Stone Sculpture Commissions

Commission a Stone Sculpture

The process goes something like this:

• You email me, or call me on the phone indicating tat you’d like to commission a sculpture from me. You tell me what sort of things you like or what piece of mine got your attention, and I ask questions.
• Design concepts are offered up.
• At some point budget is considered. At least a ball park, to begin with, or a price range. Price can vary widely, for any given design. Fine details will cost more than a fast version, large scale will cost more than a miniature. If a budget is provided, I can begin designing.
• Every client is different and every project is unique. A) if we’re ready to commit to something, w can put together a contract, collect a deposit. B) we can collect a design fee, and begin working on designs. In any case a contract is put together and signed, before work begins and before money is collected.
• I show up, with pre-cut stones ready to create a new work. Or with a completed sculpture, to be unloaded from a truck. Or just with tools, ready to source local stones. In most cases, I’m bringing some stones, and scoring some stone locally, from the sit and/or from local suppliers.

Types of Sculpture I Create

• Lithadlic Spheres, Vases, and Tear Drops
• Level set masonry sculpures such as spheres, eggs and pyramids 
• Cairn Works, sometimes with carved top pieces
• Memorials sometimes with carved top pieces
• Devy Wovy Cairn Houses, simulated ruins and shrine-like structures
• Flatwork, patios and walkways with mosaic inlays, dry set without mortar and built to endure
• bird baths
• boulder benches

Where My Sculptures Live

Private gardens. In the woods along nature trails–to surprise and delight people out on a stroll. Public gardens. City Street corners. Plazas. Future installations may be at visitor centers, corporate campuses, university campuses, retreat centers.

Public Art and Large-Scale Sculpture

I’ve coordinated with landscape architects, engineers, government employees, non profit committees and other interested parties.

Why Stone?

I didn’t land on fragle rock–fragle rock landed on me.

One day I answered an ad looking for a laborer to help out on a stone masonry crew. From there I spent a decade working in landscaping and construction, for various companies. At one point I was convinced I’d start my own business doing welding: I planned to make functional works in steel to help pay the bills while also pursuing artistic concepts–in steel.

But I got deep into stone masonry. Working outside, doing hardscapes was the most fun. While Working at the first hardscaoe company I ever worked for I kept having ideas for environmental art installations–before I even knew what environmental art was. I’d tell my boss, “hey since we have this big pile of soil we’re getting rid of–let me sculpt it into something cool”. Another time I noticed we had “so many wooden pallets to get rid of. Let’s build a giant beast man”. Another time we had to remove all this soil that was covered in moss. So I carefully dug the moss to relocate it. Why kill it? Saving it didn’t “waste” more then a couple minutes. Then I took that moss and sculpted it into a face….

Well, in time I came to be bored of building paver patios and block walls. I also cam to be a foreman. Despite being the moss sculpting guy…because of my skill and work ethic, they had to make me a foreman. And I always insisted that the rare stone jobs my boss landed he’d let me run the job. I came to be tat company’s Stone Guy.

Why Dry Stone?

Once I started my own company I right away made it stone only. People said “don’t specialize, as a nw company you better take any job you can get”. And sure, I occasionally did concrete or brick or whatever–but I only advertised as stone, and right away made that my thing. Soon after starting my business I realized that Dry Stone work was harder, more challenging. More impressive. Wow, you made that wall last without mortar? You made an arch–without mortar? WOW.

So I specialized in dry stone. Working myself into a niche. Other contractors were like “dude, what are doing?”

Within a couple years I decided to focus on doing artistic installations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a commissioned sculpture cost?

Price will depend on scale and level of detail. Travel costs and materials involved are both factors as well, but scale and detail are the big items. Larger pieces take longer and more finely detailed pieces take longer. I have pieces that take a day, and others that take months. My sculptures are sold like my patios: as a full project. You don’t pay me an hourly rate. I don’t give you a quote and then later change up the price–unless we agree that the scale of the work is to change.

Can you travel?

In 2011 I did my first job out of state, and my works are in many states now, Midwest, down south, out west: all over.

• In Arkansas I delivered a 4′ tall stacked stone vase sculpture with color gradient.
• In Ohio I built an 8′ 1″ tall Lithadelic Tear Drop
• 3 different stacked stone sculptures in Upstate New York
• Led workshops and built dry stone towers/ Devy Wovy Cairn Houses in central Texas
• Large patio and wall installation i Northern California
• A Mosaic Patio in San Francisco
• Lithadelic Sphere the Fourth at a state Park in Maryland
• and many more besides

Can commission sculptures be installed nationwide?

Sure. I have a passport, too.

Who Commissions my work?

• home owners
• landscape architects
• non profit organizations
• resorts
• wedding venues
• retreat centers
• museums

Do you work with existing boulders?

I’ve built many works using boulders and stones already on site, that my customer had on their property and wanted me to make use of. Other times I bring my own stone, or purchase locally.

Can you create sculptures for public spaces?

Yes. When commissioning me for a public work you also get a show: interacting with the public while focusing on (or taking breaks from) a unique work is something I find rewarding in many ways.

Can sculptures include seating?

I love working in functionality into my sculptural works–and sculptural elements/mosaic elements into my functional works. Benches, chairs and seating are incorporated into many of my sculpture projects.

Do you create temporary installations?

Sometimes. I’ve worked in ice and snow, and I’ve done ephemeral works in stone for festivals and for workshops.

Can you teach workshops?

I’ve taught cairn building/dry stone sculpture workshops, paint making workshops, both at festivals and as my own events, and introduction to stone masonry (plus cairn building) classes for elementary students.

My work exists within its own niche, a place that combines traditional stone masonry and dry stone walling, sculpture, landscape design and environmental art/land art installations

Recent Sculpture Commissions

Ohio–the Lithadelic Tear Drop. An 8 foot tall public commission.

Created over the course of a month, at an intersection busy with pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Maryland–the Double Spiral Patio.

A private commission, created over a month’s time in Ellicott City Maryland.

New York–Pyramid Memorial

Maryland–Lithadelic Sphere Commission

At Brookside Gardens State Park

 

Let’s Discuss Your Project

Contact devin@devineescapes.com 610-301-4269

Thank You