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ArtTRUST - You work only in stone, how did you get started?
James - I did my first stone carving when I was 17 with local Native American soapstone carvers. For the next 13 years, I carved soapstone, alabaster, and marble as a hobby. At age 30, I made stone carving my profession.
ArtTRUST - Do you have a favorite stone working tool?
James - I use cut-off saws, electric grinders, in-line die grinders along with air tools. The type of rock determines the tool.
ArtTRUST - How do you achieve almost paper thin shapes, so delicate?
James - Very carefully . . . With a geology background, I understand the crystalline structure of the stone. When you know how they went together, it is easier to take them apart, achieving delicate form while maintaining strength.
ArtTRUST - Do you travel to quarries to select your raw stone?
James - Yes, I get 95% of my stone by extracting it myself from my own quarries in the hills of my youth. A friend and I haul them in my truck.
ArtTRUST - In Washington state, are you able to work in the winter?
James - In the winter months, I rough out stone in up to five feet of snow with glaciers only 45 minutes away. The temperature affects only the stone's finish.
ArtTRUST - Where do you get your inspiration for your shapes?
James - The stone. As a geologist, I dodge the flaws and follow the shape.
ArtTRUST - What are your sculpture goals?
James-- I plan to move to the tropics and carve big basalt columns with diamond wires. I selected basalt for its durability and crystalline nature.
ArtTRUST - How can one learn to carve stone?
James-- Workshops like the Southwest Stone Carving Symposium in Jemez Springs, New Mexico
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