"In 1989 I was fortunate enough to spend 10 months based in Italy, carving marble in Carrara, where sculptors from the Romans to Michelangelo to current international artists have come to work the treasure from the mountains.
"I rented workspace in an atelier that produces work ranging from copies of older works to pieces for contemporary artists. I lived one block from a cathedral where Michelangelo probably visited, and I drank from fountains where he probably did in his time. I met sculptors from at least 10 different countries and saw work ranging from reproductions of the 19th century artist Canova to 20th century works by Penck, Botero, and others.
"It’s hard to describe the feeling working where excellent marble is in virtually unlimited supply; where any tool I might need is within a short walk or a slightly longer one; where the sculptor next to me could be from Kenya, Germany, Italy, America, Mexico, Brazil, or Japan. Where the very stream that flowed through the town ran white with marble dust. (I think they’ve cleaned that up since.)”
