The Goddess
Cal the Stoner's 16th intricarved sandstone sculpture
Cal began sculpting The Goddess during March 2022., The Andamooka Tiger was still under construction.
Once completed The Goddess will be an imposing 6'8" intricarved Grampians sandstone nude sculpture.
Set on a 1 metre diameter mirror finish stainless steel base.
Featuring world renowned Andamooka opal toenails, fingernails and eyes.
During the sculpting, Cal and son Zed took a trip to Greece, arguably the home of the classic nude sculpture,
During this visit, Cal observed the details of the classical female nude. In particular the representation of femininity and the way the classical sculptors approached muscle tone.
Cal returned to his Andamooka open-air sculpture studio to continue sculpting his own beautific nude sculpture.
Getting the delicate parts right
Sculptor Cal the Stoner pauses work, The Goddess will be anatomically correct, however do not bely her modesty.
With a come hither hand, the fierce warrior goddess greets her sculpture studio compatriot, The Andamooka Tiger. Ever on guard.
She begins to take shape
The stones natural colour changes under the sculptors hammer and chisel. With exposure to the sun and air, the stones natural cream-gold colour will progressively reappear. In this photo you can see how the stones colouring from the feet upwards has already begun to blend and soften, it’s worked its way up to her knees now.
The Goddess, Cal the Stoner's 16th intricarved sandstone sculpture
Cal's intricarved sandstone sculpture process takes individual stones featuring desired characteristics which he then hand carves into the desired interlocking shape. Stone by stone, the sculpture forms until his vision is completed. As opposed to the classical process of commencing with a block of stone and carving to remove stone and create a shape out of it.
The colours found in Grampians sandstone respond beautifully to natural light.
The Goddess, her feet gently washed and glistening in the afternoon desert sun after a days sculpting. Cal the Stoner sculpts primarily in a stunningly naturally coloured and hardy Grampians sandstone quarried using dimension stone technique.
The Goddess will feature Andamooka opal toenails, fingernails and pupils.
Check out episode 4, series 1 of the Opal Hunters: Red Road Dirt Trip where James “JC” Caruana and veteran miner Rod Manning drop by The Andamooka open-air sculpture studio hoping to sell Cal their opal parcel.
From humble beginnings...
From humble beginnings, The Goddess will become a 6'8" Grampians sandstone intricarved baroque-esque imposing addition to the sculptural tradition of the nude.
Once completed The Goddess will feature jewellery crafted by Justin Boheme.
Once completed, The Goddess will feature gold jewellery; anklets, bracelets, earrings, belly button ring with semi-precious stones crafted by Justin Boheme. (pictured is the artists jewellery, not the actual pieces)
@calthestoner instagram
Cal the Stoner blogs updates on The Goddess
Follow Cal's progress as he blogs updates during the sculpting of The Goddess live from his Andamooka open-air sculpture studio