Questions and answers from sculptor Terry Corbett
All About Stone Surrounds, Mantles & Fireplaces
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- How expensive are your stone fireplaces?
- If you'd like an original, either based on a custom design or developed based on something in our existing catalog, we'd be glad to discuss your needs and provide a quote. Typically, our cast fireplaces range in price anywehere from $3,000 to $15,000.
- What stone is best for sculpting?
- Although I have carved in many stones ranging from alabaster to granite, I would say that limestone (either French or Portugese) is the most satisfying, and gives the best detail.
- You've carved a lot of stone fireplaces — do you have a favourite piece?
- The process of creating is, in itself … liberating. Favourites often change from year to year, as you get new challanges or requests. We've carved dogs, lions and even water buffalo in granite for the entrance to a large home. Obviously most work is in stone fireplace mantels. It's tough to pin down one particular favourite!
- What accounts for the popularity for stone fireplaces?
- In the mid 1990's, it became apparent that people wanted a lot more warmth and beauty in their homes. I had assumed that due to increasingly busy schedules, that "family time" had become a greater priority, and if people wanted more quality time then they wanted their surroundings to be comfortable, beautiful, and reflect their personal tastes. The warmth and beauty of stone is unparalleled. It blends with anything, and the stone fireplace just seemed to naturally evolve as a focal point.
- Why did you begin sculpting stone?
- When I was in my twenties, I discovered that you could move around a piece of artwork, a lot like discovering the other side of the world on a globe. It had depth and therefore meaning. I essentially lost the ability to understand anything flat or two-dimensional again: a three-dimensional form seemed easier than a canvas. Later when I discovered stone, the concept of working in something hard rather than soft was like seeing the sun rising for the first time.
