Page 12 - April 2022 Slippery Rock Gazette

12|April 2022
Slippery rock GAzette
made stone carving look easy and natural, even when doing chal- lenging work. He is truly a mas- ter of his craft.”
Phillip Gibbs apprenticed with John for a year and shared that “he exemplifies the character needed to be a true stone crafts- man, and the natural ability to
John Cierech Named 2021 Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year
John Cierech (Tennessee Marble Company) has been named 2021 Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year.
John was 30 years old when he began his career in the stone industry. After serving in the military, he spent a short time in electronics before accept- ing his first full-time work with stone at Gawet Marble and Granite in Vermont. Gawet had just acquired some accounts from Vermont Marble Company after they closed their doors. He explained: “There was a huge demand for craftsmen to ser- vice these accounts. Fortunately for me, there were a number of skilled craftsmen in the area, who would circulate through the com- pany and I was able to pick up on their skills to develop my own.”
John would spend the next 32 years honing his stone skills, passion, and craft, eventually advancing to more detailed work, including V-sunk lettering and intricate carving, especially on memorials. He attributes his interest in this work to an appre- ciation of the stone carving his- tory of the area’s memorial art. His favorite work was done on the old headstones of New England, especially the artwork that was done on the gray stones: “I think it started with a reli- gious outfit that wasn’t permit- ted to draw on paper any kind of artwork, but they could carve it
© MARK ANDERSON. www.andertoons.com
my father in Vermont, and then to work with him 40 years later at Tennessee Marble was very spe- cial for us as a family.”
At Tennessee Marble Company, John began working on projects together with other craftsmen from different departments, col- laborating and applying individ- ual skills from start to finish. This approach created a huge inter- est in the project itself because all departments got to see what needed to be done and how the craftsmen in each department
and develop their own skills. It’s very rewarding to a company and the industry,” he said. “I person- ally enjoyed watching appren- tices develop their own style and method of carving techniques. It was rewarding for me to just work alongside someone that possessed the confidence and interest in developing this skill in the craft.”
on headstones. A lot of the carv- ers would develop their own and would just pass it down.”
John also enjoyed making resi- dential granite and marble coun- tertops, putting them into homes and getting good satisfaction from how the customers reacted, including their realization of what it did for their home.
In 2011 John left Vermont for the warmer climate of the South, and through his work at Cutting Edge Stone in Alpharetta, GA, gained experience in limestone carving for Old World style res- idential projects. There he honed his ability to create his own designs and layouts, sometimes based on pictures, and other times just from someone’s ver- bal description. He soon brought that experience back to the Gawet family. “I feel so fortunate that John reconnected with us at our factory in Tennessee,” Monica Gawet, president of Tennessee Marble Company remarked. “To remember him when he first started his career working with
went about their work, shar- ing this sense of concern for all efforts from the beginning to the end of the project. It created a cohesive workforce and positive impact.
John explained further how working with apprentices enriched his work experience. “Just to have these young peo- ple come in to learn the skills
Emma Levitz was an appren- tice at Tennessee Marble under John’s mentoring who is grate- ful to have had the opportunity to work with him. She expressed that while she had experience in carving stone, she had no experi- ence in architectural carving, but John was an excellent teacher. “It was helpful to just watch him work,” Emma said. “John always
see something beautiful and bring it to life out of solid stone.” Colleague Ryan Cole agreed, saying: “John has a way to see a carved piece inside a solid block, and most times, he could carve pieces faster than I could program them on the CNC.”
When asked what receiving this award meant to him, John replied: “It means a great deal to me. Knowing that there’s a huge interest in the work that an indi- vidual does in the industry is a great incentive for the craftsmen to strive to achieve their finest work.”
Nominations for the 2022 Craftsman of the Year Award are being accepted until May 20. Learn more at www.natu- ralstoneinstitute.org/craftsman.
Not an Airbnb?
The owners of a New Mexico home were doubly sur- prised one weekend to find a burglar in their house with an AR-15, and then to have him apologize, give them money and leave embarrassed.
The man had slept, bathed, dined and had some beer at the home on the outskirts of Santa Fe before the owners returned and discovered him, according
to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office police report cited by the Albuquerque Journal.
He had an AR-15 scoped rifle but didn’t threaten them, or take any of their jewelry or other belongings.
Instead, he gave the homeown- ers $200 as “reimbursement for the window he broke,” the report said.
The suspect — about 6 feet tall and in his late 20s — also shared a bit of his story, telling the own- ers he was running from someone and that his family had been killed
in east Texas, according to the report. He said his car had bro- ken down outside Santa Fe.
The homeowners told author- ities the man was “extremely embarrassed and apologetic about the situation,” the report states.
The suspect left the home with his duffel bag and gun, walking down a ditch. His alleged larce- nies totaled $15, the report said.
Sheriff’s deputies came to the home and searched the ditch but didn’t find anyone.
“I agree April 16 should be a holiday. But I think we should call it “‘Accountant’s Day,’ not ‘Handle Your Own Damn Finances Day’...”