My First Time at Silver Falls: Sheri Tangen
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- Last Updated: Tuesday, 04 April 2017 21:32
I already had an interest in stone carving when Pat Barton, a NWSSA member, was invited to my driftwood sculpting class. I hadn't talked with Pat for very long before I knew that I wanted to know everything about it. Pat suggested that I come to Silver Falls (now referred to as Suttle Lake), one of two NWSSA stone carving symposiums held each year. All my questions were answered in a quiet forested environment at Silver Creek Falls State Park and in the lodges spread across a grassy field and in the dining hall eating three scrumptious meals daily alongside new friends.
I was so excited I got there early to help set-up. I felt like a kid going to summer camp. Right from the start I could see and feel the cohesiveness that bound these people together.
There was a common thread there and it was strong. I questioned many carvers and they were extremely giving of their time and knowledge, very open and sharing. Many loaned me tools to try and books to look at. I was given the parts to base my sculpture, including the pin, the epoxy to hold it and the temporary wood base. Along with the parts, I got the knowledge on how it all comes together. I was even given suggestions on finishes for the temperamental alabaster. The level of expertise was high. But more than that, I felt they had a genuine regard for me, a newbie trying to find my way with stone carving.
There was plenty of carving time, and there were many talks and demonstrations in the field. These ranged from types of tools and fixing them to wet and dry carving, texturing, polishing and splitting stones. These were packed little sessions. I loved getting all that information.
Evenings offered up individual artist slide shows that left me in awe, and several very inspiring and educational lectures. Silver Falls could have been overwhelming. It could have been intimidating. But it was not. Instead it was amazing. And it answered my original question: I now have a good idea of what stone carving is all about. I'm on my way. I got a ton of knowledge about stone carving, certainly enough to get started. That was what I came for. But the selflessness of these artists is as strong as the stones they carve. I really admire that. It is now burned into my mind. It not only changed how I carve, but it changed how I think.
Thank you, NWSSA.
Sheri Tangen
This piece was carved during the summer of 2001, from a 1200 pound block of Indiana Limestone. It began as a small clay maquette I submitted to the Big Rock Garden Sculpture Committee, in response to a call for artists to offer images that would represent “a strong single mother.” This competition covered several western states, and I was pleased to be selected by the Committee and the private sponsor of the project, to create the sculpture and install it in Big Rock Garden Park in Bellingham. It was a real joy to carve this piece, all with hand tools as is my favorite mode, and it was especially satisfying to be able to honor single mothers in this way. (My sister Sandy and two of her three children provided the images in my head, and there are other single moms whose courage and devotion to their children have also inspired me.) The piece was permanently installed, on a chunk of columnar basalt, amid azaleas, ferns, hydrangeas, maples, cedars, hemlocks, and a mountain ash tree, on November 6. I am very grateful to the Big Rock Garden Sculpture Committee and the Bellingham Art Council for allowing me to participate in this work, to donor Michael Hoagland for paying for it, and the Bellingham Park Department staff for installing my sculpture.