The Northwest Stone Sculptors Association is excited to hold our annual Oregon State Stone Carving Symposium at Suttle Lake Camp. This is the 7th year we are returning to this venue, and it has become our ‘home’. The symposium is open to all levels from beginners who have never carved stone before to the professional sculptor. This symposium is one of the most supportive and inclusive environments you will ever encounter.
Suttle Lake Camp is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, 14 miles west of Sisters. During the early mornings or afternoons, you might find time to swim, paddle a boat across the lake, take a leisurely bike ride, or walk along the trails nearby.
Symposium tuition includes single occupancy lodging in the lodge and double occupancy in the rustic style cabins with brand new semi-private shower facilities with dressing areas. Cots with a mattress are provided, bring your own sleeping bag, pillow and linens. If you prefer more privacy and comfort, there are many hotels and B&B’s located nearby in the town of Sisters.
During the early mornings or afternoons, you might find the time for a swim, paddle a boat across the lake, take a leisurely bike ride or walk along the trails nearby.
Our inclusive community will set up a circle of tents to carve, share, learn and be invigorated. From the beginner’s tent to the professional’s tool chest, there are ample ways to advance one’s ideas, talents and learning.
Extensive carving sessions are interspersed with informative classes and stimulating sculpting lessons. Field mentors and instructors are available to help guide you through your challenges. Bring your gear (if you are a beginner, we have tools you can use), connect to our power, water and air sources and peruse the tools and variety of stones being carved and available for purchase from our on-site vendors.
Tool & Safety Talks – Jeremy Kester of Portland, OR Dan Michael of Olympia, WA will display an array of electric and pneumatic power carving tools and methods while explaining safe operation, potential hazards and proper safety protection.
Beginning Stone Carving: NWSSA provides free access to hand carving tools and tables, plus some pneumatic and power tools for beginners to use throughout the week. Instructor Stephanie Robison will guide beginning and intermediate stone carving students to explore basic sculptural form, processes, techniques, and concepts while addressing historical and contemporary issues in sculpture.
Sabah Al-Dhaher – Sabah was born in Nasriyah, Iraq. At the age of 15 he was accepted to The Fine Arts Institute-Basra in Iraq, where he lived and received his training in classical art. Sabah fled Iraq in 1991, spent two and a half years in a refugee camp in Saudi Arabia and in 1993 he came to the US as a political refugee. Sabah has been creating and exhibiting his work throughout the Northwest since 1995. Sabah’s story has been chronicled in various media including “My Saraab”, a documentary by Sarna Lapine. www.sabahfineart.com
Matt Auvinen – Matt has worked and taught for years in Europe. From Florence he ran tours into the marble quarries of Carrara and worked as an artisan for several Italian sculpture studios.
“Much of my artwork reflects a fascination with cultural artifacts, especially discarded objects and their potential symbolic value. As forms within compositions these things might offer meanings and insights into the human condition. Most often I interpret these things into marble. Through this transformation these objects might serve as symbols from the past or as archetypal forms of contemporary society.”
www.mattauvinen.com
Mark Herrington– Mark was born and raised in Maine, starting his career as a woodworker. He purchased an old granite quarry to build a workshop on. By the time his shop was done he was drawn in by the mystery of the stone. Woodworking is now a hobby.
Marks’ stone work has centered around working glacial erratics using the found form of the stone as his entry into abstraction. He strives for minimalism to allow the stone to have an equal voice in the finished product.
www.markherrington.com
Lawrence Stoller – is an internationally recognized, award-winning artist, sculptor, author and teacher. He has pioneered the enduring art of sculpting monumental transparent crystals combined with bronze, known as Megagems; including several of the most prodigious gemstone sculptures in existence. Stoller was commissioned by American Express, to create the centerpiece of the (9/11) Eleven Tears Memorial, located across the street from Ground Zero. His collaborative hanging sculpture “Bahia” is the cornerstone of the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. www.crystalworks.com
Click here to download a printable Registration Form
If you have a special order, please contact the Vendor(s) prior to Camp
Tom Urban – A selection of stone and tools from Neolithic Stone & Tom’s inventory. Alabaster, chlorite, limestone, Kansas fence posts and marbles. Tools include diamond blades, cups, burrs and files. Call for requests and info, 541-912-2197 or tfurban@uoregon.edu
Special Thanks to the directors and staff of Suttle Lake Camp for their hospitality, Rich Hestekind for his mentorship.
To ensure a safe as possible camp this year, Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination prior to arrival. We will try to host as many of the activities outdoors and any activities inside will require mask wearing. Lodge Rooms will be single occupancy and the cabins will be occupied by two people.
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