If you have ever thought about carving and sculpting of any kind, if you have ever looked at a rock or stone and thought it had the potential to be a dog’s head or a human face, or if you have ever had the impulse to turn something made by Mother Nature into a work of art, there is a carving workshop in Hobbs that just might be for you.
Organized and hosted by Hobbsan David Sadler for many years, the Southwest Stone Carving Workshop is one of the most unique and exciting art and craft experiences you can have.
And it is about to happen in Hobbs, New Mexico on Friday through Sunday, April 28, 29, and 30, 2023.
This is a hands-on experience using tools provided for young and old, newcomers and experienced to carve and shape rock. With the help of professional carvers from northern New Mexico to instruct and assist, the majority of the time is spent with hammers and chisels rather than in listening to lectures.
The workshop takes place at Sadler and Son Monument Works, 1026 E. Bender in Hobbs.
The cost of the workshop is $300, which includes stone and tools.
In addition, a free lunch is provided each day.
Carving instructors for this year are Cliff Fragua and Cody Vance. Fragua is a Native American from northern New Mexico’s Jemez Pueblo, and a talented artist who has exhibited across the county and has had his work on display at the US Capitol in Washington D.C.
Cody Vance, another instructor, is an artist in several genres, including bronze sculpture, and he is an Air Force Veteran now a medical illustrator at Lackland AFB in Bexar County, Texas.
Having been held twice for several years, this 2023 workshop on April 28-30 will the only opportunity this year to experience something that few will ever forget.
Many of those attending will be repeating workshops from years past.
Longtime artists and crafts persons who have taken this workshop always have left feeling they have never had an experience anything like this.
It’s fun, it’s exciting, and you will learn more than you can believe in a short period of time.
You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy stone carving. In fact, students from all levels of talent attend, from experts and professionals to individuals who have never held hammers and chisels in their hands.
The workshop in organized and put on by a nonprofit (Federal 501 c 3) organization, the Southwest Stone Carving Association, for the benefit of everyone.
Some folks say that deep inside all of us have impulses to carve something new from the things we find in the natural world. This is an experience that will free those inner feelings.
More information can be found on Facebook and at Hobbsevents.org. Those who prefer can call Sadler and Sons Monument Works at 575-392-7269.
