A Visit with Memorial Designs

We grabbed a pizza and headed over to Stonecrafter's Farm to take the guys some lunch and catch up a little.  Stonecrafter's Farm is where Memorial Designs does its sandblasting and such for stone art projects.  The first thing I noticed was the new art on the wall behind Tommy while he was frantically hopping from phone to phone.

After we ate, we went out in the shop for a walk-about.  I love Tommy's work station. Little bits of blasted granite in mounds of sand under my feet.  The T-tiny chisel hooked up to the compressor.  The tools lined up like soldiers ready for service.  The granite wreath half-etched.   Dogs barking.  Birds tweeting.  Charlie begging for them to go play with the remote control airplanes.....



Remember the hand chiseled Gamecock?

All I've ever seen him work on is black or grey granite until today I saw a Missouri red granite piece laying around.  Yes, I touched it.  No, I don't have a decent picture, which I should.  The Missouri red is a partially carved piece with clouds at the top, a big barn in the foreground and a windmill to the right.  How awesome will that be?  "Ooo, I want that!"  Tom begged.

Here's a piece to show you the etching and the template.  Tommy is just about to blast all the smooth part you see away so it's empty beneath the leaves.

And then we saw the top-secret piece he is just starting that will be part of a 15' tall monument, shhh, don't tell anyone. 

And finally, as we left, Charlie got Tommy to try out the remote control airplanes.

Do what you love and love what you do.

Read about their work on the SC Remembers 9/11 Memorial here and here.
Interview with Memorial Designs' Ron Clamp and Tommy Sliker.
Read about their work on the Hootie and the Blowfish Monument.
What, exactly, is stone carving?