Stone Carving | George Carruth

Posts Tagged ‘stone carving’

The Tommy Tucker Veterans Memorial

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Tommy Tucker Veteran's Memorial clay-boots

Close up of the sculpted clay boots

With Memorial Day only days away I thought I would share the story and images of the Tommy Tucker Veterans Memorial.

Our daughter Libby Krock worked as assistant sculptor to the artist, Rip Caswell, in the creation of the Tommy Tucker Veterans Memorial. The piece was sculpted in clay and cast in bronze. As Libby tells it, the inspiration for the piece was U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas “Tommy” Tucker, from Madras, Oregon.

Tucker was one of two U.S. soldiers who disappeared after an attack on a traffic control checkpoint just south of Baghdad on June 16th, 2006, launching a massive three-day search effort, and galvanizing citizens of the United States.

As described by the sculptor, Rip Caswell, The emotion-packed figure represents a U.S. soldier, reaching upward to aid an Iraqi girl – who is both fearful and hopeful at once, as she sits perched on the edge of a shelled building ledge.

The life-size bronze of this magnificent piece is installed at Friendship Park in Madras, Oregon.

Tommy Tucker Veteran's Memorial Main Back

Art has healing properties. Sculpture can bring comfort to bereaved family members and, as in the Tommy Tucker Veterans Memorial, to complete strangers as well. This piece will stand as tribute for years to come.

On Memorial day I will pause to think of the many who have died or been injured in service for our country and of the artists whose work helps us remember them.

If you like this post, please share it with your friends and family and ask them to like and share it too.

Tags: American Artisan, American made, Carruth Studio, George Carruth, Libby Krock, Rip Caswell, sculpture, stone carving, Tommy Tucker Veteran's Memorial
Posted in George's Blog | No Comments »

Toledo.Com Video Tells Carruth Studio Story

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Here’s a new video by Toledo.com. I often have a hard time being in front of the camera but I think they did a nice job and this video really works. In the video I talk about how Deb and I got started with Carruth Studio and Garden Smiles and I also talk about some of the things that motivate me to sculpt. We shot it in inside of Garden Smiles so it gives you a real feel for the store and for the Carruth designs we sell-at Garden Smiles and online.

Do you like it? Let me know or just click “like” below. And, please share it with your friends. We appreciate your support.

Tags: Carruth Studio, garden art, GardenSmiles, George Carruth, gifts, stone carving, Toledo.com
Posted in George's Blog | No Comments »

Carving Saint Clare: Finished and In Place!

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

In earlier posts I talked about a commission to carve a statue of Saint Clare of Assisi for a memorial garden. Stone carving is a passion of mine and, as much as I love and enjoy sculpting in clay, it was wonderful to carve again.

Stone carving takes time and concentration and involves many different steps. I thought you might appreciate seeing the photos we took documenting the end of the carving process.

This is a close up shot showing the work that goes into creating the background detail. Unlike sculpting clay, Stone carving stone is is sort of a “one-off” process, You can’t make too many mistakes.

Here you see us lifting the carved stone onto the forklift, which we need to use to move the piece, because the stone is massively heavy.

I am shown here putting the finishing touches on the base of the sculpture. We use metal pegs to secure the carving to its base.

After moving the carving to its new home, we slide it onto the pegs of the base.

This photo shows the stone in place as we get ready to remove the straps and place the carving in its location.

And, here she is. Saint Clare of Assisi, safely delivered in her new home; a memorial garden in Parma, Ohio. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! To see my hand cast stone sculptures and plaques, visit us at Carruth Studio online or stop by our gallery and retail shop, Garden Smiles, in Waterville, Ohio.

Tags: art. American made. American artisan, Carruth Studio, George Carruth, Saint Clare of Assisi, stone carving
Posted in George's Blog, Stone Carving Commision | No Comments »

Stone Carving of Saint Clare: an update…

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Sculptor George Carruth Carving Saint Clare of Assisi

George Carruth carving the Saint Clare memorial

Thanks for coming back to check on our progress and welcome to those of you who are visiting the blog for the first time. I have been documenting the process of a new stone carving commission I’m working on. The process calls for a combination of creativity and intense concentration, not mention long hours of hard work, but I love it.

You may know of me from my sculpting work, which my wife, Deb Carruth, and I market through our little studio in Waterville, Ohio. Carruth Studio is our online store and we have a gallery and retail store called Garden Smiles, also located in Waterville, Ohio. Garden Smiles is Deb’s inspiration and great delight and she takes pride in featuring my work there as well as that of other artists from all over the United States. You can also find my hand cast stone sculptures in garden shops, gifts shops and floral shops throughout the country.

George Carruth carves Saint Clare of Assisi memorial stone

Back to stone carving though. Now that all the elements are roughed out and in their proper places, at their proper depths, I start refining with home made hand chisels. The chisels are made from masonry nails that I heat, hammer, file teeth into and re-temper. The steel shaft is then inserted into a small home made wooden handle. The handles are reusable and the chisels only take 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish. The trick is getting the right angle, tooth spacing and bevel on the tip so that it cuts accurately with the control required. Otherwise, it shatters and crumbles the stone instead of cutting smoothly. By making my own tools, I always have exactly the correct shape for difficult areas.

Now for the imagery. Saint Clare was a follower of St. Francis of Assisi and had similar qualities relating to nature and the environment. The moment in time depicted in this scene portrays Saint Clare protecting the town of Assisi. An invading army had made it’s way to the city gates and was ready to capture the city. Legend has it that she appeared in the cloister door, just to the left of the round window of the basilica. Holding a monstrance in her right hand, she faced down the enemy from high in the basilica. The enemy withdrew and the town was spared.

Other elements include two birds in the upper border, a rabbit and the bright shining sun to depict her close relationship with nature. All of this was refined with small home made hand chisels. Tedious but rewarding. My typical carving day starts at 8:30 in the morning until 9:30 or 10:00 at night.

George Carruth chisels stone carving of Saint Clare of Assisi

Once the imagery is complete, I will rough up the other surfaces of the stone to give it an old, hand carved appearance. The base will match as well. With time and weathering, this texture should pick up a natural patina that enhances the detail. In a year or two, this stone should have enough patina to give it that old medieval appearance I’m after.

In a few days, you can see this stone completed and mounted on it’s base. It will then be strapped to a pallet and delivered to the memorial garden in Parma Ohio.

We’ll post images of the end of the project soon so check back in a few days. And, visit us online at Carruth Studio or join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

Tags: American crafts, art, art commission, artists, Carruth Studio, Deb Carruth, garden art, Garden Smiles, George Carruth, memorial garden, Saint Clare of Assisi, sculptor, sculpture, stone carving, stone carving tools
Posted in George's Blog, Our History, Stone Carving Commision | No Comments »

Stone Carving of Saint Clare: the process continues…

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

I’m working on a stone carving of Saint Clare of Assisi for a memorial garden. We have been documenting the project in order to share it with you since many of you are unfamiliar with stone carving. I started as a stone carver but now spend most of my time sculpting whimsical designs for the garden art we sell through Carruth Studio and our retail gallery, Garden Smiles.

It’s great to be carving again.

George Carruth making a hand tool for stone carving

A word about the tools I use during the carving process. I use a variety of tools including electric saws, pneumatic drills and hammers and many different types of hand tools. I tend to manufacture some of my hand tools because I have specific requirements for them.

After the stone has been prepared for carving, the next step is to develop a rough sketch of the carving. I use the sketch to think through which elements of the design must be carved first. As I carve back different things have to be carved out at different levels. For example the first thing that may need to be carved is the nose or the hand, which in this piece is stretched far away from the body. The sketch helps me clarify the spatial relationship of each element in the design and where it comes into play. After I have finalized the sketch I transfer it onto the stone.

George Carruth traces the sketch onto the stone.

At this point I begin to slowly take away the surface using pneumatic and hand tools. This step is usually a little unsettling because I’m trying to get a handle on how deep to carve. I know it all looks very shallow, but if too much is removed in an area, it totally affects the relationship of how everything else relates in space. Once the stone is removed, there is no magic tool that puts it back. The only option is to make everything deeper into the stone.

This might not sound like a big deal, but depending on how far along the carving has progressed, it all has to be re-sculpted at a deeper depth, face, hands and everything else.

The scene is of Saint Clare holding a monstrance in her right hand with her basilica in the background. As the carving unfolds, I’ll describe exactly what all of the images mean. Remember, this will have a rough medieval appearance. But until then, I’m just trying to put all of the elements in position at the correct depth. Saint Clare’s nose will be a little smaller when completed, but for now, a little extra stone is left on in case I accidentally bump it with a chisel while working on an adjacent area.

That’s all for today, but if you enjoyed this, check back in a few days to see how we are progressing. And again, if you liked this post please share it with your friends and networks. If you’d like to learn more about our company, visit our website or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks.

Tags: arts, Carruth Studio, carving, chisel, garden, garden art, Garden Smiles, George Carruth, hand tools, memorial, memorial gardens, plastic arts, saint, saint clare, saints, Sculptor George Carruth, sculpture, stone carver, stone carving, stones, the process, visual arts
Posted in George's Blog | 3 Comments »

WBGU-PBS Video About George Carruth and Carruth Studio

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Marlene Harris-Taylor, of WBGU-PBS, created this video some time ago. We thought that it might be interesting for those of you who are unfamiliar with our story.

“George Carruth started out as part of the pack of hopeful artists, who traveled the art show circuit each year, going from one competition to another in the early 1980s.
But in a few short years he took his love for animals, insects, flowers and the beauty of nature and transformed it into a thriving multi-million dollar company. Many of his themes come from medieval carvings and folk art, all gentle and light-hearted forms that blend innocence with serenity.

He left behind the security of a job in corporate America and, along with his wife, Deb, took a leap of faith and started carving stone, first in Cleveland and then in
his driveway in Waterville, Ohio.

George Carruth: An American Sculptor, a WBGU-PBS documentary, tells the story of how he and his wife created Carruth Studio, and how this shy, soft-spoken man from Ohio has become one of the nation’s premiere sculptors.

Gladstone Carruth designs are featured in dozens of art galleries and catalogs and sold in hundreds of gift shops nationwide. His stone sculptures decorate homes and gardens across the country; one is even displayed in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.”