Here are some pictures of the hand-carved gravestones I am now working on and a little description of my process.

I am currently working on two gravestone commissions.

This slate came from England and went to retrieve my crate at

Karin Sprague's workshop.

Here Karin uses a chain hoist to lift the crate.

I was also assisted by my good friend Mike Schwabe.

We then drove from Scituate Rhode Island to New Braintree Massachusetts

where we loaded the easel that my dad and I had built the week before.

This easel was built especially to be very stable and hold hundreds of pounds.

Then we proceeded on to Hancock Shaker Village where we installed the stones and easel in the Ministry shop where I have set up shop to work.  Todd Burdick very kindly helped on the last leg of the journey but I was too tired by then to take any photos.

The folks at Hancock Shaker Village have very kindly given me a space to work in.  There I have been carving and talking to visitors about hand carving, shaker carving, and traditional gravestones.

This is my original drawing which was developed collaboratively with Joseph Mortimer Boyd's family.

The next step is to trace the drawing onto the stone using a scribe and white transfer paper.

Then FINALLY at long last I am carving.