Methodology
Many sculptors, working with creations of such large size and enormous weight, create their pieces in a very different manner. Only a few are involved with each piece to the extent that Phil is. His creative process often begins out in the woods or on one of his expeditions to any of the many rock quarries he visits on a regular basis. When he sees a particular stone that because of an intriguing shape or interesting array of colors, seems to be saying look at me, he sets about either extracting it or making arrangements to haul it to the Studio. This can be as involved as having to return home, and getting the large truck and trailer ready to load with the front end loader and mobile lift. He then drives back to the stones location and with the help of the machinery, loads it and transfers it back to his work place. Once there, it must be unloaded and set up in an area where he will be able to work with it.
Visitors to our studio and work place are always surprised to find Phil and his staff outside actually doing the physical labor involved with every step of his creations. One reason is that except for when he does projects for companies that have involved an architect in an overall design, Phil's main staff consists of his assistant of more than fifteen years and his seventeen year old son, on a very limited schedule. They are able to work this way because they have worked together for so long that they each know what they are supposed to do, almost to the point of not requiring communication. The other piece of the equation is the use of very large and powerful pieces of equipment. With Phil in the drivers seat and his assistant strapping the rocks, and helping to guide direction of the machines, much of the heavy lifting and movement of the enormous rocks and boulders is taken care of without any other manual help.
We would like to invite any interested parties to call and set up a time to visit. Any questions will be answered after a trip to the work place.