about

Introduction

As a 33-year-old with 18 years of experience in stone masonry, I’m happy to provide itemized quotes and consultative services for small to medium-sized projects ranging from figurative sculpture and stone carving all the way to masonry re-pointing and structural brick and block work. I have extensive experience in restoration and general masonry, have attended multiple courses and schools in classical architecture, and have 2 years of experience as a stone carver from a one-on-one apprenticeship with Europe’s most decorated stone carver.

As both a stone-mason who ran a company for 5 years in the US, and a stone-carver now in the UK, I possess multiple levels of experience and skillsets that allow me to offer a comprehensive range of stone-related services under one entity. While many clients and firms subcontract these wide-ranging masonry services to multiple parties, I’m able to provide these expert services under a single roof. This makes the logistics, financing, and overall operational subcontracting services less convoluted, and less stressful. Design, aesthetics, architecture, engineering, structural components, itemized cost estimates, and the basic and punctual communication of all of these aspects of my work are clearly and professionally conveyed within the context of any prospective or ongoing project. All initial estimates and consultative work are pro-bono.

Personal History

I began working with stone at the age of 15, primarily focusing on my parent’s estate throughout the summers. During my final semester of university, I made the decision to drop out and get a job in masonry full-time. I did this in order to help my parents, as they were facing extenuating circumstances which imperilled the family estate that my father and I had been working on for 20 years.

Initially I was a hod-carrier on a union masonry team for 6 months, but financial burdens facing my parents forced me to quit and start my own masonry company in order to support them financially. With the help of my professional masonry friends, I was afforded success in this endeavour. Operating under a weighty financial duress for several years, I ended up working 70–80-hour weeks on average, and rapidly increased my experience with all aspects of masonry.

After almost five years of running my company, and completing a myriad of projects (see ‘masonry subtab) I realized I wanted to continue pursuing the higher forms of masonry, such as stone carving and sculpture. As I was already familiar with stone, and as a portrait/figurative artist, I wanted to consummate these faculties in classical sculpture. As the family had attained some modicum of stability, I felt it necessary to move to England in order to be taught these art forms by a master, and supplement my teachings with various schools.

I was able to attain a one-on-one apprenticeship with the most decorated stone carver in Europe, Alex Wenham, in Oxford, England at the beginning of 2024. I operated as his apprentice for two years. I’ve been honoured to be his first apprentice, and have cultivated an understanding of stone carving, and, increasingly, figurative sculpture, that has afforded me the ability to now pursue my own path in this field as of 2026.

Philosophy & Goals

I am a strong advocate for classical architecture, and lament the general loss of architectural beauty and ornamentation due to reigning modernist ideologies and their subsequent forms. Humanity’s alienation from nature has resulted in the near-ubiquitous destruction of classical forms of beauty, and its replacement with philistine modes of abstraction and conceptualist frameworks which have been detrimental to the aesthetics of our cityscapes. As such, I’m a staunch opponent to modernism and post-modernism in all of their forms.

I am primarily inspired by the classical world and the legacy it immortalized through stone--especially the Hellenistic modes of artistic production. Hellenistic sculpture, with its vibrant, emotionally-evocative styles, and high degree of motion and precision, is my primary source of inspiration and what I will emulate in my own work. The classical world’s expressions of sacred principles of existence and archetypes of the human condition are what initially created high art. The representation of these archetypical features of humankind through storytelling, and their further interpretation through sculpture, are what led to the first renaissance of western art. Today there exists very few patrons of this art. As a result, classical sculpture has languished under the juggernaut of modernism, and those possessing the skills to execute such forms of high art are almost non-existent.

To achieve the goal of becoming a great classical sculptor, and to attempt to overcome this paradigm, I’m driven to find commissions for full-figure marble and limestone statues. My ideal commission is one that will allow me the time necessary to create highly-detailed and highly-artistic works of art. Subsequent to establishing myself in this field, I want to train a new generation of talented, classically-trained sculptors, ultimately in order to beautify the cities and the landscapes that all of us call home, in pursuit of a higher stage of social existence. This is my raison d’etre. 

 Past & Current Projects

1.     St. Paul’s Cathedral- restoration of original five 1714 Queen Anne marble figures; ongoing

-Repair of marble fingers for various statues; ongoing

2.     Blenheim Palace- restoration of heraldic pediment and Corinthian capitals; ongoing

3.     Tower of London- contributed to shaping arrow loop base stone and restoring stone turret wall

4.     Dorchester Hotel- Restoration of the Oliver Messel suite fountain, especially the statuary.

5.     Magdalen College, Oxford University- various work including restoring Magdalen Gateway statuary and architectural stone carvings and conserving dozens of grotesques around campus

6.     Various Medieval Churches- new stone carving works including finials, flowers, label stops, hood moulds, collars, pinnacles, quoins, merlons, mullions, dry stack walling

7.     General Commercial & Residential Masonry Projects- see ‘stone masonry’ subtab

 

Qualifications/Affiliations

Curriculum Vitae

 

Other Recommended Craftspeople 

The following are links to various craftspeople with whom I’m personally acquainted and whose expertise in their respective fields I can confidently affirm:

 

a.     Frank Palcic (general contracting, 50+ years experience, United States)- https://masterbuilderscustomhomes.com/

Resume of Gabriel Palcic, a classical sculptor and stone carver, featuring a photo, contact information, skills, work experience, and education details.