Tag: Featured

4 years ago I was in Italy

4 years ago I was in Italy

Sue Taves

It’s hard to imagine that 4 years have gone by since I was in Italy! To celebrate the coming Spring and to remember that wonderful trip I thought I would show some of the sculptures I’ve completed in the marble I brought home. It’s been a very creative time despite the disruption caused by Covid 19, I’ve been fortunate to have a studio to go to and lots of stone to work on. These are some of the pieces I’ve completed that are from my Italian marble stash. I’ve completed more using all the other stone I have but that will have to be another post. Enjoy!

  • “Seedling” Marble on black granite and steel. Currently on display in Yountville, California. Height: 6 feet
  • Close up of “Slice”
  • “Slice” Marble, black granite, honeycomb onyx “pins”, on painted steel. Private collection. Height: 6 feet.
  • “Sea Maiden” Marble on basalt and steel. Private collection. Height: 5 feet.
  • “Wing” Marble. Private collection. Height: 20 inches
  • “The Power Within” Bardiglio marble on black granite with turning pin. Height: 30 inches. Currently at my studio.
  • “Flying” Marble on black granite and turning pin. Private collection. Height: 12 inches
  • “Twin Sails” Marble on black granite and turning pin. Height: 10 inches. Currently at my studio.
  • “Water Woman” Marble on black granite. Height: 6 inches. Currently at my studio.
  • “Water Woman” other side.
  • “Three Graces” Marble. Height: 16 inches. Private collection

You’re welcome to come by and visit me in my studio, I always have new sculptures in process and new ones that haven’t yet been photographed. I’ve just finished a couple of commission pieces and will try to get good photos and post them. Thanks!

All the way from Italy!

All the way from Italy!

Sue Taves

The stone is here! After a six week long voyage, the Singapore Express went past Whidbey Island on May 16 where I was able to snap a photo as it headed to the Port of Seattle. Then it began its journey to the Freeland Art Studios. The container got delivered to Marenakos Rock Center (thank you Scott Hackney!) on a Tuesday. Eirene (one of my fellow sculptors from Italy) and her husband Zack packed up the truck and trailer on Wednesday and came to Whidbey Island where Tamara (sculptor # 3) joined us. On Thursday the great unpacking at the Freeland Art Studios happened. It was a beautiful day and it was exciting to be reunited with our sculpture and marble.

I hope you’ll come see sculptures I started in Italy and the raw stone at our Ninth Annual Open House at Freeland Art Studios on Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is the journey of the stone in photos. Enjoy!

The container leaving Studio Pescarella in early April.
The Singapore Express sailing past Robinson Beach on Whidbey Island on May 16
  • Crossing the scale at Marenakos Rock Center
  • Breaking the seal
  • Starting the unloading
It only took 30 minutes for the great crew at Marenakos to unload! A two-forklift day. Orlando and Jon were awesome!
Eirene and the line up of stone at Marenakos Rock Center (thanks Scott and Teri for your help!)
  • There wasn’t much space left on the truck and trailer
  • Starting the unloading the next morning
The unloading. 5 crates and two pallets, over 100 pieces of stone.
  • Eirene and Tamara opening the first crate
  • …and another!
Unpacking one of the crates of sculpture (Eirene, Justin, Tamara, and Zack)
  • Lloyd moving the crates
  • Another two-forklift day
Lloyd reloading a crate for Eirene and Tamara with Zack’s help on the truck.
My stack of stone, once it all got organized in one pile. Well, not counting the other piles…
A great unloading crew! Sheila the dog, Justin, Tamara, Lloyd, Eirene, Sue and Zack. Thanks for extra help from Ben Mefford, Lane Tompkins, and Therese Kingsbury
“Team Washington,” one of our last days at Studio Pescarella. Photo by Sandy Oppenheimer.

Ciao!

Sue

Quarry Tour

Quarry Tour

Sue Taves

I’m back home but still posting photos from my Italy visit. We packed a lot in for one month so I’ll keep posting until the stone gets here in late May.

On the Sunday preceding our last week at the studio we went on a Quarry Tour. Sunday is the best day to avoid sharing the tiny roads with giant trucks hauling stone. We drove up the mountain outside of Carrara and then the jeep took us up to the near-top of the mountain where we could see numerous quarries. The weather was clear and mild, a great day for being on the mountain.

We drove up this far and then the jeep took us up to that saddle section in the middle of this photo.

Going to the quarry is an opportunity to touch the origin of the stone; to see it where it came from, to appreciate all those centuries this marble sat in a mountain after is was formed. There’s so much history in these mountains, they’ve been quarrying stone since well before Michelangelo and the Renaissance.

Michael (our guide) explained the techniques and some of the current rules and restrictions governing the quarries. At the base there is a small outdoor museum with old equipment and photos that helps illuminate the history of the area and the dangerous work of quarrying marble.

  • Micheal, our driver and guide
  • Glad it was 4WD!

I took hundreds of photos so please appreciate the restraint I’m showing by limiting my choices here. I’m not known for my restraint when it comes to stone (which you likely already know if you’re reading this blog.)

Looking out over multiple quarries to the Mediterranean Sea.
Perspective!
One of the old bridges (its in all the old photographs). This road will take you up to Colonnata.
The “back” side, looking inland. See how tiny the giant earth-moving machines look.
A huge block being carved by an automated machine. There are many places that are doing this now in the area, this studio was at the base of quarry that we toured.
What the sculptures look like after the computerized cutting. Still lots to do by hand. I have no idea whose studio this is.

Even if you’re not a stone sculptor, getting a chance to go on a tour and see a quarry is a pretty amazing thing. If you want more photos, I’ve added some here at the end.

Ciao!

Three happy sculptors. Still happy even though we didn’t get to keep the hardhats!
The “back” side of the mountain.

Blue sky, white marble, big smile! Thanks for the photo Tamara!

Buying stone

Buying stone

Sue Taves

You can never have too much stone. That may be what will be on my tombstone. Maybe I’ll have multiple tombstones to make my point. The stone buying in Italy has begun. I’m not sure how much more I’m going to get, I keep thinking “that’s enough for now” and then I think about how some of what I’m seeing I can’t get in the States. I do feel I’m showing some restraint in that we’re planning on filling some crates but not filling our own shipping container. Yet.

Want to see what I got? Of course you do!

My first buy. Just kidding, see below for what I really bought.
From the first source. Not all of these are mine. Most…but not all.
What they look like unloaded. The big “cut off” is Cipollino, white and gray with hints of green. Some Bardiglio and some whites with gray veins.
The stack from Friday. I splashed some water on so you could see the color. The Pink Portuguese Marble is Eirene’s. It was a good day. For scale, the long ones in this photo are 8 feet long.

More stone is being delivered later this week. I have yet to find a chunk of mostly white marble that I have to bring home but lots of lovely Bardiglio and other grays. Did I mention how hard it is to choose?

I love the little trucks here too, now I want a little Piaggio like this one to bring home. Maybe if I got a container I could just put one inside with the stone?

A sweet little Piaggio.

Ciao!