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About NWSSA

Our mission is to feathers and wedges nurture the community of stone sculptors by developing educational opportunities, providing a support system to members, and facilitating interaction with regional, national, and international communities.To learn about becoming a member of Northwest Stone Sculptors Association (NWSSA) click here (or click on "Create an Account" to the right of your screen).

What does NWSSA do?
A few words from Vic Picou

NWSSA is an association of stone sculptors that was founded in l984 by Meg Pettibone in Seattle. Our first symposium was in l986 in the Methow Valley east of the Cascade mountains in Washington state. We have since grown to include stone sculptors and associates throughout the western US, Canada, and other parts of the world. We are a federal tax exempt status 501c nonprofit membership organization.

2009 Oct-Nov-Dec

Inside:

Spotlight On Three Artists
A Nancy Green Commission
Camp Brotherhood Quotes
Karla Matzke's Gallery And Sculpture Park
Loveland Sculpture Show 2009
One Of Terry's Top Ten Tips

View or download the Oct-Nov-Dec 2009 issue of the NWSSA journal and newsletter....

Artist Spotlight - Alexandra Morosco

Many of us are well aware of Alex’s expertise when it comes to giving sound and thorough advice pertaining to the selection of the right tool or stone. Over the last few years, Alex has increased her role with respect to teaching about the proper use of tools. This interview will now showcase her considerable talent and training as a sculptor.

LE: Who are you?

AM: Certain species of ravens are known to make their own tools... CAW, CAW, CAW. Who am I? That’s a big question, and sometimes I have to check to see which hat I’m wearing before I answer. I am a Southern California sculptor who is rarely in Southern California. More seriously, I am a professional sculptor that works predominantly in stone. The other hat that so many NWSSA members see me in, is as the “The Tool Goddess”. (I’m sure there have been other names, but I’ll stick to that one). I now work with Trow and Holden as their Field Representative, but prior to that I owned my own business, “Pronto Tools for Sculpture”.

Novice - Nov/Dec 2003

She rose early on Friday morning to drive to the International Stone Sculpting Symposium at Camp Brotherhood near Mount Vernon, Washington. After packing her car, she drove a couple of blocks to her favorite coffee shop for a latte. It would be her last for a week according to an e-mail from her mentor, Sandy, who had ensured that she had directions and knew what to bring.

This was to be an exciting adventure. She had heard about the symposium at the annual Seattle Flower and Garden Show. Other first time attendees heard about the symposium through fellow artists, the NWSSA web site, and through local universities. Over the years she had had a nagging inner feeling that rocks had been calling to her. She had dabbled in art from time to time in other mediums, but never stone.

grindopedia

It all started with a post requesting rational power tool information in one place, then a name "grindopedia", and then substantial follow-up from a vibrant community with a good spirit. From "grindopedia" you can find out about: Blades and Diamonds, Glazed Diamonds, Grinders, Polishing, Air Hammers, Sanding Mandrels, Safety Check List, Breathing Protection...

Stone Carving Symposium

July 2009 we came to carve, learn, share, create, and be part of a community north of Seattle at Camp Brotherhood.

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Click to watch video
by Tom Small and Carl Billington.

Artist Spotlight - David Miller

David brings a very broad and varied set of experiences and interests to his artistic endeavors, and his work reflects this breadth. He is a thoughtful and thinking man, and, as Silver Falls and Whidbey Island participants can attest, he is an excellent teacher. It is great to have this opportunity to become better acquainted with this most interesting artist.

LE: To begin with, please introduce yourself.

DM: My name is David Preston Miller (I use my middle initial. As I grew up, being referred to in this fashion helped to distinguish myself from the other John Does). I was born in New Hampshire in 1949. I am the oldest of five children: two boys and three girls, with an age difference of sixteen years. I grew up, as I consider it, being a corporate nomad, as at that time the corporate structure for management required managers and their families to move often. I was always the “new kid on the block.” Four moves, four states by the eighth grade. I finished high school in a small western Pennsylvania coal-mining town. I probably have lived at fifty addresses since I was born. I have lived in the Northwest almost ten years. One year in Bellingham and the remainder outside of Marcola, Oregon on a dead-end road in an area of an early logging town named Wendling. I had spent most of my life in the Northeast, and I have only Alaska and Hawaii left as states to travel to.