Tom Van Valey
I spent most of my life as an academic. Until I officially retired, I had been a professor of Sociology for more than 35 years (first at Colorado State University, then the University of Massachusetts, the University of Virginia, and finally Western Michigan University). I have done a great deal of applied social research and published several books and a number of scholarly papers.
On the creative side, I have been involved in music all my life – singing in choirs, both church and school. About thirty years ago, I also started ringing English handbells, and rang in a community handbell ensemble until recently. When I retired from academe, I took courses at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in metal sculpture. Then, I began to carve plaster as part of a course on casting bronze. That took me to a course in stone sculpture, and then to a workshop in stone carving at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in Rutland, Vermont. Since then, I have had pieces accepted in several juried exhibitions in Michigan and Indiana, had a show of most of my work at a gallery, have completed several commissions, and have sold a number of pieces.
The Creative Process
Sculpture, unlike most other arts, is subtractive - you remove material in order to create. Therefore, in my view, sculpture is as much about space as it is form and structure. Indeed, because everything is seen in context, space often defines form as much as form defines space. In my work, the spaces and the forms should interact to create a whole that the viewers’ eyes want to follow and their fingers want to touch. Since stone is a natural substance, my pieces often incorporate both natural and crafted forms and tend to focus on the relationships the various elements have with one another. I sign my pieces with a small silver medallion stamped with my initials – TV.
When I begin to carve a piece of stone, I do not know what the outcome will be. Thus, when I am finished, each piece is unique because it has effectively evolved during the creative process, partly influenced by the characteristics of the stone itself, and partly by my perceptions of what the stone could become. I seldom start out trying to represent something. If a finished piece does resemble something, it is only because my eye (or the viewer’s) sees something in it. Indeed, it is often only in choosing a title for a finished piece that I consciously try to think of elements that might resonate with a viewer.
To start, I usually buy a 25-70 pound irregular chunk of alabaster or steatite (i.e., soapstone). Occasionally, I will work on marble or other kinds of stone. I select pieces in that size range for two reasons. First, I can work with them by hand and thus do not need special equipment. Second, they result in pieces that can be displayed to advantage on a mantle, table-top or chest.
First, I decide whether the carving will be vertical or horizontal, and then start roughing out a shape. To do that, I drill holes, or saw off pieces, or use a hammer and chisel (sometimes all three). Often, the stone itself suggests where spaces should be, or where a piece should be cut off or ground down. Regular hand power tools (drills, grinders, saws) work well at this stage.
After I feel comfortable with the basic structure of the piece, I use rasps and rifflers to remove material and firm up the various surfaces. Occasionally, I again need to use a saw or grinder to remove small areas in order to reach something close to the penultimate shape. Finer rifflers are then needed to further refine specific areas of the piece until a final shape is produced.
Sandings come next. First, dry sanding with 80 or 100 grit paper, and then 150 or 180 grit paper allows me to smooth and refine the surfaces and edges that I have created with the rifflers. Next, I switch to wet sanding to further refine and polish the stone. Usually, that requires repeated sandings with 220 grit, then 400, 600, and even 1000 grit papers. This process gives a silky, smooth surface to the stone, one that is almost sensuous to the touch. Finally, after measuring the piece, I select an appropriate base and mount it for display (or sometimes decide not to use one).
Commissions
Typically, the intent of a commission is to honor or remember some person(s), event, or situation. I have done several, and have found them challenging - because they require me to learn much more of the context. Thus, a commission requires a fair amount of conversation with the potential client, even before the decision to actually do the work. For example, I need to know the physical context where the completed piece is to be located. Where will it be placed in the room (e.g., on a table, a mantle, etc)? What is the color scheme of the room (I would not want to choose a stone that clashes with the surrounding decor)? How large a piece would be appropriate for the space, and would a vertical or horizontal piece be better? These are contextual decisions that I alone cannot make. By the same token, it is helpful to know the social context of the piece. Is it to commemorate one person, a family, or a group of people? Is it to honor a specific event, accomplishment, or situation? in short, I need to know some of this social background so I can incorporate elements into the design of the piece. Usually, commissioning a piece includes several such conversations, often both before the work is begun and also during the process. Part of my responsibility is to communicate with the client about issues of cost and timing. Part of it is also to be sensitive to the contexts in the design and execution of the piece. After all, I too am commemorating the subject of the commission.
I think a market exists for pieces of abstract stone carvings suitable for display on surfaces like tables, shelves and mantles. Consequently, I decided to develop this website. Although it is not as much fun as carving stone, I have enjoyed the process thus far. I hope you find it interesting. If you like, feel free to let me know what you think of it.