Sylvaine Gorgo is a stone carver.
Esprit Joaillerie takes a look at a profession of passion: the marketing of hard stones. Sylvaine Gorgo, a stone marketer, shares her expertise with us in this rare art.
© Sylvaine Gorgo
It must be said that one must master the entire palette of stone colors. Knowing their hardness allows one to cut them into thin slices. Then comes the cutting of smaller pieces to be glued onto a plate. This art, which is one of the most difficult, fascinates Sylvaine, who defines herself as a painter of eternal painting.
Dear Sylvaine, how did you become a stone carver?
By chance. First of all, it was thanks to the support of the family of a deceased marketer that I was able to take up the torch of this very special profession. Thus, it was through transmission that this art was revealed.
Moreover, I worked on limestone stones as well as granite and porphyry. So they thought that if I wasn’t afraid to work with the granite from Zimbabwe, I wouldn’t be afraid of harder work and that resuming the workshop would interest me. Moreover, they had been looking for someone to take on the challenge for several years. After some thought, it took me an hour to make the decision. I think that in fact it had already been made.
Hard stone is a difficult and demanding material; did you undergo any special training?
No. I was a freight forwarder (organizer of multimodal transport) and I worked in logistics before turning to working with stone. In other words, my training has been self-taught over the years. Through networking, the reopening of the workshop was a tremendous accelerator. Of course, it’s also a lot of work because the size of fine stones requires a long learning process.
What do the stones represent for you?
During my childhood, stones were present but I wasn’t interested in them. However, my father, an engineer by profession, practiced speleology between 1950 and 1970. And of course, he collected the «rocks». However, this collection wasn’t always of great aesthetic interest and sometimes it left me perplexed. It is undeniable that the stones were present in the house.
Later on, a close relative introduced me to Roman mosaics. I liked it, but the work using a mallet—that is, between the chisel and the grinding wheel—soon bored me. To the point that I felt the need to chisel, to get into the material.
That’s why I naturally switched to the size of the stones, arriving in 2016 with fine stones. In fact, with the feeling of having finally arrived at the right place.
There is no doubt that stones, and fine stones in particular, suit my temperament. I need a material that resists me and a «living» material that is not uniform and changing. So, marquetry is perfect for this. I am always obsessed with this material and my work.
© Sylvaine Gorgo
Among all these stones, which one do you prefer?
Lapis lazuli is a stone that I have long avoided (don’t ask me why), yet it is a stone that fascinates me today. However, I would tend to say that the favorite stone is the stone of the moment, or the next one that hasn’t yet been worked on.
What is the first marquetry you have made?
The very first work depicts a Chinese warrior, taken from an old Chinese anthology, in the incrustation technique. It is a piece that has meant a lot to me; I have kept it in my personal collection.
Is there any work that inspires you?
Actually, I have a particular love not for a work but for periods.
For example, the Persian miniatures, the Japanese prints and the grotesques. They occupy a special place, especially in the development of my work on tales and legends, but also as a model of refinement.
Let us also mention that in marquetry I have a fascination for the floor of the Cathedral of Siena.
Beyond that, everything inspires me.
Thanks Sylvaine for this exchange.
To say the least, your carvings are truly dreamlike tableaux. Your talent allows us to see the stones in an enchanting universe.
