ARTISTS AT WORK
The process of transforming raw stone into the marvellous sculptures we have to show you is a long and arduous one with the majority of the
carvers still living in the country away from the larger urban centers. Other than the semi precious Verdite, most other raw stone mined for
sculpting purposes is typically quarried with a pick-axe and crowbar or dug out of the earth without the use of any automated tools or machinery.
Carvers often travel large distances to find suitable sized stone with particularly strong spirits.
Part of the mystery is that even the carver does not know what colors the stone has to offer up, even after having completed carving, and it is only
when the stone is polished that its true colors are released. The carving process is virtually entirely by hand using basic tools such as chisels,
hammers, punches and rasps. It is not unusual for many of the tools to be cleverly reconstructed adaptations of broken or remnant original
tools or concocted from scrap metals from a variety of sources. Initially, the carver will remove the surplus stone with a hammer and chisel (or
similar sharp object) to create the basic form of the sculpture. Thereafter the more detailed shape will be “chased” with a bevelled hammer or a
rasp and the finer features may be etched before the artist hand sands the surface of the stone with both wet and dry sandpaper to smooth it.
In the past, cloth and river sand were used.
The semi-finished carving will then be heated (typically over an open fire or hot coals/ash) allowing the surface of the stone to expand and open
its porous surface. This is to allow layers of wax to be applied to the stone as it cools before the sculpture is buffed with cloth by hand to a shiny
finish. In the past, plant or vegetable oil was used for polishing, today it is usually beeswax or carnuba. This process of 'firing the stone' has
been evolved by the Shona over the years and is unique to them. Depending on the subject matter of the sculpture, the artist may leave areas of
the stone in a rough or textured state in order to create striking contrasts or accentuate a particular feature of the carving. The end result being
the gloriously unique carvings we have to show to you. We hope you revel in their incredible beauty and powerfully emotive expression .... As we
do.
The process of transforming raw stone into the marvellous sculptures we have to show you is a long and arduous one with the majority of the
carvers still living in the country away from the larger urban centers. Other than the semi precious Verdite, most other raw stone mined for
sculpting purposes is typically quarried with a pick-axe and crowbar or dug out of the earth without the use of any automated tools or machinery.
Carvers often travel large distances to find suitable sized stone with particularly strong spirits.
Part of the mystery is that even the carver does not know what colors the stone has to offer up, even after having completed carving, and it is only
when the stone is polished that its true colors are released. The carving process is virtually entirely by hand using basic tools such as chisels,
hammers, punches and rasps. It is not unusual for many of the tools to be cleverly reconstructed adaptations of broken or remnant original
tools or concocted from scrap metals from a variety of sources. Initially, the carver will remove the surplus stone with a hammer and chisel (or
similar sharp object) to create the basic form of the sculpture. Thereafter the more detailed shape will be “chased” with a bevelled hammer or a
rasp and the finer features may be etched before the artist hand sands the surface of the stone with both wet and dry sandpaper to smooth it.
In the past, cloth and river sand were used.
The semi-finished carving will then be heated (typically over an open fire or hot coals/ash) allowing the surface of the stone to expand and open
its porous surface. This is to allow layers of wax to be applied to the stone as it cools before the sculpture is buffed with cloth by hand to a shiny
finish. In the past, plant or vegetable oil was used for polishing, today it is usually beeswax or carnuba. This process of 'firing the stone' has
been evolved by the Shona over the years and is unique to them. Depending on the subject matter of the sculpture, the artist may leave areas of
the stone in a rough or textured state in order to create striking contrasts or accentuate a particular feature of the carving. The end result being
the gloriously unique carvings we have to show to you. We hope you revel in their incredible beauty and powerfully emotive expression .... As we
do.
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