Figurative Sculpture: Sculpting in Stone

Relief \ri-'leef\ noun 1 a: a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface b: sculpture or a sculptural form exectued in this mode c: projecting detail, ornament, or figures

More: Bas-Relief (pronounced Bah 'ruh-leef) is a "low" relief (a French term, literally "low-raised work"), such as a coin; High Relief describes a more 3-dimensional relief. Reliefs are meant to be seen primarily from one direction (straight on).

Home

by Kelly Borsheim © 2001

This page shows the carving of stone # 4 out of 8 of a batch of Utah alabaster I bought and shipped to Texas in February 1999. # 4 is basically a green slab, with rust colored stone primarily one one side. It's longest side is 30 1/2 inches. The opposite side's length is 28 inches. The "bottom" is 18 inches across, while the "top" is 16 1/2 inches. At the uneven slab's thickest point, it is 6 inches. The stone weighs 208 pounds. I can move it with difficulty (and with the help of my new tool -- see below.)

carving stone

I have waited at least a year to carve this piece. Because of the stone's soft green color, I want to carve it as thinly as possible to let the light shine through and accentuate the color. I also prefer to do vertical pieces. My intent is the carve the back of a male figure on the one side, and then go to the other side and cut away enough stone to make the piece glow. Although not a true bas-relief (since I won't be leaving a background), it will be good practice for the real thing!

My husband John is a gem. And just one of the reasons I know that is that he bought me (as an anniversary/birthday/Christmas present, received in early May 2001) a lift that raises up to 400 pounds (pictured left). The brand name is Wesco. It is made of magnesium, which is apparently lighter than aluminum and certainly steel. This is important when you try to move it loaded! I love it because it is a hydraulic lift -- just step on a foot pedal to lift the platform. The higher the lift, the more pushes needed. Pull on a lever and the wheels are locked in place and so is the platform. Then simply put your foot on another pedal, which releases the lock and gradually lowers the platform.

When I loaded this green stone up to weigh it and move it to a work table, I had to stand on the Wesco and lean my whole body back in a rocking motion until I could get it to tip enough to use it as a dolly. But hey, my husband and I are not getting any younger (or stronger), so the fact that I was able to move this stone alone without hurting myself was a true miracle! (Plus, it is nice that I won't have to wait until John comes home to be able to do things like this!)

The green slab has a layer of rusty stone (shown wet here) that I was trying to remove before shaping the shoulders. I worked on cutting most of this away before lifting the stone into an upright position.

Upright torso. Now I can really see what I am doing.
(Shown at right is the back side of the stone.)

Side view.

8-22-2001: My goal is to get as much shape cut into this slab as I possibly can.

I finished this sculpture and its cherry wood base on 8 October 2001. The stone itself now weighs 65 pounds. With its base attached, the total weight is about 69 pounds. Please visit www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2001/brian.htm to view the finished work. Thank you for visiting!
KB

Home

Kelly Borsheim -- Borsheim Arts Studio
P. O. Box 340
Cedar Creek, Texas 78612
(512) 303-3929; www.borsheimarts.com