from a Vermont slate quarry for shim stock, 3”-5” local riprap for hearting, split-face stone from Quimby Mountain Quarry, field stone from on-site, and stone gathered from a natural rock slide in Vermont for wall face and top stones. To keep the work flowing smoothly it helped to have a full complement of shapes and sizes at every phase of the construction.
Read MoreThe Connecticut columbarium wall work is out of the ground and on its way up. Since the last post, I’ve laid the foundation stones and brought the two ends to finished height. The list of ingredients grows as I discover additional stone sources. Starting with ledge scree I collected in Vermont, I’ve added fieldstone from dump piles near the cemetery, modified rip-rap from a local quarry and slate tailings from a Vermont gravel pit. Having a full complement of stone shapes and sizes keeps progress flowing smoothly.
Read MoreBetween workshop instructing, DSWA examining and rainy days I’ve managed to get the crushed stone foundation in for the Center Cemetery columbarium wall. Stone piles have been dismantled at the town garage stockyard site and stone reloaded on a one-ton truck for transport into the cemetery. Next week will see guide frames set and the building begun on the 165’ long wall.
Read MoreSoon, I will begin construction on a columbarium in a western Connecticut cemetery. The term columbarium is derived from the Latin columba, meaning dove. So, what do doves have to do with laying the departed to rest? Traditionally, a columbarium is a sepulchral structure with recesses in the walls to receive the ashes of the dead. The walls of cathedrals often have columbaria. But, prehistorically, those recesses were simply hollows in a cliff face, hollows sometimes shared by nesting doves. Thus, the dove became a symbol of love and peace. In the case of columbaria, the dove represents resting in peace.
Read MoreThe mending of old dry stone walls lies at the heart of the walling trade. It’s often where the beginner waller cuts his or her teeth in the craft. An old wall is a lesson book waiting to be opened. It teaches correct methods of construction by example, and offers many cautionary tales with full-color illustrations. Chapter by chapter, the story of a derelict wall section unfolds in reverse as it’s dismantled.
Read MoreThe desire to commemorate a life in passing is a deeply held impulse. To create something new is a natural response to the experience of loss. The “Stone Arch Arbor” commission combines a family’s wish to remember a loved one and make a gift to his community.
Read MoreThe stone globe I built in 1983 had become timeworn. The hollow construction cracked open under the strain of carrying its own heft for thirty years. Barbara and Ernie commissioned the original. Their daughter, Nicole, asked me to bring it back to its former glory. In the intervening years I’ve laid up hundreds of dry stone constructions. I like to think I’ve learned a new thing or two along the way. The process of rebuilding the ball taught me that I both have, and haven’t.
Read MoreTwo days worth of indoor stone slinging last week completed the central stone feature at the Vermont Flower Show. Jared, T.J., Jamie, Brian and I finished up “Craggy Mountain” just as the trees, mulch and flowers closed in around us. On Friday I offered my slide-talk, “Working Stone,” to a standing-room-only crowd. The following words were part of the presentation’s introduction.
Read MoreModeling clay is one of my favorite sketch materials. It reveals more about the true reality of an idea than a drawing does. Manipulating materials on a small scale runs up against some of the same issues that will be present when constructing a full scale rendition in stone.
Read MoreThe best two days in the life of a dry stone project are the first and the last. The first day is full of anticipation about how the great unknown will reveal itself. The course of the work has been formulated in the mind, but the process that will lead to an end only begins when an actual stone is laid. That initial stone sets in motion a chain-reaction of events, a series of choices that ultimately determine the character of the finished work.
Read MoreWhen I began building stone features on Richard Epstein’s property more than ten years ago he had a unformed, but long term vision of the space around his cabin. He wanted to keep the sequestered feel of being in the deep woods. He also wanted to armor the slopes surrounding his home with stone. To this end, we began by building a sunken patio to the southeast with stepped paths leading to a pond. A few years later, a raised pyramid, fire pit patio was created to the northeast. Stone steps replaced wood stairs at porch entrances.
Read MoreWilliamsville is a village in the town of Newfane, Vermont, just three miles, as the crow flies, from my home in Dummerston. While we had little, or no, damage in our town from flooding in September, Irene devastated the Williamsville area. The Rock River rose 18’ above its normal level. A 200’ length of 5’ high dry stone retaining wall, built in the 19th century, as part of an extensive water-powered industrial site, was swallowed up in the torrent. When flood waters receded, the wall was no more. Only the largest stones escaped being swept downstream.
Read More
