Artistry Set in Stone

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When I think of creative pros, my mind first wanders to those working in the digital, print, and type realms. Branching out from there I think about illustrators, sculptors, painters, and similar crafts. But one profession I never really gave much thought to was one that combines a little of each of these disciplines: the stone artist. I recently saw a short film from the History Channel online about Nick Benson, creative director of the John Stevens Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. The shop—which specializes in the design and carving of stone inscriptions—has a long history dating back to 1705.
Lettering
The shop prides itself on using manual techniques, from hand-lettering and painting the designs to the hand-carving of those designs in various stone surfaces. When asked the question, “What happens if you make a mistake?” Nick answers, “You don’t.” I think of all the last minute changes I make when designing and how easy it is to switch out graphics or typefaces, then compare that to the pressure of having no room for error. Nick feels he gets a better result with the time-consuming manual process than can be achieved with mechanical methods. Working with hammers, mallets, and chisels not only puts the creator so in tune with his creation, but gives that creation a real permanence.
Carving-2
Nick—and his father and grandfather before him—is a wonderful example of dedication to an old craft that has become a niche that few these days can fill. His family is responsible for well-known memorials in Washington D.C., including the Iwo Jima, National WWII, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, and Vietnam War memorials. Maybe it’s because I live and work in a digital, “here today, gone tomorrow” world that I am in complete awe of craftsman like Nick. The methods he uses to bring a creation to light are slow and the result is a piece that future generations will be enjoying for a very long time.

Erica Gamet has been involved in the graphics industry for over 35 years. She is a speaker, writer, trainer, and content creator focusing on Adobe InDesign, Apple Keynote, and varied production topics. She is a regular presenter at CreativePro Week, regular contributor to CreativePro Magazine, and has spoken at Canada’s ebookcraft, Adobe MAX, and Making Design in Oslo, Norway. Find Erica online at the CreativePro YouTube channel, CreativeLive.com and through her own YouTube channel. When she isn’t at her computer she’s probably daydreaming about travel or living in a Nordic noir landscape.

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  • Beautiful work. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

  • Thanks for bringing John Stevens Shop to my attention. They do work that is so well crafted and beautiful it becomes timeless. Quite inspirational.

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