Soapstone Sculpture for Teens

This workshop in soapstone carving is designed to augment students’ sculpting experience and expand their carving technique. Soapstone is the easiest of all stones to carve and offers the satisfying challenge of working in the round on an intimate scale. It is one of the best ways to learn reductive sculpture techniques and is suitable for beginners, yet the beauty of the stone and the finishes that can be achieved make it interesting for the more advanced student as well. Looking at the artwork of Native American carvers and some monumental modernist sculptors provides inspiration and focus for the wonderful, flowing forms students can achieve. Using saws, files, rasps and chisels, participants should be able to complete one small carving in three days. This is a wonderful opportunity for those who have never carved, and even for those who have. Please come with several ideas, sketches or visual references, if possible, so that we can begin carving immediately. Note: Students must supply their own sandbag, gloves, goggles and dust mask.