Am hoping to take a soapstone carving course at my local cultural center; am hoping there will be enough time, space & money when the date for registration arrives.
If I go to a stonecarving course in the upscale neigborhood, the cost is approximately $500ish ~~ but then, you get to keep the stone you've carved.
If I go to this stonecarving course in my neigborhood, the cost is approximately $100ish ~~ but then, you're only loaned a stone on which to practice your carving.
So now I go shopping for soapstone.
A local Omer DeSerres will sell me soapstone ~~ it'll cost me $42, about $50 after taxes, for a 4x4x6 block.
Or, I can buy the exact same size for $25 from Sandy Cline in Lakefield, Ontario. After tax & FedEx, it'll come out to about $37.
But Mr. Cline sources his soapstone from a quarry, Les Pierres Stéatites, which is not too far from here {by vehicle, understood}.
I think it's reasonable to assume that Mr. Cline would sell his soapstone at a markup from what it costs him from the quarry; and I've heard that one can guestimate a 100% markup between source & outlet. If that's true, then:
1) Les Pierres Stéatites provides relatively inexpensive soapstone; and
2) Omer DeSerres is selling soapstone at approximately a 350% markup. Evil, nasty retailer.
However, any plan to get it directly from the quarry presumes I'm able to
[i] foot the bill for vehical rental, gas & expenses,
[ii] convince Boyfriend to drive, and
[iii] mentally & fiscally write it off as either a wee vacationette for two, or a really really really long distance to travel for our traditional weekend breakfast*
...and I can't guarantee that any of these are within my power.
So I'll probably order it from Mr. Cline.
~ ~ ~
* Coffee up front w/ cream & sugar, two eggs over easy w/ sausage & hash browns, and toast ~ white bread for him & brown bread for me.
I wonder if it's worth seeing whether they do it any differently in Saint~Pierre~de~Broughton?
Posted by edgar at August 12, 2003 04:24 PMi know the Saidye Bronfman Centre also offers sculpture classes, except i am not sure how pricey they are. now if only i could find that link!
aha! got it
:oD
not bad... check em out.
Posted by: munin at August 13, 2003 10:18 PMerm. but then again. maybe just a wee bit procier then the community center. *cough*
Posted by: munin at August 13, 2003 10:21 PMErm ~~ um ~~ yes ~~ it was the Saidye to which I was obliquely referring... :)
Their workshops are cheaper than their courses, but I'm assuming that "workshop" is another name for "lab" or "atelier" -- i.e., if you buy a workshop, you have bought studio time but no instruction.
Now that I re~read the course description of the classes provided locally, it sounds like they might provide the stone too ~~ but at the prices they charge, I don't see how that's feasible for them to do so, unless they're ordering soapstone by the truckload...
... perhaps they're getting their truckloads directly from the local quarry... :)
Still, I'm afraid the stones will be small ~~ too small for my nefarious purposes... {evil chords: DANH danh DAANH!!!}
Posted by: edgar mousehat at August 14, 2003 09:16 AM