photo by Earl Wood

I had the very good fortune recently to be introduced to one of California’s foremost stone sculptors, Patricia Bengston.

I was really taken with her work. I love the raw, mythical quality of it, and how she allows the stone to be stone, rather than trying to make something pretty-pretty out of it. It’s stone: heavy; plain; figured; textural; translucent; eternal; even humorous.

I love how her forms give you an inkling of a story, but not much more than will tickle your own frames of reference and put you on the beginning of a path to create your own stories from the images.

Here’s what she has to say on her site: PBengtson.com

“As a seeker of knowledge, with ten years of landscape and (color) field painting in 1972, I returned to finished my education, to find answers to my search of the ‘unknown’.

“This led me into sculpture and using concepts of the prehistoric monumental stone sites and myths. I visited England, Italy and Mexico, and lived in the Southwest. I used the monolithic forms, arches and stacking or layering to denote the passage of time in my sculpture

“In the last year, this background information along with the mythology of the Vikings, has helped me research my own heritage which combines Swedish and Northern European.

“This endless search has helped to shed some light on the unexplained phenomena of my past cultures. It enables my sculpture to come together as a ‘Passage to My Heritage.’ ”

Here are a few of the pieces I loved the most. Although these are all maritime themed, not all of Bengston’s works are. Make sure you visit her site for more mythical, powerful stone and glass work – especially check out that gateway she’s carving at the top of the page here! PBengtson.com

top: Dad’s Barge: 2000
Granite, Marble, Cast Glass, Redwood Barge
29″ x 17″ x 15″

middle: Let’s Clean the Barnacles Off: 1999
Travertine, Slate
10″ x 7″ x 20″

bottom: Black Cliff Dock: 2002
Virginia Steatite, Cast Glass and Bronze
14″ x 18″ x 10″