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Pietrasanta Marble carving
  • Claude Lester
  • Claude Lester

Pietrasanta Marble carving

Learning how to use the traditional artisan methods to make it easy and playful and no strains and then also how to cheat and use the diamond drills and air hammer. Weiterlesen
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  • Beginn der Reise
    30. Juni 2025
    Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender
    1

    Day 1

    1. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    What a beautiful location, glorious weather! Learning about the traditional artisan techniques & selecting our blocks and after a not so light (OMG sublime) lunch we were off...some progress made although apparently still not got the technique right. My wrist is nicely fixed but at the angle to hold a tennis racket not at 90⁰ and I'm not using the momentum of the hammer head movement correctly to tap & bounce it off the chisel. 🤦🏼‍♀️Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Day 2

    1. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Bit frustrating as we had to continue practicing the artisanal hammer technique knowing full well that tomorrow everything we do today will be removed by power tools 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️
    But apparently my technique had improved
    The chips of stone were driving me mad going up my nose & sticking to my sweaty skin so went for a niqab approach!
    Lots of bits of sculpture around the place.
    Weird but nice cola substitute or possibly inspiration.
    Then a few vinos...    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender
    3

    Day 3 air hammers

    2. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we learnt about air hammers and how to use them. Haven't quite mastered how to "collaborate not control" the tool such that it's relaxing and not tiring 🤪
    The vibrations are pretty intense in both hands & couldn't grip it with my padded cycling gloves so now 3 fingers are numb. We had some visitors today Charlie the sausage dog as usual getting underfoot, the sheep and a random leap past by a deer!
    Also reassessing my design tonight....    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Day 4 diamond saws

    3. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Or otherwise known as angle grinders with an expensive diamond tipped cutting disk. Never had such formal tuition on an angle grinder so that's good new learning. Not so thrilled with the no gloves rules...I do have my cut proof gloves with me.
    In case anyone was wondering about the alt look ear defenders - socks! More comfortable than the plastic pads, absorb sweat and easily cleaned between students...genius.
    My air hammer usage has improved, although my right forefinger is still numb from yesterday.
    Another glorious lunch (for €10 each day) interestingly all the pasta Dado cooks with is gluten free as is the glorious bread he makes every day.
    My bra full at the end of the day!
    Despite trying to learn the ancient techniques that are supposed to make the work feel like play, I am really feeling it in the lower back & shoulders so opted for a massage with Sonja tonight. Arrived to see all her College of Naturopathy certificates. But the massage was nice and she new about lymphatic drainage massage for my left arm so all good. Although apparently bunions are indicative of problems with your mother!
    Beautiful abandoned building window.    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Saturday morning

    5. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I skipped class this morning as my back was crippled, my ankles twice their normal size and carpel tunnel in both hands. After 1½ hours stretching and with my legs in the air, this improved enough to sit in the corner out of the sun!!!! With the cross breeze between 2 windowsWeiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Sat afternoon pt 2

    5. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Another quirky window and more art.
    Dinner started well but my main was odd - turned out to be a kind of tuna mayonnaise /Russian salad but tuna replaced by rabbit. It did not sit well but the wine was good. Bit of drama trying to find one of one 5 working taxis to take us back up the mountain as really didn't fancy over hours walking uphill in heat & dark!Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Saturday afternoon

    6. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    One of our colleagues kindly gave us a lift into town (we're actually staying in the hamlet of Valdecastillo) and we had gelato, then drinks which became lunch once we realised of course that everything was shut til 5! Interesting electrics in a public space! After that hot sweaty sweltering moody around art galleries (& a few linen shops for me) interspersed with aperol spritz.Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Monday wk 2

    7. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    So I knew that Zimbabwean stone tells you what it wants to be....but apparently so does marble! After 2 days rest & recovery I came back to my piece this morning and what was supposed to be a leaf - like shape was saying "I'm a bird" so now it will be a bird...
    And Ruth sporting her marble dust mascara despite safety glasses...    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Wednesday wk 2

    9. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    So today Kyle offered me the brouchard bit for the air hammer! Oh game chanfer! Found my powered equivalent of the brick hammer I usually use. Got rid of all the ugly lumps and bumps from last week's learning exercises so I can now see the form clearly again. Combined with using a smaller air hammer and a bit of a tweak in my technique and I think I'm making progress.
    However the stone has other thoughts - what was supposed to be a challenging but fairly simple organise abstract form has turned into a wading bird that can't decide which way it's facing and has a bloody nest with eggs and foliage 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
    Think I'm coming back in October to do week 3 (having hopefully worked out how the hell I represent a birds nest in a non tacky way 🤷🏼‍♀️) any ideas or inspiration suggestions welcome 😁
    I made a fab salad for dinner....    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Environs

    10. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    In case people are bored of just sculpture progress...
    Sleeping bee..pics of hamlet and something very high up and some indication of the 2000 step hill hike back from bar to home...not to mention we have to go downhill & then up to get to studio and reverse for lunch (so 3 x up & 3 x down each day, unless you need to refill with spring water then add more)
    And dinner    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Final Friday

    11. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    A change from the norm, straight after breakfast we headed to a working foundry and then a marble carving studio where we could see the old techniques of making a reproduction exactly to size post CNC starting it off. Amazing skills. Then, oh joy, the tool shop 🥰
    Back for another amazing lunch and then cracking on with work.
    Dinner gorgonzola & sausage pizza at our fab local bar with Maj & Aila. A couple of Dahu spritz for me and I bought a bottle of Dahu to bring home! Slog uphill home to a glass of port and bed.    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender
    1

    Last Saturday

    13. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Final morning in the studio. It got very hot again. I tried not to rush to do more and just make mistakes. Seems odd that I won't be working on this for months!
    Came back to the house to find Charlie the sausage dog "herding" one of the sheep into the corner of the dining room 😲 it got frightened and had a wee 🤦🏼‍♀️ I got Charlie to shut up & go away then did my own spot of herding to get it out of the house...not a future career path I feel.
    Then a spot of lunch a nap and a fun evening with Dado taking us to 2 live music gigs one in the communist bar.    Weiterlesen

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  • Claude LesterPietrasanta Marble carvingReisender

    Last day

    13. Juli 2025 in Italien ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Thought I was being helpful by stripping the bed only to find a bunch of mud wasps nests had been sharing it with me 😲
    Plans were slightly disrupted by torrential rain & Sergio being stuck parked up in his car with his 4 years old daughter & Charlie the sausage dog, unable to drive as he didn't get his windscreen wipers fixed. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
    So instead of heading into Pietrasanta for a lovely leisurely lunch on the square before getting the train to Pisa, we're back in our local bar (sodden), while Dado goes to the rescue, having a few more Aperol/Select/Dahu spritzes with a homemade lasagna filled with gorgonzola & walnuts followed by fig tart!
    And yes I may have gained a few pounds (not just just my arm and now my hand are substantially swollen)
    Pisa airport was mad - so crowded there was no floor space left to sit on and people started sitting on the stairs too!    Weiterlesen

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    Ende der Reise
    13. Juli 2025