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( f i n e a r t f o r t h e h o m e /g a r d e n )
About the Artist " T he Patience Karcher gives to her work is the same patience she shows visitors who find themselves lingering." --Blue Ridge Country Magazine
" T his artist's sculpture begs to be touched." --The Boston Herald
Stonecarver Collene Karcher has over 25 years of experience in the art of carving stone. Having studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and in Italy, she received a bachelor of arts degree while apprenticing under sculptor George Wagner. Her background also includes restoration work on the Michigan & Ohio state capital buildings. In 1994 she discontinued exhibiting in galleries and art shows while opening her studio to the public. She was recently juried in as a member of the prestigious Southern Highland Craft Guild.
" W hat's a sculptor classically trained in Rhode Island and Italy doing in a barn near Sylva? Don't ask. Just marvel at the figurative pieces she wrests from1600-pound blocks of Alabama marble." --The Craft Heritage trails of Western North Carolina
" T his is where Collene Karcher wields her sculpting tools, chipping away at formidable chunks of alabaster and marble. Unlike some fine art galleries Collene invites visitors to touch the finished work." --Southern Living Magazine
• H o m e
" S culptor Collene Karcher hammers as the marble sings." --Our State North Carolina
Her Story T ucked away in a small timber frame studio
located in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Stonecarver Collene Karcher patiently coaxes form from a block of marble. Cuts letters into a slab of slate.
With over 25 years of experience sculpting in a variety of stone including marble, slate, alabaster, and limestone, she is also one of only a handful of Stonecarvers in the United States practicing the nearly lost art of hand-carved letters.
"As a sculptor living in these mountains I have always been interested in and inspired by the work I saw in tiny local graveyards. I learn something new every time I run my hand over an old grave marker. I have always practiced letter carving alongside my three dimensional work and at some point it began to cross over.
Letter carving on sculpture. Sculpture mixed in with letter carving."
Questioning the order of things and the establishment, Karcher discontinued exhibiting in galleries and art shows in 1994. Instead she opened her studio to the public with the idea of being a local resource and providing a one on one experience between appreciators & collectors of fine art and the artist. Accordingly, her work has been available exclusively through her mountain studio. A hermit at heart she considers herself a peripheral artist, existing, creating and observing on the margins of our culture.
Since that initial opening 17 years ago, folks from around the country and the world have found their way to her studio. Good conversations have ensued and much has been learned on both sides with visitors often inclined to sit a spell.
Visit a working studio & gallery and receive a personal tour. Discover what is involved in the fine art of carving stone.
i n t e r i o r
• H o m e
Ongoing Birdhouse Series O N G O I N G B I R D H O U S E S E R I E S
• H o m e
C L I C K O N P H O T O S T O E N L A R G E
SERAPHIC SEPULCHRE
Marble. Steel. Slate
Lifesize
LISTEN
Marble. Steel. Wood
Lifesize
LISTEN
Marble. Steel. Wood
Lifesize
LIBERTY
Marble. Steel. Oak
Lifesize
LIFE EVERLASTING
Alabaster. Steel. Pine
Lifesize
About Hand-Carved Letters • T h e P r o c e s s
• H o m e
• A b o u t H a n d c a r v e d
G a r d e n S i n ks
• B a c k
Trajan Letter "A"
" U nless you have worked in stone you can't fully appreciate the elegance of a Trajan letter engraved with a cold chisel guided only by the hand of the artist.
Some things can't be improved upon only carried on. Collene Karcher is carrying on the art of hand lettering in stone and wood."
--Michael Carter
The Process of Hand-carved Letters • H o m e
• B a c k
T H E P R O C E S S
"Two thousand years ago scribes painted letters onto stone. Stonecarvers followed behind cutting the letters. In this age-old tradition Collene Karcher practices both."
"Examples of letters hand-carved can still be found in old graveyards in these mountains. Thomas Wolfe's father practiced letter carving in his memorial shop on Pack Square in Asheville, at the turn of the century."
THUMBNAIL SKETCH
PAPER MODEL PAINTED TO SCALE
THE PAINTING OF THE LETTERS 
THE CARVING OF THE SLATE
ARTIST CARVING SLATE
DETAIL TRAJAN LETTER "E"
FINISHED SLATE--ONCE UPON...
• T h e P r o c e s s i n d e p t h
The Process Indepth 
Stone is initially ordered from the quarry and shipped to the studio.
Upon it's arrival it is cut to size, sanded, and polished.
Lettering is first designed & painted on paper. Once the design/model is found to be satifactory, I prefer painting the letters free-hand directly onto the stone with brush. This requires precision, control and an intimate knowledge of letter forms and their proportions.
Drawing the outline of each letter or transferring via carbon is eliminated.
(Letter forms evolved from a solid brush stroke.)
At this point the letters are ready to be carved by hand with hammer and chisel.
In contrast the "stamped" letters commonly seen today on granite grave markers and the like have been created in a purely mechanical and machined manner using rubber templates & sandblasting.
They are static and dead and to this artist's way of thinking, have no soul.
• H o m e
• B a c k
The artist carving an alphabet stone
Contact • H o m e
Open by Appointment
The artist welcomes visits to the studio by appointment. Simply call or email a few days in advance:
Weds - Saturday 10 - 5
May thru October 31th
Other days are a possibility. Please inquire.
828 688 • 2827
Email: collenekarcher_frontier.com
174 Stone Crossing Lane
Bakersville NC 28705
Services The artist is available for commissions and experienced in site specific work.
Services include:
• Sculpture
• Datestones
• Remembrance Stones
• Garden Sculpture
• Handcarved Garden Sinks
• Gravestones
• Architectural Dedication Plaques
• Personal Memorials for the Garden
• Words Cut in Slate
• H o m e
Member Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce
