Bio

The Stonecarver.

Stone Sculptor, Walter S. Arnold is an acclaimed artist who creates a full range of stone sculpture and marble carvings. Classically trained in Italy, he is committed to preserving the traditional techniques of stone carving, one of the oldest and highest art forms.

Walter began sculpting stone at the age of twelve in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. At twenty, he began training as an apprentice in the marble carving studios of Italy. He then worked for five years on the Washington National Cathedral in D.C., before returning to Chicago to establish his studio.

Known especially for his gargoyles, he is fluent in styles ranging from Classical and Renaissance to Gothic, Baroque and Arts & Crafts. Walter also creates unique memorials, fountains, architectural carvings and sculpture for private clients, public installations, and commercial projects throughout the United States and around the world.

Walter was co-founder of the Stone Carvers Guild of America and served as the president from 2000 to 2012. The first sculptor with a website, he designed and created his site in 1994. In 2009, his book Staglieno: The Art of the Marble Carver was published by Edgecliff Press, LLC.

In 2010 Walter and his wife established the American Friends of Italian Monumental Sculpture (AFIMS), a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to working with the City of Genoa, Italy to help preserve and restore the magnificent works of art in the collection of the Camposanto di Staglieno cemetery. To date, AFIMS has completed the restoration of eighteen monumental sculptures, with more work currently underway.