ARTISTIC PRAGMATISM - USEFUL ART

Useful expressions in stone masonry and cedar craft are being designed and built by Ben Kegley.

Welcome to the showcase of the possible. For most of my career as a stonemason, on some various ocassions I have been told that the stonework I was building is a work of art. My response, if pressed, was to politely decline the compliment in deference to the fact that it was merely a craft, not an art. While working for other men for twenty- eight years, I can count the opportunities I enjoyed to actually create an expressive work of art on one hand. Since I began working my own caretaker service full time, I am now free to announce the availability of functional art with a practical purpose: artistic pragmatism.

Here in Lyme, Connecticut, we are blessed with an abundance - not only of a variety of stone supplies, but also tall stands of long lasting eastern red cedar (juniperus virginiana). Both are wonderful materials for outdoor designs. Imagine pictorial patios or seesawing water works. How about invent whimsical wall gates or even flying fireplaces. You will find a boundless blend of traditional time tested techniques mixed with modern tools and fasteners only sampled here at lymestone.com. The truly extraordinary creations are yet to be built at your home. Consider the shillelagh. In the same way the characters in the blueberry cane were waiting to be released by the sculptor, so too a fantastic treasure can be unlocked in your own situation, circumstances, and location.

Coming soon I will be offering my instructional yet musing book, and also a hands-on video. Both teachings are based on lectures and demonstrations I have given for over twenty- five years. Geared for beginners, they are structured around the fundamental principals of dry stone masonry.

- Ben Kegley

Contact: benkegley@lymestone.com