From Deployment to Design:

Resilience Forged in the Navy and Carved in Stone

By Deavan Samuels

My stone art journey is a reflection of a life rooted in resilience, perseverance, and vision. After ten years in the Navy as an Operations Specialist, my vision to use the military to travel the world was realized. I knew I wanted to be an artist as a child and continued to acquire new skills through experimentation, observation, and connectivity. Joining the military allowed me to curate my own global cultural experiences, which helped define me as an artist.

My ability to think like an artist was fortified despite being deployed multiple times to the Red Sea, the South China Sea, South America, and even moving to Italy during COVID. The majority of my time was spent at sea or attached to a ship, where I used this ability to see parallels between the extra roles I took on. One example is serving as a Corrosion Control Assistance Team Supervisor, where I led a team of 20 sailors in the exterior and interior preservation of an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer using a combination of air and power tools. Another was painting multiple murals and designing a Navy command patch and challenge coin. I draw from these experiences often, finding connections in the complexity of mapping out designs and deciphering tool usage.

Stone carving, in a way, demands resilience because the artist must be able to understand the conversation being had with eons-old, “living” material. Things do not always go according to plan, but maintaining a flexible approach within the right parameters allows for an awe-inspiring dialogue for the viewer and creator.

Stone carving is also a very demanding art form, and the ability to persevere is key. Once the action of carving a project starts, unforeseen circumstances will inevitably present themselves. Thinking through these “oh, by the way” character constructs presented by the stone—with only the positive mentality to finish—reminds me of how I was able to complete and accomplish the things I did in my Naval career. Now that my time in service is complete, my vision is clear and unwavering. All the arduous sea duties and sometimes complete isolation have prepared me for the next new levels.

Published Sculpture NorthWest December 2025 Issue