Home | Company Information | Art Collection History | Import Store Locations | Wholesale Info Ordering Methods | Custom Importing | Shipping & Handling | Warranty/ Returns | Privacy Policy Customer Service | African Gift Updates | Join Mailing List | Wildlife Photography | African Safari African Art Work: Introduction Art Gallery Products List Animated Tour Categories: Building Materials Type of Art Piece Artist Depiction's Tribes Producing Art Places of Origin Groupings: Abstract Shona Art African Couple Art Elephant Sculptures Tribal Masks Carved Ela Statues African Tribal Art Frames, Plaques, Door Abstract Figures Bronze Sculptures Egg Carvings, Etchings Mahogany Furniture Large Stone People Walking Stick & Cane African Animals Ebony Figures Links Page: Cool Links   Building Materials Used in African Art WOOD -Ironwood -Ebony wood -Mahogany -African Walnut -Olivewood -Leadwood STONE -Shone Stone -Verdite -Serpentine -Opal -Soapstone -Steatite African Stone Transformation Process: There are several common features of sculptures & art pieces from Zimbabwe, Cameroon, & South Africa. The first is the material used; Artists use locally found stone. The most common being serpentine stone. Other stones include verdite, steatite, and opal stone. When sculpting, the artist and the stone develope a relationship with one another. The artist follows the form of the stone, no sketches are drawn before carving. Quintessentially, the stone dictates to the artist what subject emerges from within its core. The tools that are used, are the hammer, chisel, file, water, and sandpaperr. Once the artist has completed sculpting the stone they place it in a fire where the stone is heated. Next they apply a dark oil which melts and absorbs into the stone, bringing out the stone's rich deep luster & colorful veinage. Lastly they wipe the piece clean and whoola, ready to show at the local market. Types of Stone: Shona Stone In Africa, soapstone may also be referred to as shona stone because the shona tribe make their art carvings from it, being native to Zimbabwe. The stones used are Soapstone, "liquid" black & green serpentine with fleched and veined yellows, greens, goldens and greys, spots & patches of with earthy brown and red colored veinage, and opal-ites giving a huge scope of textures and colours to complement every form or image represented. Verdite Known as "Africa's green gold", is highly sought after by artists. Only the more experienced sculptor will dare sculpt from this hard stone. Verdite rates between a 7.0-9.0 on the Mohs hardness scale. Verdite has color unique in that it boasts an Emerald looking quality with beautiful brown and green striations.Unfortunately, verdite is fast becoming rare and is difficult to find. Carvings from this stone will become increasingly more valuable. Serpentine Black iron serpentine is one of the hardest and darkest stones found in Zimbabwe. Black iron serpentine gets its name because of the deposits of iron found in it. The stone is capable of the most amazing finish that shines a black lustre resembling the black opal. Rated at 4.0-5.0 on Mohs hardness scale, serpentine's remarkable hardness guarantees its durability and because of its fine finish, is highly sought after. Opal Opal stone is unique in that it has fewer color variations than serpentine. It does however, rate higher on the Mohs hardness scale with a rating between 5.0-5.5. This is comparable with black iron serpentine. Southern African opal is famous for it's milky light colored greens and smooth texture. Soapstone or Steatite Soapstone is also known as Steatite, sometimes called talc; A soft metamorphic rock mined for centuries in africa. It can be found along faults in magnesium-rich rocks. And is less frequently found as a result of thermal metamorphism of dolomitic limestone. It's distinguishing features are extreme softness, soapy feel, and greenish white colour. Although somewhat soft, soapstone is a very dense stone. Many people wrongly associate softness with porosity. Soapstone is actually denser than marble, slate, limestone, and even granite. Because soapstone is so dense, it will not stain. For example, if anything was spilled on the stone, it would stay on the surface of the stone, and not penetrate the surface. The only maintenace for soapstone, is the application of mineral oil, which will enhance the natural darkening process the stone goes through. Caring for Wood Carved Products: All fine wood products need moisture and in the dry climate of a home or business will become dried out and may crack. To prevent or reduce the chance of damage it is best to polish wood items about once every 4-6 weeks with a high quality wood polish. Spray on polishes are not as effective because they are used mostly for removing dust from finished wood and do not add adequate moisture. Africans will often use black shoe polish, which not only adds moisture but also sheen to woods such as ebony or mahogany. Simply rub the polish in using a clean cloth or shoe brush, then buff with a clean soft cloth. Types of Wood: Ironwood Has a dark red or deep reddish brown color. The timber is rated very durable. Ironwood is a common name for a wide variety of african trees or shrubs that have exceptionally hard or dense wood. Although the name is applied generally to trees of three unrelated genera, scores of other trees are also called ironwood in local usage. Because it is so dense it will not float in water, carving anything from it can be extremely difficult. To properly care for your ironwood carving, apply a light coat of brown or neutral paste type shoe wax, then polish with a soft cloth. Ebony Wood A black hardwood, famous for it's lustrous beauty. It is a delicacy in the world of the African wood sculptor. Skilled ebony sculptors tend to migrate to the few regions of Africa where ebony wood is grown. A highly dense wood with a coarse texture and a dark interlocking grain, ebony wood normally is brown on the outside of the tree; and black on the inside. The carvings often come as a beautiful mixture of black and brown; but it is mostly the pure dark black wood that is the most well known grain. African Walnut From the walnut tree, walnut wood is a hard, dark brown wood with bronze, yellow-brown dark irregular lines. Like all wood art pieces, it is hand-carved, sanded, polished, and most importantly, treated with oils to darken and add richness to the color of the wood. It has an lot of cross grain and is moderately heavy, very strong for its weight, & exceptionally stable. Mahogany Wood Straight, tight, interlocking grain with a rough surface with reddish-brown to light brown color wood. Olivewood or Olea Europaea Has a straight grain with a fine texture & red color varing slightly with each piece. Olivewood grows almost exclusively along the Mediterranean coast. Olivewood is used for small turnings, carvings, and inlay work. Lead Wood This tree is found anywhere from Tanzania to Kwazulu-Natal, in Southern Africa. The heartwood is very hard and heavy. Giraffe, elephant, kudu, grey duiker and impala feed on them. Lead wood is a protected species of tree in Southern Africa. Types of Metal: Antique Steel Sickle Solid Bronze Casting Brass Horn Stand Copper & Tin Sheets Other Materials: Cow horn The horn of cattle consists of three distinct parts: a short inner bony frame, a membrane and the outer horn. It is the outer horn that is used. This outer portion is made up of little "tubules" or "granules" of keratohyalin imbedded in a solid plastic-like matrix. These tubules are the reason that horn appears to be made of very fine hairs, running lengthwise. Cow horn is thicker in nature, while Steer horn is thinner. While cattle horn can be nearly any color, it is generally a light creamy color, sometimes streaked with white, brown or black patches. Buffalo horn is nearly always entirely black. Woven fabric 1 & 2 Using coarse yarns & threads tribal artist make masks with every detail from the beard to the eyes of a mask woven in consistent patterns to arrive at complete art piece. © 2002 Pieces of Africa / Viking Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.