Joanne Duby is an artist and teacher known to many of us, mainly through her classes at Camp Brotherhood and this year, the Silver Falls Symposium. She is not only a talented, consummate artist, but also a very generous and valuable instructor who never fails to impart essential tips and information to any carver. She is a resident artist at Art City Studios in Ventura, California, and works full time as a sculptor and teacher. This interview took place on the premises of Art City Studios on October 15, 2001.
SS: Tell us a little about your early beginnings as an artist, where you studied, whom you’ve worked with, and how it all began.
JD: My mother was a frustrated painter, but she did many things to keep me amused. She would get me involved in art projects to keep me busy and confine my messes. My grandfather was a big influence as well, being a wood worker who had a workshop in the basement. He was a cement finisher by trade and I remember going with him to work while he was working on the World’s Fair in Seattle when I was young. He did the finishing on all those big arches you see. He was a neat guy. So between my Mom and my grandfather, I grew up familiar with tools and knowing how to use my hands.
When I got older, after taking about two years of nursing school, I didn’t think that I would enjoy it as a career, so I went back to school and studied English as my major. But I found myself constantly gravitating towards the humanities building and I discovered ceramics. This was in the early 70s and I worked at Seaward Park Ceramic Studios in Seattle where I first took pottery lessons, and then the Northwest Ceramic Studios near Lake Union, Fremont area. After about three years of doing ceramics I moved to California and started school at Santa Barbara City College taking more classes in English and just generally trying to complete my college education. I also became an assistant to Oscar Bucher in the ceramics department. While assisting him I started getting very interested in sculpting. Since I had the keys to the college, and most of the rooms, I stayed there a lot and started looking seriously at sculpture and took a class. This was 1975 and I got a stone out of Figueroa Mountain, a piece of serpentine, and that was when I fell madly in love with stone carving. I started out making my own chisels out of rebar, which did not work well, so I spent a lot of time heating and tempering the rebar until I got my first working chisel. I made three or four more pieces while also studying bronze casting. At that point I had met Paul Lindhardt, who at the time was selling stone to the college. I became the teacher’s assistant in the sculpture class and changed my major from English to sculpture and ceramics. I completed my degree in liberal arts. 
SS: How did you make the transition from student to working artist? Was it difficult?
JD: Yes, in some respects it was difficult because there were not a lot of women artists. I believe the art community was hesitant to invest time and interest in a woman, who then might up and start a family and stop working. However, I had met a lot of good artists that I was working with and the environment was very encouraging and supportive. Paul Lindhardt, and another artist that was influential in my life, Todd Andrews, and some other artists, and I, put on a show in 1977 in Santa Barbara. A wonderful sculptor, Donald Davis, came to the show and saw my work. This provided a very valuable working situation for me, because after the show Donald asked me to work for him, finishing his marble pieces for a show. At that point in time, there was nobody available to teach stone carving. Donald had been in Italy working so I took the job with him as a sort of an apprentice/assistant. For the next seven years on and off I worked for Donald completing his work for shows. This is where I got my primary education in finishing pieces and arranging presentations for shows. And interestingly enough, I learned from finishing how to carve. Donald went to Italy while I was working for him and he picked up my first pneumatic hammer for me. So then I had my first two tools of my own, the hammer and a grinder. That first grinder, 24 years later, burned up in the fire here at Art City a couple of years ago. I still have the hammer.
SS: I know that you have also worked in bronze in the past, was this at the same time that you were working with Donald Davis and learning stone sculpture?
JD: Yes. I would work with Donald for about three months at a time, before his shows, and the rest of my time was producing artwork of my own. I formed a company with Todd Andrews and a lot of our work involved enlarging artwork. The company took small models and enlarged them into life-size or heroic sizes in bronze. Our first job was taking Jimmy Stewart from a 12 inch model to a 9 foot statue in bronze for his 75th birthday – we did it in seven weeks. That piece is in Indiana, PA, his hometown. Todd and I worked together for about 11 years. The pieces that I worked on during this time are all over, but one that is a favorite is the dolphin fountain in Santa Barbara near the pier. The business was so busy and we needed larger studios, so we relocated to Grass Valley in California, and for a few years I worked exclusively on bronze work in the large studio that we built.
In the late 1980s, after working exclusively in bronze for so long, I reached the point where the materials that were used in the bronzes and molds was becoming too toxic for me and I was ready for a change of scenery and work. Around this time Paul Lindhardt came up to visit me and surprised me with a couple of lovely stones. Those stones were the breadcrumbs that led me back to Art City Studios and stone sculpting. I returned to Southern California, moved into studio space at Art City and have never looked back since.
SS: You’ve been working here since that time exclusively working in stone?
JD: Yes. I’ve pretty much carved continuously since that time. For the first 10 years I worked 7 days a week, never with a break. I started teaching the second year I was here. You should know, at this time there were no other carvers at Art City and I was starting to get to know Paul’s stone customers when he was out of the studio working on big projects. I was constantly fielding questions about stone carving so I decided to start teaching Saturday classes. Before I knew it I had about eight regular students (one of whom was Chris Provenzano) and whenever I announced a class there were ready and willing people wanting to learn — ranging from beginners to experienced carvers who needed to refine aspects of their work, or learn the ins and outs of finishing. Because I was teaching here on the grounds of Art City, people began to ask about carving space and we began to attract a group of working artists from my classes.
The teaching was getting quite hectic. My classes were full and demanding so I eventually started organizing symposia here at Art City with local talented artists. This allowed me more time to devote to my own work and also allowed me to personalize the instruction I do on a regular basis in an apprenticeship arrangement. I had one artist who apprenticed with me for two years, working half a day on my work, with supervision and instruction and half a day on his work, with my guidance and instruction as needed. It is important that I keep my pace of work up to support myself and meet the demands placed on me, so this enables me to continue teaching without jeopardizing my deadlines. Now that other talented artists are also teaching here in our classes, I have time to travel to teach with Donald Davis at Park City, Utah, the Santa Barbara International Symposium, the Rhode Island International Sculpture Conference. And of course I have traveled for the last five years to Camp Brotherhood to teach, and just a few months ago I attended the Silver Falls Symposium and taught there as well. Boy, what a beautiful symposium and terrific group of people I met there. The physical environment was relaxing and extraordinary in its beauty.
SS: You are a very prolific artist, with a heavy work load involving your commissioned pieces, meeting the demands of your collectors, and the many shows you are in, and I wonder with that in mind, why do you take the time to teach?
JD: I remember when I was learning about stone sculpting and I was out there in the dark and it was something I really wanted to do and there were no books. My first diamond blade was a tile saw! The new age of stone has now appeared, but before that there was really nothing unless an artist wanted to travel to Italy to study, or pursue a curriculum of art at a college. Finding a teacher was difficult and that frustration is something I’ve never forgotten. People who approached me really wanted to learn and if they had the tenacity to try it, and judging from how they begged me to do it, they had the desire, so it was something I decided I would take the time to do for them. It’s a rewarding endeavor because every time I teach a class I learn something myself. Just by the questions I’m asked, I have to challenge myself to find the answers and that provides an opportunity to educate myself. The networking is also a fabulous opportunity and I always open myself up through these connections to learn much more. Stone sculptors are a special breed of artist and we are really a very small community. There are not many available outlets for communication and information sharing on an intimate level and teaching provides this for me.
SS: Are there any tips you can offer a beginner who is thinking of studying carving, whether with you or with others?
JD: A rudimentary knowledge of our “language” helps for all of my students. But it’s not critical. But there is a language relating to the process of carving, the stone, the materials used, from pins and sleeves to the glues, coloring agents and finishing materials. Knowledge of some of these items helps, but if not, it’s easy enough to learn as you study, and something like Camp Brotherhood provides an opportunity to learn a vast amount in one setting within a relatively short amount of time. 
SS: You have taught finishing aspects of sculpture, from sanding and polishing to pinning and sleeving. Where did you learn these particular skills?
JD: Paul Lindhardt was instrumental in developing a lot of the pinning and sleeving concepts. Paul creates massive pieces and I create light and airy pieces so we explored together how to accomplish the pinning we needed. It was really like inventing the wheel sometimes. The finishing process, from sanding to sealers, that is so essential, I got from on-the-job experience with Donald Davis. Exploration is also a part of this learning process because there are so many different stones out there, and the variables from the color of the stone, the grain, the desired affect for presentation, all are integral items to consider when learning how to finish a piece. It comes with time and networking, not hesitating to question an artist who has a completed piece that inspires and affects you. If you see something you like, ask the artist about it. That’s a great way to network and also to provide positive feedback to the artist, which we all appreciate.
SS: Joanne you have a particular style about your work, utilizing flowing and curving lines, almost lyrical in their composition. Where did this develop and what influences this?
JD: I love Brancusi’s work and Jean Arp. Their forms are very inspirational to me in my design objectives, and definitely influenced me. And again, Donald Davis influenced me, particularly with the lines in his earlier work. He has evolved into more architectural pieces now, but I adore his early works and they had an effect on me. Also a lot of my style evolved out of my ceramics background and my studies of Japanese forms and the constant “S” curves that are in their pottery as well as the strong lines that hold, for instance, a jar. I really try for a sense of movement in the stone and I like people to notice the form, not the weight, and I want to create light and airy structures and push the subject matter. I want you to not believe that it’s a stone when you’re looking at it. Some of my forms are greatly influenced by metal, another material I love. Some of my lines, particularly the twists, almost look like a weld, the way the metal would curve, the clean defined lines of metal.
My figurative work I prefer to do in clay, my fish are fun and whimsical to do and I can give them a lot of movement. However, I have also done bears, frogs, horses, almost all sea creatures, and most recently a dog, but over the long run I have moved onto more abstract art. Historically the fish and flowers have always sold faster than the abstract art did.
SS: What tools do you use when you work?
JD: I’m a machine queen. I have a tool room that is the envy of most carvers…..it’s been my equalizer because I’m small in stature. Every rock needs different treatment and I certainly have enough tools to get around most any problem.
SS: If you had only one tool to work with, that would be used to accomplish most of your work, what would it be?
JD: A flush mounted diamond blade on a variable speed Metabo grinder.
SS: Your “day job” is as a sculptor, full time, and it’s how you support yourself. Can you discuss a little about your marketing and sales experiences, and provide any suggestions for our readers?
JD: When I first started, I mostly did small shows (weekend shows) for paid entry, an exhausting process which I recommend for anyone starting out. I’ve done a lot of shows here at Art City Gallery, which is nice to have as a resource. Over time people would wander in during my work hours and inquire about my work, so having an open studio where people can see me work has helped develop sales. I did quite a few enlargements for Bud Bottoms, who works in bronze, and along the way I taught myself restoration, anything to sustain my work. I was never hesitant to look for ways to show my work, jumping at any opportunity, including shows wherever I was invited, from banks to galleries, and it slowly built up for me. It is a slow process that, in my case, combined with a recession, encouraged me to pursue bigger and better galleries. I met most of my collectors through my sales in the galleries and the many shows I was able to enter. It has taken a lot of time, and risk taking, but with a goal in mind it was possible to do. You should know that it has taken probably 12 years to actually realize self-support. At least 12 years of constant marketing, working nonstop to provide the quantity needed to show in galleries and paid entry shows, and pursuing every possible opportunity that arose to display my work. It’s not easy, and it’s the most time consuming and grueling part of this business. You must be willing to work through dry periods without losing confidence and energy to market yourself. If you love to carve, don’t lose sight of that. Keep in mind that the business side will almost seem demeaning, but it’s a necessary way to continue your work and provide support. Most people pursue their art because of their relationship with the form and their love for it, not to make their instant fortune and realize riches.
SS: You have a web site, can you tell me a little about how you organized it and how useful you’ve found it to be?
JD: I find that before the web site I was sending portfolios out and it was costing me $30 a pop just for laser copies. It was also costing a lot of time and energy to try and meet deadlines with my increased workload. So the web site was produced with the help of the wife of my photographer, and now I can just tell people who are interested in my work to see my web site. It represents my portfolio and what I can do. Expense-wise it saves me a great deal of money and time-wise the savings is monumental. Most of the work pictured on the web site is already sold so I use the site for informational purposes and it has generated a few commissions. It’s used more as a resource to my work, not as a sales site particularly. I think it never hurts to put your work out there, but I would suggest that beginning carvers wait until they have a representational body of work before taking the time and money to publicize just a few pieces. It is a valuable tool to demonstrate your “style” of work and it takes time to develop that.
SS: How did you first become involved with NWSSA and has it enriched your life as an artist? 
JD: Paul Lindhardt was sending a load of stone to NWSSA and Camp Brotherhood one year and told me about the symposium. Paul sent me up to sell his stone and it was news to me that there were this many carvers up in the Pacific Northwest. I was overwhelmed when I arrived — the number of people, the enthusiasm, and the diversity of what was going on. This was five years ago. I joined the organization after this visit and I returned the following year as a teacher, and have been honored to have been asked back every year since. This is an exciting group of people. Because I do spend a lot of time teaching at Camp Brotherhood I miss out on attending more classes, which I would love to do. The array of talent and the quality of the teachers have always been a mainstay of the symposium and something I speak to all my students about. The friendships I have developed and the feeling of being “at home” among so many others whose love of stone is just as strong as mine, is wonderful. I grew up in the Seattle area, and going to Brotherhood makes my visits home to see my family more full. as I’ve developed an additional family which embraces my professional life. The friendships have been enduring and full. It is also a resource to direct many of my students to so they may experience a national carving community.
SS: Do you have a personal philosophy or statement that encompasses your work, or your lifestyle as an artist?
JD: I think it gives my life meaning to carve; I’m happiest when I’m carving. I think it ties me into the timeline of the earth that at the same time humbles me and gives me a sense of continuation and awe of touching something that is maybe 450 million years old.
SS: Could you be happy doing something else?
JD: I’ve done many things, but I don’t think I could be as fulfilled or challenged.
SS: You’ve created more sculpture than any other artist I know, and using many more stones that I’ve ever seen, some very rare. Could you share your experiences of different stones with us and tell us what you like to carve the best, what’s been most enjoyable, most frustrating?
JD: I think probably one of my most favorite stones to carve is the white Italian alabaster because it takes an incredibly beautiful finish. It’s fun and you can use pneumatics, grinders, and it’s a very immediate stone carve. I get a lot of results in a very short time and it will take enormous amounts of abuse. It’s very elegant. Some of the rarer stones have included chrysoprase, which is a gemstone out of Australia, one of my collectors obtained for me. It was very, very hard and it’s a form of quartz embedded in a sandstone rind. It was a beautiful range of jade green to turquoise and dark green. The one I liked the best was called “The Dreaming”. It was a very difficult carve, and a very difficult finish. When finishing a stone this hard you must use diamonds, and in this stone the quartz was bleeding into the sandstone and the sandstone was eating up the diamonds. I used a lot of diamond discs to get through this one. This piece is now in a private collection in Las Vegas.
I have also loved the Australian pipestone that I’ve carved, but it’s very hard to get and I’ve only seen it once, when obtained by my collector for me to carve. I predominantly carve a lot in limestone, a little granite, travertine, rarely soapstone because I like chlorite much better for a soft carve, and the list goes on. There is very little I haven’t tried to carve!
SS: What do you have planned for the future?
JD: I’d like to do some larger pieces. I’ve just been contacted by a company from Pennsylvania that found me through my web site and they are interested in a large piece. I’m also interested in working with water and solar in stone together. I would like to create a piece that creates its own light for night...a solar collector somehow. I’ve always been interested in having a self-contained sculpture that illuminates itself. I have an Art Walk here at Art City this coming weekend, a show at the Santa Barbara Museum coming up at the end of October, and I have enough body of work accumulated at this time that I’m ready to start putting pieces back into galleries.
SS: Joanne, what would you like to be remembered for?
JD: I’d like to be remembered as a woman artist, a woman stone sculptor. I’d also like to be remembered as a teacher, being able to give some of what I love so much back to other people is important. Also having done something I think is constructive not destructive to this world, because the older I get the more precious I see this world and how fragile it is becoming. I’d like to be remembered for my art and the dimension that it adds to life. It’s not all about monetary concerns, but rather a spiritual dimension. My art represents this for me.
