Dry Stone Spheres
Devin Devine, stone sculptor and land artist based out of Pennsylvania devin@devineescapes.com
Dry Stone Sphere
Detail. Red slate, purple slate, black slate, yellow/orange sandstone, bluestone. A colorful globe,with a band of color fading from yellow sandstone to deep red slate. Let it all flow.
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The sphere is 5′ tall, is built dry, and is integrated into the wall and patio, via a shared inlay moving through all 3. Check out these additional photos, and video–and more photos too! And always check my blog, because there’s always always more to come.
Someone asked, about these spheres: What does it mean, what does it symbolize?
An excerpt from my journal may prove helpful: <br>
Step into a puddle of water and lift your foot back out. See the sediment swirl about.
What you are seeing is still a mirror. I know, before you stepped into the puddle, the water’s surface was actually reflecting and therefore more mirror-like, at that point then it is now. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of white clouds in the blue sky, maybe you saw your own face reflected–but now, the mud is all swirled up and spiraling about. So the mirror is gone? But no, this sight of the disturbed puddle, it too is like a mirror–because it shows you what you are.
What is a puddle anyway?
It is a small body of water, with mineral stuff suspended in it, contained by the edges of the puddle, made of soil and gravel.
And what are you then?
You are a small body of water, containing mineral stuff suspended within, contained by skin. You’re like a disturbed puddle of water, in slow motion kiddo (and I think you’re totally cool).
But also remember, that puddle too reflected the cloud above, before being disturbed by your toe. And now the swirls of sediment, how cloud-like this movement and form is. The puddle then still reflects both you, and the cloud.
This was an early fascination of mine, as a child. Did you not have puddles, as a child? Has the world lost a bit of wonder, since then? I suppose there’s less need to step in puddles anymore. Maybe there’s even an impulse to chastise the children, when they step in puddles. In their brand new shoes! This sphere too, is like a puddle of water. The puddle is vaguely round shaped–the sphere too, is not *perfectly round. Oh, the humble craftsman did try! And both have swirling, flowing lines, cloud-like movements. The sphere is like the puddle, but more 3 dimensional–and the water is gone. It’s like I just took a puddle, made it more 3-d, then removed all water while yet managing to capture a bit of the mineral flowing and crystalizing this into solid and stable form.
-excerpt from the journal of Devin Devine
This was an early fascination of mine, as a child. Did you not have puddles, as a child? Has the world lost a bit of wonder, since then? I suppose there’s less need to step in puddles anymore. Maybe there’s even an impulse to chastise the children, when they step in puddles. In their brand new shoes! This sphere too, is like a puddle of water. The puddle is vaguely round shaped–the sphere too, is not *perfectly round. Oh, the humble craftsman did try! And both have swirling, flowing lines, cloud-like movements. The sphere is like the puddle, but more 3 dimensional–and the water is gone. It’s like I just took a puddle, made it more 3-d, then removed all water while yet managing to capture a bit of the mineral flowing and crystalizing this into solid and stable form.
-excerpt from the journal of Devin Devine
Dry stone sphere 2013, 2 of 11. Private commission. At five feet tall, this sphere is approximately 8,000 pounds of dry laid stone. Hand shaped and stacked from 4 tons of leftover/reclaimed pennsylvania bluestone, this sphere stands about five feet tall and contains no mortar, no glue, no hidden pegs. Just stone! Held together by gravity, friction, will power and love, in Devon PA. Photo by Linda McCarthy
These sphere sculptures are part of a planned series of 11 planetoids or Lithadelic Spheres.
A lithadelic sphere is defined as a “full-size” natural material assemblage’ sculpture between 3′ and 6′ tall. Spheres smaller than 3′ are not part of this series. Flowing lines, different colors, a bit of swirl and dots alight not only the face of these pieces–these pieces all have integral flow. The flowing surface stones stretch back into the center and are each structural members.
Dry stone? The first 2 spheres were both dry stacked, as described here. Keeping it completely dry was important to me and it still is greatly my preference.
Dry stone? The first 2 spheres were both dry stacked, as described here. Keeping it completely dry was important to me and it still is greatly my preference.
Dry Stone Hypersphere the Thirdlymost. Building process described here.
Brookside Gardens Sphere, 2017 Silver Spring Maryland, the fourth. I wrote a FAQ for this one! This one was built in front of a live audience. Since people asked so many questions….I complied them.
Dry Stone Sphere the 5th
Stacked Stone Sculpture, bluestone vase with color gradient. September 2019, 4′ tall.
More Spheres coming... soon enough!
