I have been looking forward to introducing you to my guest this week because I think chances are pretty high that this will be a brand new career concept for you! In fact, it was this job and this friend who inspired me to do this series.
I have two friends in my life who have been with me since before kindergarten. They hold the record as my longest-standing friends, and I still have both of them with me today. One of them is Amber. She is an amazing, incredible artist. She has always been an amazing, incredible artist. In high school, she could draw and paint pieces that most seasoned adults couldn't achieve. She is just that good. (I know she's rolling her eyes reading this right now, because she hates having attention drawn to her, but I'm not kidding. She has unbelievable talent. Just wait. You'll see.)
Artists take many different paths with their talent, and if I gave you twenty guesses, you'd never land on her career, unless you read the title of the post. Amber etches monuments. Like the monuments that mark graves in cemeteries. She etches detailed portraits and scenes right into the granite surface. This week I had the chance to sit down with her and hear a bit more about her job, and she shared some things that I think will both fascinate and educate you!
1. Monuments can tell a story.
When people come into Amber's workplace, most really have no idea what she can do for them to create a loving, thoughtful memorial. I know I didn't have a clue until I went to visit her at work one day! We've all seen stones in cemeteries, and we know the basics they include: name, date of birth, and date of death. Of course those are important elements, but artists like Amber can create pieces of art that go beyond the information to actually capture the essence of the person being remembered.
The monument itself can be (within the confines of cemetery regulations, of course) a multitude of shapes, sizes, and combinations of granite. From there, the family can be as creative as they desire to represent their loved one. The printed records, the photo etchings, and even the monument shape itself can combine to tell a story.
When Amber begins to work on a piece, she loves to make a connection with the story of the person she's honoring, and she does that best by having the chance to talk with their family about their life. She loves to hear stories about beloved possessions, pets, work, hobbies, passions - anything that represented their personality. She sometimes even has the opportunity to visit their homes and see these things in person. She's taken pictures of tangible memories so she can draw and etch them accurately.
But even beyond seeing actual items, the more she learns about the person whose memory she's honoring, the more she can help the family craft the story they want to tell to reflect this meaningful life. What she does is so much more than marking a grave. She's capturing a biography in art.
(Here is an example of Amber's work. Yes. This is hand-etched in granite. I told you she was incredible.)
2. Don't underestimate the importance of details!
There's a little thing we all do when we look at photos of people we love: we mentally adjust the photos to make the image look like the person we know. I mean, let's face it. We all have bad angles and the occasional double chin/blemish/unfortunate hair day. When those things become permanently documented in a photo, we know to look around them and see the person we know as we remember them.
Artists can't do that. When families hand a photo (or a stack of them) to Amber, that's all she has to use. She doesn't know the people she's drawing and etching. She can't make those mental adjustments, so she relies completely upon the photos she's given. (Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? I never would have thought of it.)
So if you're having an artist etch a monument, submit a variety of photos, and submit quality photos. Not a photo of a photo (that distorts things), and not a low-resolution Facebook copy of a nicer portrait. As much as you are able, offer the best, high-resolution, great quality photos, and be sure they show the person's entire face. (Bonus points for submitting multiple angles to help the artists fill in the gaps.) Choose photos that accurately represent the person.
The same thing is true if you're offering photos of pets, beloved possessions, or scenes that may have been meaningful to the person. Err on the side of providing more than necessary. It is so helpful!
(Obviously, out of respect and privacy, Amber didn't submit to me any of the human portraits she's done. But here is another example of her artistic talent in creating scenes in granite.)
3. This is a work of art and heart.
I find this part fascinating, so I asked Amber to describe to me actually how she does what she does.
If you go to a cemetery and look at a standard monument (the kind with just names, dates, and maybe a simple design), you're looking at work that was sandblasted. Sandblasting is reserved only for simple things, and that's not what Amber does. (Clearly!)
Etching, which is what you see in the photos she provided, is done entirely by hand. There are some laser machines that can be used for engraving, but laser etching has an entirely different look to it. Amber does not use a computer at all in any part of her process. Her etching is done with a handheld diamond tipped engraver.
Because she's working with a heavy monument (and sometimes a HUGE monument), it's very different than drawing on a piece of paper. When she draws on paper, she can hold it in her lap and shift it to various angles as needed. When she etches, the granite is heavy and stationary. She sits in a number of non-ergonomic positions to work and any time she needs a new angle, she has to be the one to move.
Of course the etching only takes place after she's first made a drawing on paper and it's been approved by the family. She spends as much times as necessary designing the art on paper first and wants to make sure the family is fully pleased with it before moving on. If necessary, she'll scrap the entire original art and start over to make sure she gets it right. (Side note: if you're using a monument artist and you go in to approve the art, really check thoroughly for accuracy in things like poems, dates, or other specific, important details. It can still be changed at this stage. Later, not so much!)
Just to give you an idea of the time involved in the actual stone-etching process (not counting the pre-design work), a single 8x10 portrait etching would take about two full work days to complete. She works slowly and deliberately to make sure she's accurate, because as you might imagine, there's no eraser for granite. Tiny blunders can often be masked, but any significant mistake means starting over entirely.
That shows you the work of art part, but for Amber, this is also a work of heart. Even though she usually doesn't know the people she serves, she comes to care deeply for them as she talks with them, hears their stories, and tells the story of their loved one through art. As she draws and etches, she thinks about the family she's serving, the loss they're feeling, and she prays for them. She doesn't crank out her work to get it done and move on to the next project. This project matters to the family, and it matters to her. Monuments are forever, and she wants them to honor the people they represent in the best possible way.
Amber also said for some people, the creation of the monument is a significant piece of their grieving and healing process. Some can't hurry through it and some need it done right away, and in both cases, the timing serves as part of the healing.
Francis of Assisi said, "He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." Amber told me this quote drives her in the work she does, and I can certainly attest that she is a true artist. Selfless, talented, and always serving those who commission her to represent those they love.
I know death isn't a fun topic to think about, but I am so grateful for artists like Amber, who are committed not just to a job, but to a gift of capturing a story to honor a memory for all time.
2 comments:
What talent she has!!
WOW!!! To have even a tiny bit of that talent would be amazing...she could do anything, yet the way she serves with that talent is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Christina
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