“It was good to be part of a team of professionals. How often does anyone get to work with three Master Craftsmen?”
The Sphere Build opened Spring Test Weekend in a way that brought together an inspired group of people with a range of stonework experience. The group included professionals steeped in the art, craft, and trade—Stone Trust instructors teaching the workshop and other instructors helping and learning. A couple of Entry-Level Professional Waller Scholarship awardees felt thrilled to join in the project. Wallers—professionals and enthusiasts—came from California, North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Ontario to help build a beautiful slate sphere—the art of dry stone walling. What a good time everyone had!
And what you collectively said you learned:
- Slate shaping techniques with different types of slate helped us learn what works and doesn’t work. I can better evaluate the slate in my area.
- I learned good use of tools and equipment required to work with slate.
- I learned multiple ways to shape a profile.
- The flexing and settling of slate was totally unexpected.
- Layout of globe and form work for laying and cutting.
- Surprised by the amount of geometry and planning required and I realize how essential that is to a successful project.
- Corbelling: Basically in walling terms it is a projecting stone which supports another stone and the process of corbelling is in effect where one corbel sits on top of another, and another… (Sean Adcock, Stonechat, Issue 21, 2010. https://thestonetrust.org/master-class-masterclass-theory-of-corbelling/)
- Length of time process takes–without it I could not estimate a job for a client.
The Stone Trust originally planned this workshop as part of a tenth anniversary celebration scheduled in 2020. Thanks to Jared Flynn, Torben Larsen, and Brian Post for bringing the project to fruition! Thanks to Martin Beevers, Judy Rand, and Bryce Hollingsworth for their participation and project support. And thanks to all of you who made the trip to help create stone art to stand as a memorial to the founders of the Stone Trust and those on whose shoulders we all stand.
