ARTIST STATEMENT: ROBERT BASTA, M.D.
While working in New Zealand, a friend invited me to an introductory sculpture class using Oamaru Stone. I reluctantly agreed and never thought my interest would extend beyond this weekend class. WRONG — I was smitten by this media and have never looked back.
I finished my course project and went on to complete another piece before my work contract ended. I wasn’t sure I would return to New Zealand, but I did for the next 6 years, carving a piece or two each time. I gave these pieces away to friends or to the hospital where I worked. In May 2016 while in New Zealand, I had one ton of stone cut into 15 blocks, packaged, and sent to my home in Washington State. I only use hand tools for my carving and the only mechanical tool is a drill when opening an area or to make a hole a part of the sculpture (both rarely done).
Other than the single course I took in New Zealand, I am self taught. Most of my knowledge has come from working with the stone, learning the tolerances and developing techniques to refine the sculptures. The stone is about a 4-5 of 10 in hardness, making it easy to carve with wood working tools. There are various degrees of “firmness” to the stone (i.e. is it a tight compression, and thus harder, or less so). The pieces of stone also have differing degrees of porosity figuring into the stone’s “hardness” and my ability to get a smooth finish.
My sculptures started out as single position sculpture, but since 2014 I have moved to a “4th Dimension” style. I like this style because it allows the piece to be displayed in different positions as the owner/curator would prefer, not the artist.
With the “4th Dimension” I like the art displayed in a window so the movement of the sun changes the shadow across the surface which significantly changes its appearance. As one might anticipate when carving a “4th Dimension” sculpture, I have to carve and view all the areas from different positions. The piece is always being turned to carve an area and to view and finish each of the surfaces. I embrace this media because of its white color, unlimited design possibilities and the technical aspects of the carving. With a 4-5 hardness category Oamaru stone is less demanding than harder stone types (i.e. granite or marble). My pieces grow out of my sketches trying to transform a two dimensional drawing to a three dimensional piece of art. I love the dark shadow effects this stone and light produce. I continually push my limits and gain more skill and creativity attempting more complex designs. Incorporating paint and bonding techniques has expanded the options with this media
My signature is an “R” over an integrated “B” (Robert Basta). This “brand” has to be placed somewhere to identify my sculpture, but should not make a difference to the positioning of the sculpture.
CONTACT
ROBERT D. BASTA
1133 5th Place, Mukilteo, Wa. USA 98275
Cell Phone: 425-350-5847 for USA, +1 425-350-5847 for international
E-mail: bobbasta@icloud.com
Web: bobsstonerocks.com
Commissions are accepted with the mutual acceptance of the project.
Prices of available artworks are listed on the main gallery page. Any cost of shipping will be the responsibility of the purchaser. Please contact the artist for any further information on quotes and pricing information.