The Stone Sculptor Jason P. Nelson – Interview With The Artist

When did you first become interested in art?

I remember painting and doing drawings with my mother as early as pre-school.  However,  I didn’t really get serious about making a career out of my artwork until about 18 months ago.

What style of art do you use most?

Lately,  I’ve mostly been carving abstract sculpture.  Some of my work could be referred to as “organic”, in nature.   However,  I’m also very interested in the ancient spiral symbol,  the #8 symbol for eternity and the yin/yang symbol.

I also enjoy carving semi-realistic portrayals of wildlife,  mostly marine life,  reptiles and amphibians.

In the future,  I’d like to try my hand at classical style figurative sculpture,  but something is holding me back,  most likely fear of failure.   If I do it I want it to be worthy of the classical,  renaissance and baroque masters that I would be emulating.   There are not many contemporary sculptors that can pull it off  and even fewer that are self-taught.

Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?

I started out as a painter.   I began having some commercial success by the age of 16.    However, by the time I reached my early twenties I was having trouble finding inspiration to paint and draw.   I found myself more drawn to sculpture.

My style has evolved, a little, since I began carving.  In particular I think that my abstract work has become more fluid and my lines more graceful, especially over the last year.   Also, in regards to my wildlife sculptures, I’d like to think that my execution and choices for subject matter have improved.

What medium do you use?

My preferred mediums are semi-precious gemstones.   These include marble,  alabaster,  pyrophyllite  (A.K.A. wonderstone),  soapstone,  agate, quartz,  lapis lazuli,  fossil ivory and many others.

What made you choose that medium?

I like the permanence of stone and its long and rich history as an artistic medium.   Carving stone is one of the oldest art-forms known to man; many of the tools used today, haven’t changed much since antiquity. When I work with stone I am reminded of all the artists and craftsmen that came before me.   I like the fact that my sculptures have the potential to endure virtually unchanged for thousands of years.   But,  the main reason is that I am enamored by the inherent beauty and feel of natural stone.   There is a wide range of colors,  patterns and textures available.

Do your ideas come from life or imagination?

Lucius Anneas Seneca, the Roman stoic philosopher once said, “All art is but imitation of nature”, and I tend to agree with him.   Thomas Edison said,  “Originality is the art of concealing your source”.

I think that it is very difficult to come up with a completely original idea straight from the depths of your imagination, without drawing from life experience.  If you can do that you have likely achieved artistic genius!   So,  I would have to say that my ideas come from life.

How do you choose your images and colours?

I usually let the stone decide.  You shouldn’t try to force it to be something that it is not.   Every piece of stone has a sculpture trapped inside it… it is the duty of the sculptor to set it free.

Who is your favourite artist?

Wow! That’s a tough question; there are so many great artists.

I would have to say my favorite of all time is the baroque sculptor,  Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

My favorite contemporary sculptors include Phillipe Faraut,  Bela Bacsi,  Francis Jansen,  Bathsheba Grossman and Pamela Soldwedel.

What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?

My best and largest sculpture so far is “Wild Blue”, a commissioned sculpture of a Blue Whale cow and calf.   Both whales were carved from a single piece of Turkish marble that weighed 606 lb.   I made the eyes for the whales out of black tourmaline.   The base is brucite.

How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?

There is quite a wide range in the scope of my carvings.   Over the last few months I’ve been working on minor projects that I can complete in 6 – 12 hours.   However,  the most time that I’ve spent on a single sculpture was about 185 hours for “Wild Blue”.   There are some tools that I’m currently lacking, would help to speed up the process, especially for larger carvings.  These include a large electric cut-off saw with a 14” diamond blade and a pneumatic hammer and chisels.

How well do you take criticism?

I suppose that it depends on who is doing the criticism.   My wife says, “Not very well”.

What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?

I had a terrible “block” towards the end of my painting career.   I just couldn’t decide what to paint.   So,  I switched mediums.    I haven’t yet encountered any serious blocks in my sculpting.   If one stone doesn’t “speak to me” I look at a different stone….until I find one that inspires me to get started.

How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?

“Art is never finished, only abandoned” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

I don’t have a problem with walking away.  Sometimes I walk away from a piece for months, or even years, before returning to make changes.   Sometimes these abandoned carvings are far enough along that they are displayed in galleries as “finished work”, others sit in my studio collecting a lot of dust.

Have you had exhibits in galleries?

I haven’t yet had any solo-shows.  This is something that I would like to do in the near future.

Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?

I plan to exhibit in the best galleries in the world……they just don’t know it, yet.

What are your plans for the future?

My main goal as an artist is to keep improving on past work.   One thing that I’m eager to do is increase the scale of my sculpture. I’d like to sculpt on a monumental scale,  starting-off with blocks of stone that weigh several tons.   However, this would be a bit of a stretch in my current home-based studio.   Eventually, I would like to move into an industrial location.   Also I’d like to open my own gallery.    Another goal is to travel to Europe to view first-hand the classical, renaissance, baroque sculpture and architecture that I so greatly admire.

What advice would you give new artists?

An artist can’t fail;  it is a success to be one.   However, even a true artist does not always produce art.   It takes thousands of hours to truly master an art-form. So,  be diligent.  Keep an open mind.  Learn from your mistakes and remember… art is not a thing,  it is a way.

Have you done any courses to help you?

I began a couple of post secondary fine art programs,  one at Sheridan College and one at Windsor University.     However, I was immature and not really ready to learn at those times.   I have mainly learned through personal investigation/trial and error and through consultation with other artists.   However,  I would very much like to attend one of Phillipe Faraut’s seminars.

What do you do to market your work?

I show my work in group shows at local galleries and occasionally enter a juried show.

However, most of my recent marketing efforts have been SEO (search engine optimization), related;  I have spent much time trying to increase traffic to my website and have it show-up on the first or second page of search results for important keywords. So, please visit my site and add me to your “favorites”.

Do you use social networking in your day to day life?

The use of social networking sites has become an important part of SEO so I recently created a “fan page” on facebook:  The Stone Sculptor, Jason P Nelson

I also enjoy spending time on fineartamerica.com

Are you available for work (commissions)?

Commissions are welcomed.

Have you got hobbies?

There were a few years when I dabbled in creative writing (my wife would probably say it was more of an obsession)  but, I’ve pretty much given-up on that and am devoting my time and creative energies to the sculpting.  I am a big fan of hockey, especially the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Where are you based?

I am based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, population about 120 000.   It is a somewhat isolated community about a 16 hour drive from Toronto, or about 7 hours north of Minneapolis Minnesota.

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Tags: Abstract Sculpture, Abstract Work, Artistic Medium, Baroque Masters, Carving Stone, Classical Renaissance, Commercial Success, Contemporary Sculptors, Eternity, Fear Of Failure, Figurative Sculpture, Fossil Ivory, Mediums, Oldest Art, P Nelson, Permanence, Pre School, Realistic Portrayals, Reptiles And Amphibians, Semi Precious Gemstones, Stone Sculptor, Wildlife Sculptures, Wonderstone, Yin Yang Symbol

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 20:57 and is filed under INTERVIEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.