Still around! 

Untitled Nude

West Tennessee Regional Art Center

http://www.wtrac.tn.org/carvedsculptureofmotherandc.html

This fine little museum owns one of my pieces along with William Edmonson and other artist of both national but especially regional interest. Dr. Benjamin H. Caldwell who donated the collection that included my piece is a noted Nashville gynecologist and has one of the finest private art collections I have ever seen including quite a few of my sculptures, mostly stone carvings.

ArtWorks Gallery including Sculpture by the Stonenchanter

I photographed the artwork then produced this video about ArtWorks Gallery. The Indiana Limestone Carvings and the “Daedalus” in wood are my creations in this temporary gallery in the Saddle Creek South shopping center in Germantown  featuring well-known Memphis area artist.

William Edmonson I Owe You

Indiana Limestone Carving by David A. Day Stonenchanter

 

An interesting thing happened while following a Google search of one of my all time favorite sculptors William Edmonson. Another stone carver recently posted on Facebook a link to his images, so I followed it since we had just been discussing Edmonsons work at the opening of a new gallery where I was showing (ARTWORKS GALLERY at Saddlecreek in Germantown, TN).
While we were looking, my wife Beth only somewhat jokingly said, "I wonder how many of your limestone carvings are they going to have mistakenly included in this search?"

Surprisingly, what we did find this time was a piece of mine I had sold in Nashville years ago (pictured here). Unfortunately it had been attributed  to an acquaintance the very talented, but deceased, sculptor and Vanderbilt teacher Thomas Puryear Mims from Nashville. Tom and I, occasionally exhibited together. My Indiana limestone carving they mistakenly attributed to him sold at auction in 2011 in New York City.
Here is that link:
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9073869

I wrote the auction house, but have not yet heard from them and would not be surprised if I don't. I myself am currently working on an appraisal of 10 of my significant early pieces from a private collection here to help settle an estate. I know there can be issues and questions even when you are very knowledgeable.
I wish my asphaltic limestone carving "If you go barefoot, you are going to get thorns!" that I sold to Miss MaryLou Derryberry in Chattanooga way back when would pop back up somewhere, sometime too. I would like to see it again. If you run across it let me know, I rarely took photos.

While I am from Memphis, I owe having made my career as a sculptor largely because of Edmonson. He was from Nashville and quite universally well-known there. As a consequence, everyone there easily related to my Indiana Limestone carvings. The majority of his work is held in private collections there, plus a few here. Thankfully, many of those collectors also bought my pieces. I usually delivered and placed my carvings, and so not only had the opportunity to see a large percentage of his body of work, but I was allowed to study, handle and on occasion move them for the sometimes aging owners who had bought them from him personally when they were very inexpensive (even a few dollars). His carvings were sometimes found being used as doorstops. Some of the owners were not wealthy themselves but everyday folks who so appreciated the pieces in their collections that they had so far managed to resist the astronomical and ever-growing prices his pieces were demanding (valued at tens of thousands of dollars). My favorite collector, a retired African-American school teacher had quite a number that were small. She had originally bought them for her tiny garden. She also became a regular customer of mine, and so I was told many stories of her visiting his stone yard. The Tennessee State Museum who owns his work had a retrospective of his carvings back in the 1980's I think, that I visited often during the run of the show.

The museum also owns a piece of mine titled “Sweet Spring” reminiscent of Edmonson which is on loan to the Governors Residence where it was installed in the entrance garden. I doubt it would be there without the William Edmonson legacy.
Just as surprising was a large painting of "Sweet Spring" also in the Governors Residence collection, but that with pictures of them are another story.
Oh yea, thanks to the New York auction house for these great pictures of my carving, even if you did get who did it wrong.

Larimar, Chrysoprase, and More

Lapidary and Jewelry by Beth Prussia Day

Beth has been busy cutting stone and fabricating sterling for jewelry getting ready for the annual Pink Palace Crafts fair where she will be demonstrating lapidary and I will be demonstrating stone carving. Here are her latest creations using Larimar, Chrysoprase, Precious Opal, and two types of Crazy Lace Agate with sterling.

New Gallery Showing Stone and Wood Carvings

Angel

 

Grouping

 

  Daedalus

 

The Oak Princess

 



I am currently showing a few pieces in a new gallery.
“The ArtWorks Gallery “ located at 2770 West Street, Germantown, TN, in Saddle Creek South.
Regular Gallery Hours will be 11am to 5pm Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays.
For special appointment or more information you can contact:  gregbelz@hotmail.com