On Martha’s Vineyard, visitors can spot stone animals tucked into everyday places, a hawk at Featherstone Center for the Arts, a seal at Camp Jabberwocky, and more. They’re the work of Ben Cabot, a sculptor who hand-carves birds and other forms from granite and marble, including nine-foot, rough-hewn posts topped with perched birds.
Cabot’s connection to the Island runs deep, and his path into sculpture started with hands-on trade work. Before focusing on carving full time, he worked as a stonemason, building patios and drystack stone walls, work he compared to a giant jigsaw puzzle. That field experience shows up in how he thinks about stone, not as something to overpower, but as something to read and respond to as the piece develops.
One current project began as a roughly 4,000-pound block of granite brought from an off-Island quarry. To break it down, Cabot drilled a line of holes along the slab and used a metal wedge set between metal “feathers” to split the stone. He then moved a half piece into the studio on rollers and pulled it upright into a floor pocket using a chain hoist.
From there, his workflow is straightforward and familiar to anyone who has dressed stone on a wall or in a shop. He starts by chiseling the post and leaving a varied, rough surface. For rough shaping, he uses an angle grinder with a diamond blade. When it’s time to sharpen features and refine the surface, he switches to air chisels and works down a short punch list of remaining details.
For mason contractors and stone crews, the takeaway is simple: big stonework moves faster when the sequence stays disciplined. Split clean, stage the piece, remove stock in controlled steps, and save the fine work for the end. Stone doesn’t give second chances, so every cut needs intent.
Read the full, original article from MV Times here.