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Hunter Stone Carving Seminar
Hosted by Kevin VanHentenryck, the Hunter Stone Carving Seminar is a free, hands-on, two week class open to everyone, that takes place in the spectacular Catskill Mountain Top area, every year in late July. Come and join us for an hour, an afternoon, or the whole two weeks! Or maybe just stop by and see how we’re doin’.
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When visiting, take a moment to see the over 250 carvings left on the 19 blocks of local Bluestone by the student carvers over the last decade. Led by sculptor Kevin VanHentenryck, well known for the eight ton Rip VanWinkle he completed in 2009, on display at the summit of Hunter Mountain. Kevin says: “It’s not as difficult to carve stone as you think. Some people confuse the hardness of the medium with difficulty carving it, which is not the case at all. Primitive people carved stone with a sharp rock held in their hand-we have much better tools today!”
All aspects of sculpture in stone will be covered, from concept and design, to surface finish. Both traditional hand carving, and pneumatic (air powered) techniques are taught. We supply everything you will need to unleash the sculptor you were meant to be. Students are only responsible for their personal safety gear: dust mask, eye and ear protection, and work gloves, all of which can be the cheap disposable sort, and all of which are available locally at a discount if you mention the class.
Also on view at The Hunter Stone Carving Seminar will be The Spirit of the Mountains, a life-size female allegorical figure, being carved from a 12 ton block of local Bluestone, surrounded by the flora and fauna of the mountains. This monumental sculpture was begun in 2011 and has been worked on every year since then during the class. At the current rate of work, The Spirit of the Mountains will take 156 years to complete. With your help, perhaps this unique public sculpture may actually be completed in this lifetime! To help you imagine what The Spirit of the Mountains will look like when completed, an (in-process) scale model of it is on view in the lobby of the Town of Hunter municipal office building. 518-589-6150
Please remember this event is made possible in part with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the NYS Council on the Arts, administered in Greene County by the Greene County Council on the Arts through the Community Arts Grants Program. As well as the many local businesses, neighbors, and friends. If you would like to contribute, you tax-deductable donation can be made directly to the GCCA 518-9433400 or at the site during the class.
For more information please contact Kevin VanHentenryck 518-989-6356, or kevinvanhentenryck@gmail.com