Dec 2005 Newsletter - Montoya Sculpture & Supply

Issue 19
Dec 2005 - Newsletter

ROCK TALK
MONTOYA SCULPTURE & SUPPLY since 1973

Interesting stone sculpture related news, technical tips, special offers and other sculpture stuff.
By Jeff Halverson

Sculptor and Owner of Montoya Sculpture & Supply
www.MontoyaSculpture.com

Issue 19, December 20, 2005

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Editor's Note
2. Sharon Gainsburg Workshop Instructor- Interview
3. Workshops at Montoya
4. New Items
5. Current Sale
6. Upcoming Events
7. Please send sculpture quotes (maybe win $25 gift certificate)

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SCULPTURE QUOTE

By the end of the day Saturday Dec 24, I need to have a quote or catchy saying to include on the back of the 2006 Montoya Stone Carving Workshop tee-shirts. These are given to all the workshop participants. The 2005 shirt says “STONE SCULPTOR – Reductive artist, doing more with less.” The 2004 shirt says “STONE SCULPTOR - It's a hard life when you play with stone.”

SO think of something for me – Send it to me and if it's selected you'll get

- the $25 gift certificate that is usually awarded for the selected quote
- and I'll send you a tee shirt (they will be yellow with blue letters) as soon as they are made,
- and I'll send you one for your stone carving buddy,
- and I'll include a free gift since I'll be paying for the shipping.

I need it by Saturday Dec 24. The Sharon Gainsburg workshop starts on Jan 18 so I need to get them printed up.

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1. EDITOR'S NOTE

Happy Holidays everyone!

I hope that you are all enjoying the holidays. It comes fast and we really have to slow down enough to enjoy it. I think I will make some cookies this week. I used to be every good at making cheescakes so I may pull down some of my old recepies and make one next week.

Not sure what you are going to receive for a gift. Ask them to get you a Montoya GIFT CERTIFICATE in $25 increments it's the perfect way for them to give you something you really want and will really use. Have them call us toll free at 1-800-682-8665 (tool).

Below you will find the workshop lineup which starts with Sharon Gainsburg on January 18 for 4 days. This is her second year with us and she is coming back because she got such great participant reviews last year. Below is an interview I had with her.

I am very excited to tell you that Dale Enochs has accepted and invitation to conduct our first Indiana Limestone Sculpture workshop. It's a five day workshop and based on his website and his experience it promises to be a great workshop. Its limited to 12 and three spaces are already taken (that includes me). This stone is one of the safest stones to carve and he has personally selected 20 blocks of 150 lb in different shapes for the workshop. They are on the road now along with 4500 pounds of other Indiana Limestone. More on him and his workshop and website below.

Please forward this issue to a friend that might be interested.
Thanks for reading. Remember to dream and create.
Best wishes for you and your families this holiday season.

Jeff

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2. Sharon Gainsburg Workshop Instructor- Interview by Jeff Halverson (JH) with Sharon Gainsburg (SG). Sharon Gainsburg conducted a stone sculpture workshop in January 2005.

JH- Sharon, thanks for accepting our invitation to be a guest instructor at Montoya again for this second year. Last years class filled up fast and I know from the evaluations that everyone was very pleased with your teaching and open approach. We are looking forward to seeing you again this January 18th through 21st in 2006. Sharon please tell me a little about what got you into sculpture?

SG-I went to observe a clay class and the teacher just sat me down and put a mound of clay in front of me……..he insisted that I PLAY…..and I was hooked.

JH- Please tell me about your education and teaching experience

SG-I started carving stone in New York at an art center after working in clay for 10 years.

My teacher at that time taught me to work abstractly and how to think as an artist.

A few years later I then went to Pietrasanta, Italy and learned from some of the master stone carvers. When I started to teach I learned much from my students and I have to say I am still learning from them all the time.

JH- How long have you been teaching stone sculpture? Tell us a little about what you try to teach in your classes.

SG-I have been teaching for 24 years, and I can say that I have taught more people who have no art training than those who have. So I have developed a way to ease the student's anxiety over the finished product and to immerse them into the process by using the direct carving method.

One of the greatest experiences as one is carving is to lose yourself in the experience .I want the students to learn the basic techniques, and to free themselves from expectations by just working with the shapes in the stone to begin, as they progress, they can introduce more realistic forms. By that point they understand what it means by the stone is “talking” to them.

JH- We have had a number of your students come into the store in past years and say they have worked with you. Everyone we talked to said good (OK… great) things about you and your style. Tell me about a teacher, artist or event that most influences your teaching style.

SG-I have had many, I started with realism, moved into abstract, and now I would say that my style is a combination of both. The teacher that influenced me the most was one who taught me to think as an artist and to connect to my feelings and created that in the stone.

JH- If you had to pick just one, what would be your favorite subject for sculpture and why?

SG- that is a hard one………I see the similarity of nature and the human anatomy and I like to use a combination of both in my goddess series which is still ongoing.

JH- Sharon, last year I asked you about what sculpture large or small, remains to be done by you. Have you had a chance to accomplish any of those goals or have your sculptural goals changed?

SG-No I have not been able to accomplish that this year because of my move to the West which consumed much of my time. But I did do a commission for a hospital of an oversized hand holding a heart in a white and raspberry alabaster. It was quite challenging to fit the 2 together and I was quite pleased with the results.

Since I have moved here one of my sculptures was chosen to be the inspiration of a dance performance, and now the choreographer has asked me to carve onstage and he will choreograph a dance around the process. So you see my ideas are now expanding about my work. I hope to have the DVD of the performance to bring to the workshop along with slides of my work.

JH- We come across many people who seem interested in stone sculpture. Some are afraid of the hardness of stone. Some are comfortable with clay (an additive medium) but are very hesitant about stone (a deductive medium). What is the best advice you would want to give to a beginner interested in stone sculpture?

SG- My advice is to try it out before you sign up for a class…..I always have my perspective students come in for a try out before they sign up.

As far as those who are comfortable with clay, I feel as an artist you will never grow unless you put yourself in situations that you are NOT comfortable in…….Creating is not being in your comfort level all the time…..the way one learns about their abilities is by exploring to vistas and having new adventures in their creative process.

JH- Do you have any special exercises that you use in your classes or workshops that help participants see or experience something they have not seen yet?

SG- Yes I do, and in addition I encourage those in the workshop to bring a journal and do some free form writing every morning, which is not to be shared with the class….Many times I will give them a word to write about.

I have facilitated workshops in “Creative Unblocking “ for many years and I have many techniques that I introduce in the class when someone is stuck. I will work with the students individually and as a group.

JH- Is there anything new that you will be teaching in the Montoya Workshop this next time?

SG- To my repeat students, I will challenge them with learning more detail techniques, and to my beginners I will teach them the basics.

JH- I know you moved out to Las Vegas in the last year. Can you tell us about any new stone that you have found to work with out there? Is there a stone sculpture community there?

SG- I have found a sand stone which is quite hard, but beautiful with its desert colors.

Yes there are a few sculptors working in stone but the majority are working in other materials. There is a very active creative community here, both in the visual and performing arts. I will be teaching workshops in Las Vegas in the spring.

JH- Thank you Sharon. Looking forward to having you here again on January 18, 19, 20, and 21

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3. Workshops- our lineup for the next four months. In case you have not taken a sculpture workshop, and may be considering one, I hope you do take the opportunity. They really are a great chance to get away and focus your mind and hand on the craft. They are uplifting, rewarding, eye-opening and very fun. Some of my earliest stone carving experiences were at workshops and I try to improve on them each year because of the great memories I have from attending them. Expand your sculptural experience.

CREATIVE UNBLOCKING- Sharon Gainsburg, Jan 18-21, Wed- Sat (5 of 10 spaces left) $395

Award winning stone carver and teacher of the direct-stone method for 24 years. She has spent time in Pietrasanta, Italy carving stone. She also has exhibited widely throughout the United States and has many works in corporate collections. She conducts workshops in "Creative Unblocking" in her sculpture studio. Sharon has conducted stone carving workshops in Puetra Vallarta, Mexico. Participants in her class will learn to work with the direct carving method or from a model, using hand or power tools. They will explore the forms present in the stone and learn how to get the stone to "speak to them." Basic and intermediate levels of carving, the use of texture and finishing techniques will be taught. Informal discussions will be held on each participant's creative journey. Sharon often warns her beginning students "that stone carving can become addictive, it's a great way to release stress, cheaper than a psychiatrist, but I don't take insurance." Workshop limited to 10 participants. Sharon has recently relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where she has opened “Gainsburg Studio”. Visit her website: www.gainsburgstudio.com

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SCULPTING IN INDIANA LIMESTONE- Dale Enochs, Feb 13-17, Mon –Fri (9 of 12 spaces left) $495 Discount of $50 for early registration on or before Jan 7

With 25 years of sculpture experience, Dale Enochs maintains his studio in the heart of Indiana Limestone country. A regular teacher at limestone workshops and symposiums including the Annual Limestone Sculpture Symposiums since 1997, now Montoya Sculpture and Supply is proud to sponsor Dale Enochs for a first time Limestone carving workshop in Florida. Students will learn why this traditional material has been a desirable vehicle for sculpture throughout the ages. The use of formal elements such as line, movement, balance and positive and negative space will be discussed throughout the course. This energetic class will focus on the versatile spirit of limestone although the majority of the conceptual approaches and techniques presented will be applicable to most other stones as well. Dale will demonstrate splitting techniques with feathers and wedges, the removal of large pieces of stone by pitching, sawing and cutting methods and carving techniques with both hand and pneumatic tools. Students will learn joinery with epoxies and explore the use of contrasting textures within a composition. Instructor slide show and discussions will help the students develop an understanding of the sculptural flexibility and potential of Indiana Limestone. Workshop limited to 12 participants.

Usually you would have to go to Indiana for a workshop in Limestone carving. For the first time since 1973 Montoya brings a limestone carving workshop to the Southeast. This rare five day workshop will begin on Monday and end on Friday; however workshop participants are welcome to stay for free studio time on Saturday. On one of the weekday evenings (class to select) the workshop will stay open until 9pm. The workshop will include up to 150 lbs of Indiana Limestone. All of the limestone in the workshop has been hand picked by Dale for this workshop. Larger pieces available. A rare opportunity to learn from and work with one of the leading limestone sculptors of our time. Visit his website: www.daleenochs.com

“He's a great teacher and alot of fun. I have been going to a limestone symposium in Bloomington, IN for the past 3 years in which he is one of the faculty. His humor is intoxicating. He loves what he's doing-sculpting and being around other people who sculpt- be that an 18 year old who has recently been introduced to stone or another peer.

He is always an inspiration thru his own work, which is thought provoking and intelligent.

He encourages others with a positive validation of what they are doing that is successful. He asks intriguing and challenging questions about ones art in order to direct them to an understanding and a vocabulary of their own interpretation. He is a great teacher and a joy to be around.”
Kathleen S
Columbus, Ohio

STONE CARVING, FINISHING, JOINING & LAMINATING- Enzo Torcoletti, Mar 23-26
Thur- Sun (4 of 10 spaces left) $395

We welcome world renowned sculptor Enzo Torcoletti to Montoya Sculpture's workshop for his 13th season. A full time Flagler College sculpture professor for over 30 years, and summer Italy resident, he brings a current and power tool driven approach to stone sculpture. Using alabaster (softer than marble), Enzo works with beginner and experienced participants in the development of classical, figurative and abstract forms. His innovative approach to sculpture helps his students make the most of their sculptural vision. Interesting sessions on stone joining and laminating to add interest to your sculpture. A concentrated and idea filled workshop. Workshop is limited to 10 participants. You will enjoy the energy and creativity of Enzo's workshop.

Enzo Torcoletti was born in Italy and attended art school there before he moved to Canada where he received a B.A. in English Literature and a B.F.A. in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Windsor in 1969. In 1971, he completed his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Florida State University. That same year he moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where he still resides. He maintains sculpture studios in St. Augustine, Florida and in Italy. Visit his website: www.moultriecreek.com

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METHODS & SHORTCUTS OF BLOCKING TECHNIQUES, Vince Ricci, April 16-19 Wed-Sat (8 of 10 spaces left) $395

Vince Ricci is a successful sculptor who has been conducting Art Workshops in Italy for over 20 years. He joins Montoya Sculpture for the third year. Vince was an assistant to Malvina Hoffman, who was the only American to have studied with the world famous sculptor August Rodin. Mr. Ricci, a graduate of the Academia di Belli Arti of Rome, Italy, and a MFA from Tufts University, has spent a lifetime as an artist and a teacher, working as an instructor at some of the most prestigious fine art schools and universities in America. Among the list of schools he has taught at are, Boston University, Tufts University, New England School of Art and Design, and for 20 years at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Vincent Ricci has achieved international recognition for his artistic accomplishments and unique teaching technique. Vincent's work is in many collections worldwide.

Students learn how to visualize and block out both contemporary and abstract figures, allowing participants to spend more time exploring their imagery, and the surface dynamics, before they move onto finishing techniques. Explore the three successive step method. Work through basic and intermediate levels of stone carving with hand and power tools. Workshop includes stone selection, blocking, finishing techniques and discussion on mounting and display. Workshop is limited to 10 participants. Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with evening hours upon class request. Students are encouraged to bring with them to class, a Marquette (clay model), and photos or drawings of imagery that they wish to pursue. Visit his website: www.CFAeuroart.com

"Vincent was great - I had been stuck for months on several problems that he helped me to resolve. His understanding of anatomy - and ability to explain things was critical to doing figure work. The class was fantastic and I learned a lot"
D. Cary,
Stuart FL

"Vince Ricci has truly mastered the art of teaching as well as sculpting. I can't remember a time where I learned & used the information in a 4-day period. This workshop is a must"
H. Gottlieb,
Plantation FL

ALL WORKSHOPS INCLUDE

-10% discount on all purchases during workshop
-Instructors slide show of recent works
-Class notebook and handouts
-Shaded and night lighted facility
-Full snack bar, fruits, coffee, tea and sodas
-Tool demonstrations
-Certificate of Attendance
-Stone Carving Workshop XXXIII Tee Shirt

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4. NEW ITEMS–

NOW ON DVD- “The Art of Stone Carving, demonstrations and hard facts.” It's our all time best seller and it's now on DVD. 85 minutes. On DVD $37.95 SKU 78110. VHS $37.95 SKU 78045

TWO POINT CHISEL. Michelangelo's favorite shaped chisel, the two tooth point. We have it for the Cuturi “E” hammer at $21.50 and for hand at $17.50. The tips of the two points are ¼” apart. Not on the website yet so call or email us. Only have six of each right now. Made in Italy of course.

FLAT CHISELS, EXTRA WIDE. Great for flat surfaces or making surfaces flat, even as a pitching tool. Made in Italy. Flat end width 1-5/8” on a 7/16 thick 8-sided shaft 8.5” long, $26.50. And the wider one with a flat end width of 2-3/8” on an 11/16 thick 8-sided shaft 9” long, $27.95. Only have six of each.

MAZZUOLI TONDI (Round Hammer), 1 lb. SKU 1010, $23.50. Nice, easy to handle for close in work and details.

POINTING MACHINE with 2 joints and clamp. Beautiful brass and hard wood. Only one left. SKU 1010, $350. Until December 31, eNewsletter readers save $60, you pay $290

TRAPANO VIOLINO complete di archetto e punte

(Violin drill with arch and points) – Just got a few of these and thought you would want to know about them. Check it out on the website www.MontoyaSculpture.com and search for SKU 89005 in the online catalog. You will see a picture of this old type tool. It's a hand drill for stone. The “violin string” winds around the barrel that spins the chisel bit. The brass rimmed wood barrel spins free of the handle above it. It comes with six chisel bits about 8 inches long. It's surprising how fast this will drill a hole in stone. Of course speed is totally in your control with the rate at which you run the bow back and forth. And talk about quiet, hardly a sound. This is the tool for the purest who only wants to use hand tools on their stone. Good for wood also. Since each chisel drill is 8 inches long you can really get the hole deep into the stone. The chisels range in width of 1/8” to just under ½” and includes a canvas pouch.

This tool is made in Italy and is truly a crafted tool with smooth hard woods and brass fittings. You will not find this tool anywhere else in this country. $350 (Sorry- the Euro exchange rate is really starting to hurt.) Call us and order SKU 89005.

NEW BOOK
“SCULPTURE BASICS” by Karin Hessenburg

Hardcover 8.5” x 11”, 128 pages with index. Copyright 2005. Packed with color pictures and instructional diagrams, useful tips, ad important health and safety information.

The five chapters include: Clay Modeling, Molding and Casting, Direct Building, Carving, Finishing Techniques.

SKU 78115 at $23.99

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5. CURRENT SALE

Soon you should be getting our New Years Sale flyer. It has a lot of things on sale which I hope you will take advantage of. If you do not get the flyer in the mail by Jan 14 then I probably do not have your mailing address and I only have your email address. If you do not receive the flyer call us at 561-832-4401 and we'll send the flyer to you. The sale will end January 31.

GIFT CERTIFICATES – Easy to buy, mail, and use. Ask your family to call us- pick what you can really use this season.

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6. UPCOMING EVENTS

CREATIVE UNBLOCKING- Sharon Gainsburg, Jan 18-21, Wed- Sat (5 spaces left)

MOSAIC TECHNIQUES MINI-WORKSHOP- Jeff Halverson, Feb 4 & 5 (Sat-Sun) 9-5, $155, Limited to 8 participants. Learn the basics and move into more advanced techniques. Includes layout, cutting, adhering, and grouting. Work with Italian mosaic glass tessare (tiles). Introduction to six of the opus styles. Complete one 16”x16”- ready to hang project. Fish bird, address, flower or choose your own. No experience needed, all material included. Also sample marble cutting hammer/hardie and chopper.

SCULPTING IN INDIANA LIMESTONE- Dale Enochs, Feb 13-17 Mon –Fri (9 spaces left)
Discount of $50 for early registration

STONE CARVING, FINISHING, JOINING & LAMINATING- Enzo Torcoletti, Mar 23-26
Thur- Sun (4 spaces left)

METHODS & SHORTCUTS OF BLOCKING TECHNIQUES (8 spaces left)

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7. PLEASE SEND SCULPTURE QUOTES (maybe win $25 gift certificate)

I have included a sculpture related quote at the top of this issue. I hope it is inspiring and interesting. If you have an interesting sculpture related quote please send it to me. Please include the name of the person who said it. All of the quotes that are received are being compiled into a list of quotes related to sculpture. The first batch of quotes from the first six issues has been posted to MontoyaSculpture.com. I would appreciate your help in building this list of quotes directly related to sculpture. Quotes can be from recognized sculptors of the past or from a teacher or friend. Send me your sculpture related quote, and if it is selected I will send you a Montoya Sculpture & Supply $25 gift certificate and put the quote in the next issue. Email me at Jeff@MontoyaSculpture.com Thanks

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(c)Copyright 2005 Jeff Halverson

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