Walter S. Arnold, Sculptor/Stone Carver: Classically Trained in Italy. Custom hand-carved stone sculpture. Made in the USA and Italy.

Sample Newsletter: Issue 80, March 3, 2010

Topics:
Staglieno, The Art of the Marble Carver
Lecce, Italy
Calgary, Canada
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     This Sunday March 7, 2010, from 2-3pm I'll give a slide talk and book signing about the marble sculptures of Staglieno at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Elmhurst, IL. I hope to see you there. Staglieno in Genoa is one of Italy's greatest hidden sculptural treasures. Built in the Neo-classical style of the mid 18th century, this monumental cemetery and outdoor sculpture museum houses some of the finest examples of the styles of the mid-19th to early 20th century, including neoclassicism, symbolism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. In my book you can revel in the wonders bequeathed to us by many of Europe's finest marble carvers and sculptors. The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno opened in 1851, but the golden era was from the 1880's to the 1920's. It developed one of the greatest collections in the world of marble sculpture of this period. You can learn more about my book "Staglieno, The Art of the Marble Carver" and order your own signed copy at http://stonecarver.com/Staglieno.html

     This winter I visited the town of Lecce in Puglia, southern Italy. I was investigating an interesting local limestone, pietra di Lecce, which comes in white, cream and grey colors, and I'm using that stone for a current project. The architecture of Lecce has it's own unique interpretation of the baroque, filled with elaborate carvings of scrollwork, foliage, gargoyles, people and animals. I've shared my photos with you in the Gargoyles of the World section of my site. Among my favorite touches are the inscriptions on several churches where dancing cherubs hold each individual letter. http://stonecarver.com/gargoyles/Lecce.html I'm preparing a full revamp of my website. The Lecce page gives you a preview, but the design and color scheme aren't finalized yet, so let me know your thoughts.

     Several years ago I introduced you to the gargoyles of Calgary, Alberta. You can see them on my site at http://stonecarver.com/gargoyles/Calgary.html Kayla just wrote to let me know that the Glenbow museum has more images of the gargoyles from the Calgary Herald building on their website, along with reproductions of the 1912 artists sketches for these sculptures. Those images give an insight into the creative process, whereby the carvers took the sketches and faithfully translated them into three dimensions. Go to the Glenbow photo archive http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesPhotosSearch.aspx and use "Gargoyles" as your search term.