20 tons of rock has worked its way from the stone queries of Marble Colorado to Tay Tower Studio all with specific projects in mind. This 8 foot block was chosen for Adam & Eve the pear and for more on the story of my design just click and read my post on the clay maquette.

In a perfect world the block would have arrived with a perfectly square bottom, and ready to be placed standing. But that’s not the world we live in, so after the base was flattened there was no easy, that is to say inexpensive way to stand this 7 ton block upright. This was my poor artist way of standing the stone, I do not recommend this method to anyone else…

Using the simplest of tools the wedge and jack, the first step was to lift the block to 45 degrees. This dramatically reduces the amount of lifting force needed to stand the block upright… easier said than done. And with every pump of the lever or shove of the wedge, careful attention to work place safety is needed. No finger or toes ever go under the stone. In theory.

In practice, hands are at risk as jacks are adjusted. I ensured there were always three points of contact between the marble and stays. (two wedges and two jacks with only one of these adjusted at one time)

7 tons has a lot of momentum and once the marble was on the move great care was needed to ensure that it didn’t continue to fall. These two back stops flexed with the stone ensuring the truck’s front end wasn’t crushed.

With years of sculpting ahead the need for shade and raised platform was the next step. Work can now begin

With my previous marble Pieta Spero, I go into detail on blocking and rounding of stone. With The Pear, I have added a quick reference rectangular prism to help with measuring cuts.