Hello From Clint Button Carolina Sculpture Studio

[cliffrod]

Hello all,

My name is AC Button II. Some friends call me Clint, Button, AC, Cliff, Cliffrod (since I was a child) or Clifford. I'm pretty flexible.

I have been a full time sculptor for the past 19 years, working mostly in granite after formal industry apprenticeship under family and Master Sculptors in the USA Granite Industry. My website and youtube channels are listed below. Traditional work and methods are my focus. Not into the latest fads. I have carved everything I could carve since my 6th birthday. I make everything except money.

Metal working is a means to explore other methods of purposely shaping material and is still a hobby for me. The patternwork and buck building interests me as much as the final job. I've got some personal motorcycle and car projects under way and pending. Just got a Gairu MI-8 (approx equivalent to a Pullmax P8) last weekend to go with my HandBuilt English wheel. In a blatant attempt to endear me to admin, I think I'm going to call it my Jiggly machine...

It's great to see familiar names here. Thanks for having me.

AC Button II
Boiling Springs SC, just outside of Spartanburg, South Carolina USA

http://CarolinaSculptureStudio.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzSYaYdis55gE-vqifzjA6A Carolina Sculpture Studio Channel

[dennis]

Hi Cliffrod and welcome to the forum,hope you post a pic of your jiggly machine
Regards Dennis

[cliffrod]

Thanks. Once I get it situated, I will. Right now it needs to taken off the truck and moved into my metal shop. Problem is my crane is in the (stone) studio, which is 100 yards downhill in a different building.

[Chazza]

Woohoo! Nice to have you amongst us Cliffy!

Cheers Charlie

[cliffrod]

Woohoo! Nice to have you amongst us Cliffy!

Cheers Charlie

And my most special friends call me Cliffy! Thanks Charlie- I'm really excited to be here and already have friends.

Getting this big jiggly machine (instead of getting a lathe & mill and then finding the time, $$ and materials to build one) and real planishing gear last weekend was like winning the saved-time lottery. Then Peter posts about this traditional work site. Very, very cool! Innovation is fine, but I want to know and do it the old way.

It will be a while before I get my shop sorted and everything up and running, but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My Guzzi project is progressing well. Once Ive got a little more done and catch up in general, I'll post a build thread.

[neilb]

hi cliffrod, nice to see you here

[Kiwi john]

Good evening Cliffy. Thank you for joining us. I remember reading your website earlier this year and recall the way the old masters treated you! My initial reaction was to dismiss them as old and arrogant but perhaps that is how they had to be to sort the wheat from the chaff. How bad did you really want to be a sculptor? You are certainly blessed with an incredible gift and we are certainly grateful that you have stopped by. Please post as much as you can as everyone has a part to play and value to share. Cheers kiwi john

[galooph]

Made me chuckle, as it's usually me and Cliff doing the welcoming, so thanks for the warm welcome you've given us both here

[cliffrod]

Good evening Cliffy. Thank you for joining us. I remember reading your website earlier this year and recall the way the old masters treated you! My initial reaction was to dismiss them as old and arrogant but perhaps that is how they had to be to sort the wheat from the chaff. How bad did you really want to be a sculptor? You are certainly blessed with an incredible gift and we are certainly grateful that you have stopped by. Please post as much as you can as everyone has a part to play and value to share. Cheers kiwi john

Thanks for making my head a little fatter, John. It's always great to hear Cliffy.

One of the best lessons learned from my Masters was to be completely ignored and/or driven away until I showed up ready to work with no obvious pay, opening or benefit and then made it happen. I can't share that in most circles because that's a true secret the the chosen few figure out for themselves. The door isn't opened for you and waiting. You have to find the door, go to it, figure out how to get through it and then just go to work. Shut up, realize you're NOT smart enough and get to work. I had a number of chefs treat me the same way before my move into sculpture, so it was SOP to be treated like crap. Nowadays, it's basically illegal to treat people like that. Now everyone wants a guarantee of work, income, opportunity and then they'll consider coming. ?!? I kept getting calls like that from all over the world, so had to change my online presence.

I hope this forum can stay on topic. The old ways are the basis for the new ways. Period. Go to a pool or billiards hall. The flashy dudes practice trick shots, endlessly setting up the balls in perfect position while trying to be impressive. They may even make those shots regularly. The old men will simply play straight pool/billiards and never miss, usually taking all the flashy dudes' money in the process. The old men could probably do the trick shots, but its a waste of time. They play the table as a whole with perfect english, not just one pocket at a time. it's a flow that's hard to describe. I could sell all the kitchen gadgets in the world, because I could make them look like magic. It would be dishonest (imho) because I can do the same things with a plain chef's knife because I am trained to be an expert.

Properly learn the basics, practice them until they become innate and then learn to trust your training. I call it my second mind. when you're good and it doesn't look right, understand that's because it isn't. Trust your judgment and fix it. Hopefully I can someday be good in metal like stone or the kitchen.

I'll be posting some content soon. My Guzzi is progressing and becoming picture/thread-worthy. Right now I'm way behind on things that need to be done here.

[Kiwi john]

Cliffy. Thousands of miles apart but the training you received sounds similar to the stories Peter has told us about his apprenticeship. Today very few people would be willing to submit and be humbled by teachers with the skills that can only be obtained through hundreds if not thousands of hours of practice having previously been taught by masters who had endured the same. Today it’s a years course with a certificate thrown in The skills drop as the pass rate increases and we now have “ gurus “ who selfishly promote their teachings at the expense of those who genuinely want to learn. Please share your sculpting work in the new “My other life” topic that Neil is setting up as we speak. I can confirm that all machines that have moving parts or make excessive noise are referred to as “jiggly machines “. Yes , you will earn bonus points from the admin team if you make it part of your vocabulary ! Don’t forget there’s a “ Teachers Pet “ award that will be announced each month. ( Neil is finalising details ). We are heading to the US next September and would love to stop by and see your work ! Take care. Johnny

[neilb]

Don’t forget there’s a “ Teachers Pet “ award that will be announced each month. ( Neil is finalising details ).

i see.... lol ok sounds good, i never was a teachers pet at school, i was usually in the corner wearing a hat with a large 'D' on it hahaha

[Kiwi john]

Ok Neil isn’t quite up to the finalising stage just yet. Little more r&d but should be good to go real soon. Going to be big.....

[cliffrod]

Cliffy. Thousands of miles apart but the training you received sounds similar to the stories Peter has told us about his apprenticeship. Today very few people would be willing to submit and be humbled by teachers with the skills that can only be obtained through hundreds if not thousands of hours of practice having previously been taught by masters who had endured the same. Today it’s a years course with a certificate thrown in The skills drop as the pass rate increases and we now have “ gurus “ who selfishly promote their teachings at the expense of those who genuinely want to learn. Please share your sculpting work in the new “My other life” topic that Neil is setting up as we speak. I can confirm that all machines that have moving parts or make excessive noise are referred to as “jiggly machines “. Yes , you will earn bonus points from the admin team if you make it part of your vocabulary ! Don’t forget there’s a “ Teachers Pet “ award that will be announced each month. ( Neil is finalising details ). We are heading to the US next September and would love to stop by and see your work ! Take care. Johnny

By next September, I might have time to clean up things around here.... seriously, it would be great to have y'all visit. I never know what will be here but will roll out the welcome mat. Keep me posted.

as a young boy, the idea of being an apprentice really held my interest. The specific craft or specialty wasn't as important as the idea of specializing in an old craft. The method, process and relationships mattered more. My 2nd & 3rd grade teacher's husband and son were harness makers there in our small town. They all made a big impression on me. There's a lot of liberation in being a menial apprentice. Never understood why so few will really let go and admit they're subordinate to get the reward. You also get paid to learn. It just makes sense to me.

Ultimately I apprenticed as an auctioneer (87-89) chef (91-93 before my journeyman years) and then as a sculptor (2000-2003). Instead of having student loan debt when I moved on each time, I had a marketable skill set and money in the bank. I never could have accomplished what I have if that income had been an equivalent debt. Being told you're doing it wrong (because you usually are...) along the way is a small price to pay.

Looking forward to to meeting anyone who can make it!