Jim Heltsley – Artist Spotlight

DUNE WATCHER

By Jim Heltsley

In recent years I have pretty much worked on smaller pieces mostly made from Gary McWilliams Alaskan Stone. I have found that these pieces sell well in today’s market. Since Gary’s stones are usually amazing in color & pattern the finished sculptures are greatly enhanced by their use.

One such piece pictured is “Dune Watcher.” The stone is a vibrant red marble with a layer of blackish/green and grey margins. After looking at the raw stone’s broken edge I began to see the backbone & tail of a lizard running from top to bottom. This worked out pretty well and thankfully, starting with an amazing stone resulted in a very nice carving.

As of the first of this year I’ve moved from my Edmonds house/studio to West Seattle and I am currently trying to set up to carve again. I want to thank all those NWSSA members for their help and support this last month.