37 years ago, eight stone sculptors got together in Washington to share their knowledge, work on their stone carvings and “talk shop” about what they do. Every year since that July day in 1988, stone carvers have gathered to build on, grow and share that community. This year, more than 100 members of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association, as well as several guest artists, are gathering at Pilgrim Firs Camp in Port Orchard in record numbers this week to create, share, and grow again for the annual Washington Stone Carving Symposium.

The group has been gathering at Pilgrim Firs for about 10 years now. Before that, they were gathered at a camp in Marysville that has since sold. “It’s become a kind of magical place for us,” said Cyra Jane, the director of this year’s symposium, of Pilgrim Firs. “We did a big search to find a place where we could convene, and we found this beautiful place. It’s become a home for us, and our group has grown to about 100 people,” she said.

On an open field, rows of canvas tents and easy-ups provide work spaces for dozens of artists as electrical power and pneumatic lines, air compressors and generators neatly line the area.

“The advent of power tools certainly changed stone carving significantly,” said Jane. “But hammer and chisel still work great for most types of stones, even the harder stones. A lot of people still really enjoy that process, as it’s much more intimate. Every carving is a conversation between the sculptor and the stone,” she said.

Jane has been the director of the annual symposium for 10 years and works a great deal with marble, though she won’t be doing as much carving at the symposium since her duties as director keep her from doing so. Still, she is working on a piece that is a sculpture of a woman modeled as a wind-up doll. “It’s not a cheap hobby or art form,” said Jane, who pointed out that the large number of sculpting tools, as well as diamond blades, pneumatic drills and other things add up. “It’s an art form that discovers you, especially as people choose which stone they’d like to work with.”

Julianne Kohn lives on the Key Peninsula and is a jade carver and part of the association. “I’ve been carving stone since 1998,” Kohn said. She’ll work this week in an area set up specifically for carving jade, which features tools and equipment owned both by the association and by individual carvers, allowing carvers to use what they need. “Most people here have their own studios, and bring some of their own equipment.”

Shane Jewell has been carving stone for about 30 years, making a living at it, doing everything from signs and memorials to headstones and markers as well as sculptures of art. As he speaks, he’s carving a dragon sculpture out of a large piece of siltstone that he got for free from a worksite not far from his home in Olympia. “I very seldom buy rock. For what I do, there’s enough stone around that I can find and use for sculptures.” Jewell said that he probably won’t use too many power tools for the dragon he’s making. “I’m happiest when I’m working it this way,” he said of his hammer and chisel.

Maximilian Crothers is working on a piece of honeycomb calcite that will feature ocean spray patterns as well as a kind of ammonite fossil pattern. “I’ve probably carved 20 or 30 pieces of honeycomb calcite,” said Crothers. “I’ve been carving rock for seven years. I first started and bought the tools, made like seven pieces and carved them, brought them into the local crystal shop and asked if they wanted to buy them and they did.” Crothers, who lives in Port Angeles, said he’s been hooked ever since. “It’s such an opportunity to be able to come here and focus for eight days straight. Life doesn’t usually allow you an opportunity to do that much, so I’m grateful.”

Jane said that the community of carvers all working together is deeply inspiring. “It’s generally a pretty solitary thing we do, and coming together really provides such good energy and allows us to really build on what we want to do.”

The sculptors will spend this week working on creations, communing with the camp’s surroundings and each other. On July 19 from noon until 4:00 p.m., they’ll hold an exhibition of their carvings, allowing the public in to see and even purchase some of the creations. The exhibition will feature over 100 creations, and there will be a barbecue lunch for purchase. Admission is free.

For more information on the free exhibition of stone carving, go to: https://carvestone.org/2025-washington-stone-carving-symposium

A block of honeycomb calcite, mined in Utah, that artist Maximillian Crothers has just begun to work with.