Sculpture & Carvings For Your Home

Inuit Soapstone

Soapstone Carving Information

Soapstone Carving Information

Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. Soapstone has been used in India for centuries as a soft medium for carving, many of the Hoysala Empire temples were made from soapstone.

A soft, easily carved stone that polishes beautifully, soapstone is a favorite medium of ethnic carvers, most notably the Inuit of North America. Easily obtained, it can be worked with very few special tools.

While this is an easy stone to carve, there is little information on how to do this. www.soapstonecarving.net is a great resource that provides links to various books, tools and carvings to buy.

You will find Stone Carving Kit Starter Set that introduces beginners, as well as established artists, to carving jewelry, medallions, and small figures.

Books on how to carve Soapstone for adults and for children. Video information on the history of soapstone carving in North America 5000 years ago. You will also find incredible carved objects like boxes, elephants, necklaces and even wine holders!

Many of the carved object are from India and some of the artist themselves have left biographies here is an exert from one:

My name is Gulam Rasool and I was born in the year 1940. My city is so rich in traditional marble sculpting that anyone visiting would never get enough of the exotic beauty and artistic work of the people here. I belong to a family who has a long relationship with the art of sculpting marble. I became interested in this rich work and started helping my father in his work. My father was an expert in marble sculpting and jali (openwork). He was honored with the state award for excellence in marble sculpting in 1979. I learned a lot from him and chose to follow his path.

After working with my father for a long time, I ventured out on my own. I experimented with different designs and gave a new dimension to the traditional styles. At that time, there were very few tourists coming to India and all we got from a hard day's work were a few bucks from selling souvenir items made of soapstone. Over the years, however, things have changed as far as our work's popularity is concerned. More and more tourists come to India to learn about our exquisite art.

About the Author

Jack Ometti
Passionate About Soapstone Carving

http://www.soapstonecarving.net/

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