A Week with Maestro Tazzioli
I went to Italy for 10 days this month in order to continue studying with stone carver Dario Tazzioli. Dario is a very traditional carver in the sense of being part of the living tradition of stone carving. He learned from a master who learned from a master who learned from a master, etc… to time immemorial. His studio is in the Apli Apuani, a region of Italy in the same mountain range as the famous marble quarries of Carrara (where Michelangelo go this marble).
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4344.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4381.jpeg)
During this trip, I learned the method of copying (and enlarging or diminishing) a model into stone using calipers. This is an older method than the technique of using a pointing machine which is the most used method currently. It is simpler in concept but in some ways more labor intensive. It’s much more flexible than a pointing machine, however. Dario also corrected my technique in basic stone removal skills. And, I got the chance to work in beautiful Carrrara marble.
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4337.jpeg)
The portrait bust I was copying was from a sculpture portrait workshop last year which I took with Jason Arkles in Florence.
Here are some more images of the caliper copying process.
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4287.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4288.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4291.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4364.jpeg)
Being in Dario’s studio also gave me the chance to see the projects he’s working on. During my time there, he finished and installed a grave and headstone at a local cemetery and started work on another grave stone. Dario also makes his own lime mortar and sometimes paints frescoes, and while I was there, he was engaged on part of the lime mortar making process.
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4296.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4390.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4347.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4321.jpeg)
Of course, I also enjoyed just being in Italy and enjoying the mountains! The village of Frassinoro, where I stayed in the Dragon Valley (Val di Dragone). It’s just gorgeous.
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4340.jpeg)
![](http://www.belfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4346.jpeg)
And, dear reader, does this all sound just delightful!? Well, next year, I’m organizing a workshop for 4-6 people to come with me to study for a week with Dario! It’s planned for October 2024, dates TBD. We’ll stay at the Albergo Alpino in Piandellagoti, a few miles from Dario’s studio and spent the days at his studio. Contact me if you would like more info!