Tennessee Sculptor Bill Ralston Turns Limestone Boulder Spud into Gold
Stacy B. Williams
Special Contributor
Boulder photo by Julie Horn; Additional photos by Larry Hood
Tennessee is mostly limestone,” says sculptor Bill Ralston. “If you dig down deep, especially in middle Tennessee, you’ll hit limestone.”
Not surprisingly, a lot of limestone was discovered under the front lawn of the Tennessee Governor’s Residence several years ago during the house’s restoration process.
One very special 12-foot-long solid block of limestone weighing in at over 10,000 pounds was excavated, reclaimed and reused in the same location underground where it had lived for over 400 million years.
In the creative conservationist spirit, the limestone block was preserved upon its discovery. The boulder was nicknamed “Spud” by the folks in the Arts Commission because of its oblong shape.
“It is not uncommon for the Residence to creatively repurpose materials from restoration and renovation projects,” says Director of the Performing Arts, Hal Partlow.
The Tennessee Arts Commission suggested to the First Lady’s Office that the limestone block be converted into sculptures for the recipients of the Governor’s Arts Awards.
“Throughout its history, the Governor’s Arts Awards has used an original work of art created by a prominent Tennessee artist as the take-home prize,” says Partlow.
The Arts Commission did not have to look far to find a sculptor for this project.
As a Nashville native, former Tennessee state employee and well-known area artist, Bill Ralston was a perfect fit for the job.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation moved “Spud” to Nashville’s Renaissance Stone Company where 20 small cubes were trimmed out of the boulder.
Ralston often works with marble, and limestone, he says, is typically not as smooth. Its amorphous and variable surface can make carving it challenging. But Ralston has been working with stone now for over 40 years, and most his work tends to feature the natural shapes of the medium at hand.
At first glance, he thought the blocks were marble. He wanted to be certain about the material because different types of stone require different care in carving.
Each stone has a different fracturing point and endures different pressure levels. So Ralston consulted an expert.
“I took a sample of the stone to the state geologist and he said it was Bigby-Cannon limestone,” says Ralston. The geologist also said that the stone was approximately 455 million years old. Ralston has carefully examined this ancient specimen and found fossils, crystals and shale layers.
He spent several months working on this commissioned project. He enjoys the physical aspect of stone carving and loves “making dust” in his open-air workshop in Bell Buckle, TN. For many of his sculptures, he prefers to use hand tools, such as tooth and point chisels.
“My hand tools come straight from Italy,” he says, “same as Michelangelo and Da Vinci.”
The bird bath vessel design was a mutual agreement between Ralston and the Arts Commission.
“They knew my work and I knew what I could make multiples of,” says Ralston, “And it couldn’t be more than 25 pounds, of course.”
The final product resulted in 12 small bird baths, each topped with a bird carved from Tennessee pink marble. These pink birds are a signature of his work. Ralston says he hopes the award “induces a spirit of reflection or contemplation in those who see them.”
He took care to attach the bird with a bolt through the stone, so that it is possible to remove the bird if necessary.
Each cube has free-handed blades of grass engraved on the sides. The stone is a pretty grey color that takes a high polish.
The ceremony was held on April 23 in the Conservation Hall on the Governor’s Residence (where “Spud” was originally found). Since 1971 the Governor’s Arts Awards have recognized individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the arts or cultural life of Tennessee.
These awards represent Tennessee’s highest honor in the arts, celebrating the outstanding contributions of artists, arts organizations, volunteers, schools, educators, local governments, legislators and corporate citizens on the state or national level. The distinct categories are Folklife Heritage, Arts Leadership and Distinguished Artist.
Recipients are selected by a committee of the Tennessee Arts Commission comprised of the Commission’s board members and representatives from the Governor’s and First Lady’s offices.
The evening included a short, private reception with the honorees and a ceremony highlighting their careers and the creation of the award.
The nine award recipients were very pleased with the award design. According to Partlow, one of the vessels will reside at the Governor’s Residence, one will stay at the Arts Commission and the location of the remaining bird bath is yet to be determined.
“Several positive comments were overheard during the reception and ceremony,” he says.
One of the Folklife Heritage Awards was presented to the beloved local radio station WDVX in Knoxville, which is known for its daily live music show, The Blue Plate Special. General Manager Linda Billman, along with current and former board members and staff, excitedly accepted this high honor.
“It was a great experience for all of us,” Billman says of the ceremony. She was especially pleased for the staff of WDVX to have the opportunity to attend. Most of the crew is always behind the scenes so it was great for them to be recognized, she says.
The bird bath has taken up residence in the display case in the Knoxville Visitor’s Center for public viewing. Billman enjoyed learning the history of the award material, and found Ralston to be “quite a talented fellow.”
So what happened to the rest of the salvaged spud? Ralston was able to keep it, and will most certainly create something beautiful. He hopes to arrange an exhibition of his recent work in the upcoming months in the Nashville area.
For more information about Bill Ralston’s work, visit his website at http://williamralstonsculpture.com.