2018 Washington State Sculpture Symposium

31st Annual International Stone Carving Symposium
at Camp Pilgrim Firs, Port Orchard, WA 
July 7th-15th 2018

The Symposium 
We invite you to join us at Camp Pilgrim Firs for up to eight full days of playing with stone, communing with nature, and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow stone enthusiasts. Bring yourself, your creative energy, your humor, tools, and a favorite piece of stone. If you don’t have stone or tools, we have an entire tent set up for beginners with tools and instructors.
The Campgrounds provide cabins and lodges that are connected by serene walking paths through the forested grounds and three full meals a day, so you’ll have the ultimate freedom to delve into carving and building friendships. Evenings are filled with slideshows, informational talks, a riot of a fundraising auction, a music-filled final night party, campfires and even nighttime swims in the lake. Stone and tools are available for purchase by our vendors.

Sculpture Walk on the Meadow Saturday, July 14th
We’ll host an outdoor art gallery that’s a perfect opportunity to show your work in a supportive and appreciative environment. We encourage everyone to bring a finished piece to display and to invite your friends! Bring pedestals if you have them. NWSSA receives a 20% commission on sculpture sales.

Expect the Unexpected –  Candyce Garrett
Working with granites since 2001, Candyce excels in contrasting the heavy material with lightness and fluid form by implying motion. She explores the illusion of movement through explosion, implosion, and piercing and plays with surface textures to create a piece that will evolve with the changing ambient lighting to be something new, exciting, and different each time it is viewed. She will be demonstrating various surfacing techniques that achieve these goals in the afternoons as well as discussing inlays and giving a presentation on her momentous body of work.

Inner Metamorphoses – Francesca Bernardini
Francesca joins us from Italy and has a wealth of experience in marble and organic forms to share with us.
Francesca works by observing the natural microcosm, and drawing inspiration from it, exalting particulars and distorting dimensions. Her attention is focused on the nests, cocoons & chrysalises. The cocoon is the place where the process of “quiescence” takes place. Francesca will inspire us to experiment both mentally and physically on an initial idea, pushing it further to the next in a series of sculptures.

Elegance in Jade – Deborah Wilson
Acclaimed contemporary jade and granite sculptor, Deborah will be offering a workshop in jade-specific carving and techniques. Her work reflects her love for organic forms and her ongoing interest in utilizing the characteristics that define this “stone of heaven.” A good selection of precut Canadian and US jades will be for sale to create small-scale sculpture and pendants.
Class limit is 10 people, so register early and watch your registration confirmation for details.

Beginning Stone Sculpture – Ruth Mueseler and Tamara Buchanan
One of the most thriving areas of this symposium is the Beginner’s Tent where Ruth and Tamara annually welcome new carvers into the stone carving family with stellar individual instruction. The workshop provides each carver with everything they need; a table in the shade, a piece of limestone, and a wide array of tools to try out, with plenty of safety instruction. 
Ruth is a conglomerate of art education teacher, silversmith, art foundry worker and 26 year stone carving veteran. Her heartfelt work ranges from miniature to monumental. As an instructor, she is thoughtful and will engage you with humor and respect. 
Tamara has been sculpting for over 27 years. Featured in many shows throughout the West, her work has won several awards. She loves sharing the process of carving and has been teaching at her studio on Lopez Island for over 10 years

Workshop and Event  Schedule

Special Thanks
Marenakos, Concut Diamond Products, Master Wholesale