Level: Tutoring is individual. It doesn't matter whether you are beginner or whether you have already experience in stone carving.

The Stone Carving Experience is limited to a maximum of 8 participants

“How did they do it??!!”

Have you ever asked yourself, “How did they do it??!!” when you looked at stone sculptures in a museum, or maybe while strolling through the town center of an ancient Italian city?

Have you ever imagined what a great feeling it would be to see your very own sculpture emerging from a rough block of stone, a sculpture formed by your own hands?

Have you ever asked yourself whether you could do it, whether you could reward yourself with this feeling?

Especially if you have never worked with your hands before and the closest you came to using a chisel and hammer was hammering words and numbers on the keyboard of your computer?

Maybe you doubt whether you will ever be able to create something remotely similar to the works of artists and professional sculptors created through the centuries.

And yes, it is a challenge.

But it is a challenge you can master, provided you get the support you need.

Tangible, down-to-earth instruction on what to do, how to use your tools efficiently, and how to work the right way without getting exhausted quickly.

Don´t understand this wrong.

Stone carving is physical work, and after a good day´s work you probably will be tired.

But it won´t be the exhaustion after a long day toiling in front of your computer.

It will be an agreeable tiredness. The kind of tiredness that lets you sleep well, that gives you the sensation of satisfaction because you will see and feel what you have achieved during the day.

To help you with this challenge and to make it a really pleasurable experience, you will enjoy experienced tuition.

To fortify you for this challenge beyond the tuition you will also enjoy delicious Italian food. Everything is cared for.

A hearty and healthy breakfast, mouth-watering dinners at Villa La Rogaia and dining out in typical Umbrian restaurants where the locals go…

You can completely focus on your work of art and on having a wonderful pleasant experience in the heart of Italy.

And if you feel like needing a massage, once a week our masseur will look after you with a soothing and relaxing treatment for your muscles.

You don't need prior experience, big muscles or superhuman powers.

What you need instead is perseverance and a little bit of patience.

Sounds good. But what makes this stone-carving experience so special?

Well, for instance, the fact that it starts before you even have arrived at Villa La Rogaia.

Before your Stone Carving Experience even has started, Wolfgang Sandt will get in contact with you and plan together with you your personal individual stone carving project (by telephone or email).

This upfront counselling will provide for several important advantages:  

• Before you even touch your stone carving tools the first time, you will have a clear perspective which kind of sculpture you will be able to create within one week.

• If you already have an idea for a sculpture, Wolfgang Sandt can check with you whether there is a realistic chance you can do it and how it can be achieved.  

• If you have no idea at all what your sculpture could look like, no problem! That will be solved. Wolfgang Sandt will come up with suggestions and help you to find a suitable project.

• At La Rogaia everything can be prepared for your project, which means you can start to work on your sculpture from the very first moment, without losing time. Of course you are not obliged to do it this way. You can start slowly if you prefer that. Yet you will discover that working on your sculpture is significantly easier if everything has been prepared well.

Your instructor, the artist Wolfgang Sandt

Wolfgang Sandt is a master stonemason, sculptor and painter with more than 20 years of teaching experience.

He has participated in numerous international symposia and exhibitions.

He creates abstract sculptures of translucent marble as well as representational artwork.

He carves bowls, basins and other artistic objects for daily use out of marble and other stones.

For more information about Wolfgang and his art, visit his website.
www.atelier-wolfgangsandt.de

Read an article about a stonecarving workshop with Wolfgang Sandt at Villa La Rogaia

Wolfgang Sandt, My inspiration: Why I love to work with stone

If you have been to Rome once, you know that there you can discover an almost unbelievable multitude of masterpieces of art.

When I first visited Rome with the graduating class of my art school, I was completely overwhelmed and excited by the ancient sculptures, the works of Michelangelo and many other artists.

Particularly taken, however, I was by the sculptures of Bernini and Canova in the Galleria Borghese. I was deeply impressed by their virtuosity; by the way, they gave incredible lightness and liveliness to the marble.

Back then I had no idea how great that virtuosity really was.

I got a realistic impression of this only after I had started my apprenticeship as stonemason and had worked on my first small and relatively easy sculptural work.

Well, there are many difficulties you have to master working with natural stone which, as a beginner, you simply don’t know.

On the other hand, I discovered that many things that command admiration from the layperson in reality are not that difficult.

Actually some things turn out to be astonishingly easy once you know how to do them.

Nonetheless, it is always a new challenge to give a form to a rough block of stone.

A challenge, however, that is highly gratifying if you accept it and see how a sculpture comes into being by the work of your own hands.

Ready for the challenge?
Secure your spot!
Apply HERE!

Some things you should know about the course

We create sculptures preferably from marble or limestone. These materials are a good fit for stone carving. Which material is best for your individual sculpture, you will discuss with Wolfgang Sandt in your preliminary counselling.

Your stone will be selected and prepared for you according to your desired project.

The stone for your sculpture, already included in the fee for your Stone Carving Experience, has a weight of approximately 100 kg (about 220 pounds). This equals the weight of a marble block of about 40 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm. (15.75 x 11.81 x 11.81 inches).

This doesn't mean that the block for your sculpture has to have exactly these measures, nor does it mean that it mustn't exceed by any means the weight of 100 kg.

Rather consider the measures and weight given as an indication for the sculpture you want to create.

Experience shows that using stones of the approximate size described above, it is possible to create an impressive sculpture within one week even without prior experience.

Bigger stones/sculptures normally require a considerably higher amount of work.

Another piece of advice: Many people think that it is easier to make a sculpture of a smaller size. This, however, is a false belief. It is right that you don't have to carve away lots of material, but small stones with a low weight tend to slip away at every hit, and they are fairly difficult to fixate.

So don't plan too small. You'll be astonished what you can achieve within one week, given that everything is prepared well.

You will create your sculpture in Wolfgang Sandt's big studio or in the outdoor sculpting area in the garden of Villa La Rogaia.

Stone carving tradition in Umbria

Be inspired by the ancient cultural tradition of Umbria.

Lake Trasimeno lies in the heartland of Etruscan culture. Discover the antique roots of European sculpting, ceramics and painting. There are Etruscan tomb sites and museums with prehistoric, Etruscan, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance artworks to be visited in our vicinity.

If time permits, a full-day trip to archaeological sites and a museum will be another unforgettable experience of your stone-carving week at La Rogaia.

Okay, and what about the “Culinary”?

You will start your day with a healthy and hearty breakfast “al buffet” to fortify you for the “toils” of stonecarving.

At dinnertime one of our chefs will prepare for you a tasty typical Umbrian meal with several courses.

Look forward to traditional Umbrian and Tuscan dishes with fresh ingredients from La Rogaia and other organic farms from the region.

On some evenings Wolfgang Sandt will guide you to some of his favourite typical Umbrian restaurants in the vicinity.

This means that you have the chance to spend a lot of time with the artist, to ask questions and get even more suggestions and assistance for your sculpting project.

About Villa La Rogaia

“Villa La Rogaia” is an ancient Umbrian country house situated in the hills above Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, Italy. You will stay in rooms or apartments created with attention to every detail and decorated with sculptures and paintings by the artist Wolfgang Sandt.

The buildings are surrounded by a large garden with a pool. Everywhere you can find romantic corners with sculptures and peaceful little perches with views over olive orchards, vineyards, lavender fields and meadows.