As the night gets a bit crisper it’s clear that the month of August will quickly give way to September. The final demonstrations and programs of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium will be just as excited as how the month began.

Slate Carving & Stone Leaves Demonstrations  

Two Maine Stone Workers Guild Members will be in residence this coming week. Jon Doody will return for Saturday and Sunday the 19th & 20th to demonstrate slate carving. On Tuesday, August 22 and Wednesday, August 23, Obie Buell will be demonstrating making stone leaves using upcycled offcuts from the local stone industry. You’ll find them near the 1847 Boothbay Town Hall and the Spruce Point Chapel between 10 – 4.

Obadiah Bourne Buell is a self-taught craftsman working primarily with stone. Homeschooled by the Waldorf method on the family quarry where he was born in Sullivan, Maine, he started out with a unique experience working in pyrotechnics with his family. Intrigued by the works of Alexander Calder and Andy Goldsworthy, among others, Obadiah was inspired to work with stone at a young age, and subsequently gleaned knowledge in working with dimensional stone with his brother, Gibran.

Travel has also played an integral role by inspiring Obadiah’s artistic vision. He has traveled to locations such as New Zealand to study the bone and jade carving of the Maori; to Mexico, where he learned about amber carving; to Gambia, where he was influenced by tribal-ancestral woodcarvings; and also to Ireland, where he explored the sites of ancient megalithic structures such as Newgrange. These influences can be seen in some of his work- not only in stone, but wood and other natural materials as well.

Since the summer of 2003, Obadiah has been the sole proprietor of Stone Designs, Inc. and the Granite Garden Gallery, an outdoor sculpture garden at his home in Sullivan, which is open to the public. Obadiah also offers stone-working classes and demonstrations at his studio.  When he’s not working the stone, Obadiah can be found in the vegetable garden or on one of his mountain bike trails.

Art & Architecture of Stone Illustrated Talk

The final evening program of the inaugural Maine Coast Stone Symposium will be a conversation with artisans, designers and contractors about the art and architecture of stone. Using photographs and artistic renderings as a guide, “Art and Architecture of Stone” will be an open discussion between Rick Nelson, a Maine licensed architect, Arek Galle, a landscape architect, and Dan Ucci, a stone mason/artist.  Rick, Arek and Dan often collaborate on Knickerbocker Group projects that entail incorporating stone design elements, or adapting to existing stone conditions, into the architecture or landscape of a home.  They will share examples of the various considerations when working with stone, overcoming challenges, and making the most out of integrating stone into your life in an artful way.

Rick Nelson, AIA, is Architect Manager at Knickerbocker Group. Arek Galle, RLA, AICP, is a Landscape Architect at BETA Group. Dan Ucci is a stone mason, artist and the owner of Ledge Hill Creations. Ucci is also one of the 14 sculptors participating in the Maine Coast Stone Symposium at the Museum.

The talk will take place inside the 1847 Boothbay Town Hall at the Museum starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24. A donation of $5 is suggested.

The exhibit, Built with Stone, is open daily through Aug. 31. The exhibit, the sculpture symposium with artists working and any scheduled demonstrations are free with regular Museum admission of $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 children 3 – 18, children under 3 and Museum Members are free. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Boothbay Railway Village is located on Route 27 in Boothbay, just 7 miles south of Route 1. For details about any of the programs that make up the Maine Coast Stone Symposium visit www.railwayvillage.org or call 207-633-4727.