PigPen’s
Limestone Carvings
Welcome to PigPen’s page of stone carving JOY!
I am an Indiana Limestone carver. For my soul, carving Limestone is a truly beautiful experience. Similar to the style of Michelangelo, I don’t approach the stone with a preconceived notion of who is inside of it. Rather, it is my goal to release who is there…
This is my stone carving Master John Fisher
The technique: On day 1, I whack off a random 25-30% of the stone, leaving asymmetrical bumps and grooves all around the stone. Once that excess material is removed, I stand back with an open mind, and look at the stone like I look at clouds.
On one occasion, I saw clearly a left knee-cap. On another stone, I saw a right shoulder and two bumps that depicted the head of an adult and a child.
By doing it this way, I am not working hard to place a figure in the stone. I’m simply carving what I see, and what I know. Over time, as the process unfolds, the figure(s) emerge, and my soul is thrilled every step of the way!
Some of my Limestone pieces
This piece is called “Role Reversal”. I began carving this piece right before my mother was unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer. This piece represents me becoming the adult to escort my mother to her death. It was a poignant and tender time in my life, and this piece now means the world to me. (2015)
I call this piece “Not now honey, Mommy’s busy”. I had no idea who was in this stone, but as i started carving these three figures appeared – a mother holding an infant, while a toddler vies for her mother’s attention. (2019-2023)
This is “Boys at Play”. It began as a man looking out over a field, and then a squirming little dog appeared with its head in his hand. The appearance of the puppy made the whole piece come alive, and the man has a ball in his right hand for fetch. (Clearly, they are both fetching!) (2015-2023)
This piece depicts big drama, and I am calling it “Deliverance”. You can actually feel the dynamic energy of this stone when you approach it. I’ve never found an angel in the stone before, but there it was – clearly swadling an infant in its arms. Propped up behind the angel’s wings stands another figure, who is also cradling an infant. Energetically, I don’t know which way the soul of the infant is going – but it is clearly a deliverance of the infants soul. (2023-24)
Although I prefer carving human figures, in Bloomington Indiana we have the Shalom Center where our homeless population gather for food, camaraderie, and tender loving care. My father, an Episcopalian minister and PhD in counseling psychology, spent most of his later years nurturing, counseling and befriending those who gathered there. In honor of my father and the work they do at Shalom, this ‘barked’ Limestone bird bath sat in their front garden, celebrating the nurturance of others. (2016)
