"When sunlight hits the Calcite crystals, it is like carving champagne or the last rays of a Hawaiian sunset." I strive to take my sculptures as thin as possible and these Calcite crystals capture the incredible light. This stone is called Honeycomb Calcite; it is an impressive and unique form of onyx. It is a translucent, luminous stone which is mined exclusively in the state of Utah. It's glowing appeal is ideal for my curvilinear, mobius and superellipsoid designs.
I began carving this rare stone about 8 years ago but never had the opportunity to totally immerse myself in it. In 2008, here at the T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens, we had a Collector's Event which featured commissioned and new works carved only from Calcite. The sculptures in the gallery glowed as the glass walls soaked in the sunset.
The discovery of the stone came about completely by accident. A group of miners were working at a site in eastern Utah. They had been removing topsoil and were preparing to leave for the day when they noticed a pile of overburden glowing the the afternoon sun. The sunlight refracted through the crystals causing the stone to "glow". The group, quite taken with this phenomenon, removed samples of the stone to have it tested and classified. It was a new form of calcite. It differs from the other 700 forms of calcite because of its strength, stability, luminous qualities and color. The color ranges from a soft, sunshine yellow to a deep honey amber depending upon the thickness of the stone.
Calcite tends to capture the attention of galleries, collectors and art lovers who look for statement pieces that have unique visual appeal. See my new work at www.tbarny.com.
I began carving this rare stone about 8 years ago but never had the opportunity to totally immerse myself in it. In 2008, here at the T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens, we had a Collector's Event which featured commissioned and new works carved only from Calcite. The sculptures in the gallery glowed as the glass walls soaked in the sunset.
The discovery of the stone came about completely by accident. A group of miners were working at a site in eastern Utah. They had been removing topsoil and were preparing to leave for the day when they noticed a pile of overburden glowing the the afternoon sun. The sunlight refracted through the crystals causing the stone to "glow". The group, quite taken with this phenomenon, removed samples of the stone to have it tested and classified. It was a new form of calcite. It differs from the other 700 forms of calcite because of its strength, stability, luminous qualities and color. The color ranges from a soft, sunshine yellow to a deep honey amber depending upon the thickness of the stone.
Calcite tends to capture the attention of galleries, collectors and art lovers who look for statement pieces that have unique visual appeal. See my new work at www.tbarny.com.
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