Within the first 10 minutes of class, were we're placed in front of an array of chlorite and Alabaster stones and instructed to "Choose one. Now."
This was a bit intimidating. Fortunately for me, I had visited the end of last week's class and had been offered the opportunity to pre-select my stone.
I chose one of the two remaining blocks of Chlorite. This is a black stone that is similar to those used by the Shona. It comes from Canada. Interestingly, Zimbabwe attaches a huge tariff to stone exports making it impractical to use their stones for carving outside of their country. Their intent is to discourage local sculptors from taking their now-valued carving skills outside the country.
After finding a spot in the classroom (hosted in the Poudre High wood and metal shop) we were briefly introduced to the tools and set loose. In a daze, we collectively stared in silence at our cold hard stones, wondering what lies within.
