| Hand Carved Animals |
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| Item # CARB071177501 Hand Carved Calcite Bear from Peru $169.00 |
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Stone sculpture
Carving stone into sculpture is an activity older than civilization itself. Prehistoric sculptures were usually
human forms, such as the Venus of Willendorf and the faceless statues of the Cycladic cultures of ancient
Greece. Later cultures devised animal, human-animal and abstract forms in stone. The earliest cultures used
abrasive techniques, and modern technology employs pneumatic hammers and other devices. But for most
of human history, sculptors used hammer and chisel as the basic tools for carving stone.
The process begins with the selection of a stone for carving. Some artists use the stone itself as inspiration;
the Renaissance artist Michelangelo claimed that his job was to free the human form trapped inside the
block. Other artists begin with a form already in mind and find a stone to complement their vision. The
sculptor may begin by forming a model in clay or wax, sketching the form of the statue on paper or drawing a
general outline of the statue on the stone itself.
When s/he is ready to carve, the artist usually begins by knocking off large portions of unwanted stone. This
is the "roughing out" stage of the sculpting process. For this task s/he may select a point chisel, which is a
long, hefty piece of steel with a point at one end and a broad striking surface at the other. A pitching tool may
also be used at this early stage; which is a wedge-shaped chisel with a broad, flat edge. The pitching tool is
useful for splitting the stone and removing large, unwanted chunks. Those two chisels are used in
combination with a lump hammer. Power cutters and grinders are also used today.
Once the general shape of the statue has been determined, the sculptor uses other tools to refine the figure.
A toothed chisel or claw chisel has multiple gouging surfaces which create parallel lines in the stone. These
tools are generally used to add texture to the figure. An artist might mark out specific lines by using calipers
to measure an area of stone to be addressed, and marking the removal area with pencil, charcoal or chalk.
The stone carver generally uses a shallower stroke at this point in the process, usually in combination with a
wooden mallet. Power tools may also be used here such as dremel tools or grinders.
Eventually the sculptor has changed the stone from a rough block into the general shape of the finished
statue. Tools called rasps and rifflers are then used to enhance the shape into its final form. A rasp is a flat,
steel tool with a coarse surface. The sculptor uses broad, sweeping strokes to remove excess stone as small
chips or dust. A riffler is a smaller variation of the rasp, which can be used to create details such as folds of
clothing or locks of hair.
The final stage of the carving process is polishing. Sandpaper can be used as a first step in the polishing
process, or sand cloth. Emery, a stone that is harder and rougher than the sculpture media, is also used in
the finishing process. This abrading, or wearing away, brings out the color of the stone, reveals patterns in
the surface and adds a sheen. Tin and iron oxides are often used to give the stone a highly reflective
exterior.
information from; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_carving
Carving stone into sculpture is an activity older than civilization itself. Prehistoric sculptures were usually
human forms, such as the Venus of Willendorf and the faceless statues of the Cycladic cultures of ancient
Greece. Later cultures devised animal, human-animal and abstract forms in stone. The earliest cultures used
abrasive techniques, and modern technology employs pneumatic hammers and other devices. But for most
of human history, sculptors used hammer and chisel as the basic tools for carving stone.
The process begins with the selection of a stone for carving. Some artists use the stone itself as inspiration;
the Renaissance artist Michelangelo claimed that his job was to free the human form trapped inside the
block. Other artists begin with a form already in mind and find a stone to complement their vision. The
sculptor may begin by forming a model in clay or wax, sketching the form of the statue on paper or drawing a
general outline of the statue on the stone itself.
When s/he is ready to carve, the artist usually begins by knocking off large portions of unwanted stone. This
is the "roughing out" stage of the sculpting process. For this task s/he may select a point chisel, which is a
long, hefty piece of steel with a point at one end and a broad striking surface at the other. A pitching tool may
also be used at this early stage; which is a wedge-shaped chisel with a broad, flat edge. The pitching tool is
useful for splitting the stone and removing large, unwanted chunks. Those two chisels are used in
combination with a lump hammer. Power cutters and grinders are also used today.
Once the general shape of the statue has been determined, the sculptor uses other tools to refine the figure.
A toothed chisel or claw chisel has multiple gouging surfaces which create parallel lines in the stone. These
tools are generally used to add texture to the figure. An artist might mark out specific lines by using calipers
to measure an area of stone to be addressed, and marking the removal area with pencil, charcoal or chalk.
The stone carver generally uses a shallower stroke at this point in the process, usually in combination with a
wooden mallet. Power tools may also be used here such as dremel tools or grinders.
Eventually the sculptor has changed the stone from a rough block into the general shape of the finished
statue. Tools called rasps and rifflers are then used to enhance the shape into its final form. A rasp is a flat,
steel tool with a coarse surface. The sculptor uses broad, sweeping strokes to remove excess stone as small
chips or dust. A riffler is a smaller variation of the rasp, which can be used to create details such as folds of
clothing or locks of hair.
The final stage of the carving process is polishing. Sandpaper can be used as a first step in the polishing
process, or sand cloth. Emery, a stone that is harder and rougher than the sculpture media, is also used in
the finishing process. This abrading, or wearing away, brings out the color of the stone, reveals patterns in
the surface and adds a sheen. Tin and iron oxides are often used to give the stone a highly reflective
exterior.
information from; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_carving
Calcite, red jasper, cowbone, onyx and glass were used to create a calcite sculpture by Justina Dina Pacheco Churasi, from Ayacucho, Peru. She carves the stone with a remarkable eye for detail, which results in a vivid piece. Justina completes her work with red jasper for the mouth and fashions the teeth from cowbone. She used black onyx for the nose. This Bear weighs 5.94 lbs (2695g) and measures 7.3' tall x 5.7" long x 3.2" wide (18.6 x 14.7 x 8.2cm) |
About Justina Dina...
"Sculpting has given me a reason to feel proud of what I have
overcome, and what I have achieved."
"My full name is Justina Dina Pacheco Churasi, from Ayacucho,
Peru. I was born 14 May 1953, and I was 13 years old when my dad
died. For economic reasons, I went to Lima to live with my aunt. She
is a tailor with her own workshop, and I would help as much as I
could, which in turn helped me develop good handcrafting abilities. I
used to help her putting the different pieces of a garment together. I
helped her until I was about 24 years old, which is when I met and
married César González, a Novica featured artist.
"Together we sought for a way to have our own home and a way to
support ourselves economically. We realized we were both very
skilled with our hands, but we needed to develop our talents further.
We started by sculpting gemstones, and César was the first to get
into this, though it was something I had long wanted to do. I learned
from him and helped him but, since I have always wanted to have my
own art, my designs are entirely different from his.
"Our house burned down when our first daughter was only one
month old, and we were left homeless. We lost everything we had,
everything we had made. The fire took away our dreams, and we
ended up begging for money on the streets. We struggled to make
ends meet for two years. I supported my husband as much as I
could, but privately I would constantly cry.
"One day we received a subsidy from the government which helped
us to fix part of our house and provide better for our little girl. A
friend of mine gave César a job at his workshop, and at home we
put our hands together to overcome the situation we were in, and be
where we are at now.
"Now we live like a great family, and we have three children in total,
two girls and one boy. Two of them keep going to the workshop to
learn and develop their own sculpting style and designs.
"I enjoy sculpting with gemstones. It fills me with joy, which in itself
motivates me to continue. Sculpting has given me a reason to feel
proud of what I have overcome, and what I have achieved."
"Sculpting has given me a reason to feel proud of what I have
overcome, and what I have achieved."
"My full name is Justina Dina Pacheco Churasi, from Ayacucho,
Peru. I was born 14 May 1953, and I was 13 years old when my dad
died. For economic reasons, I went to Lima to live with my aunt. She
is a tailor with her own workshop, and I would help as much as I
could, which in turn helped me develop good handcrafting abilities. I
used to help her putting the different pieces of a garment together. I
helped her until I was about 24 years old, which is when I met and
married César González, a Novica featured artist.
"Together we sought for a way to have our own home and a way to
support ourselves economically. We realized we were both very
skilled with our hands, but we needed to develop our talents further.
We started by sculpting gemstones, and César was the first to get
into this, though it was something I had long wanted to do. I learned
from him and helped him but, since I have always wanted to have my
own art, my designs are entirely different from his.
"Our house burned down when our first daughter was only one
month old, and we were left homeless. We lost everything we had,
everything we had made. The fire took away our dreams, and we
ended up begging for money on the streets. We struggled to make
ends meet for two years. I supported my husband as much as I
could, but privately I would constantly cry.
"One day we received a subsidy from the government which helped
us to fix part of our house and provide better for our little girl. A
friend of mine gave César a job at his workshop, and at home we
put our hands together to overcome the situation we were in, and be
where we are at now.
"Now we live like a great family, and we have three children in total,
two girls and one boy. Two of them keep going to the workshop to
learn and develop their own sculpting style and designs.
"I enjoy sculpting with gemstones. It fills me with joy, which in itself
motivates me to continue. Sculpting has given me a reason to feel
proud of what I have overcome, and what I have achieved."
| Item # CART10118931 Hand Carved Picture Jasper Turtle from Brazil $19.00 |
| Item # CART10118812 Hand Carved Gemstone Aventurine Turtle from Brazil $45.00 |
| Item # CART10118932 Hand Carved Gemstone Golden Tiger Eye Turtle from Brazil $49.00 |
Sunlight Outdoors
Sunlight Indoors
| Excellent detail in this special hand carved turtle. The shell is carved from a solid piece of aventurine and is set on an undetermined type of black finished stone base which has excellent detail including 2 color eyes installed in the head. This turtle has been in our personal collection for many years. This turtle weighs 0.24 lb or 3.9oz (111g) and measures 3.06 x 1.89 x 1.10 inches (77.9 x 48.2 x 28mm) |
| Excellent detail in this special hand carved turtle. The shell is carved from a solid piece of beautiful golden tiger eye and is set on an undetermined type of black finished stone base which has excellent detail including 2 color eyes installed in the head. This turtle has been in our personal collection for many years. This turtle weighs 0.24 lb or 3.8oz (109g) and measures 3.08 x 1.90 x 1.10 inches (78.2 x 48.5 x 28mm) |
| Very nice detail in this special hand carved turtle. The turtle is carved from a solid piece of picture Jasper. This turtle weighs 0.052 lb or 0.84oz (25g) and measures 1.71 x 1.03 x 0.695 inches (43.5 x 26.1 x 17.6mm) |
| Notice to Our Customers We will be closed from May 18th through August 15th 2012 to relocate our business. Orders placed during this time will not be shipped until after August 15th. Purchases or Reservations will be honored in the date order they are received. 1st purchaser is served 1st. |