“Mock up” or Artist’s Study

carved in preparation of final sculpting 

of the Restauration image for

the Slogvik Slooper Monument Stone – The bautastein.

 

Sculpting done by Ira Kessey

At Turlock Marble & Granite Works, Turlock, California


          This was carved on a bottom piece of the Slogvik stone from Tysvær, Rogaland, Norway.  This small section was cut off from the rest of the stone, as it would have been buried in the concrete foundation anyway.  This way stone carver Ira Kessey could get a feel of just how this stone would be to work on. 

 

This piece of stone is about 16 inches (40.6 cm) high

by 30 inches (76 cm) wide,

6 inches (16 cm) at thickest point – weight roughly 80+ pounds,

the sloop image being approximately 1 foot (30.5cm) square.

 

Kessey says that the final sculpture on the top of the bautastein will be about twice this size.  He also said that this experimental piece has taken him around 35 to 40 hours.  Kessey hopes to make castings from this image, possibly in glass, to be for sale at a later date.


              A drawing will be held during the evening banquet of the dedication day,
Saturday, May 15, 2004, for this Artist's Study.  “Raffle” tickets on this original art piece are available for a donation of $1.00 each, receipts to help defray additional expenses of processing the stone and staging the dedication ceremony.  Kessey estimates that, as an original piece of art on a stone brought all the way from Norway and with all of the history and story behind this stone, would be valued in the $1,000 to $1,500 price range.  A booklet with this "Slooper Story" will furnished to the winner. This “Artist’s Study” will be on display at the San Francisco Norway Day Festival along with the completed large bautastein


            We are very proud of the work Ira has been doing at
Turlock.  We are very thankful for the generous underwriting of this project by the great folks at Turlock Marble and Granite Works – owner Norwegian-American Stewart Saugstad, his wife Jo and their competent and enthusiastic crew!  

 

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