Of the stones that I’ve sculpted, my current favorites belong to the rhyolitic family. Rhyolite, though it has the composition of granite, is a very fine-grained rock because it hasn’t solidified slowly in a deep magma chamber. Instead, it cools quickly either as slow-flowing lava or as airborne ash. The ash, in turn, often dissolves in superhot volcanic waters and resolidifies as rhyolitic wonderstone or rhyolitic jasper. As this gallery indicates, those stones in the rhyolitic family that I’m especially drawn to possess nicely weathered rinds and warm colored interiors with striking patterns.
Click on any of the images below to see an enlargement.
“Meteorite” 2002
Rhyolitic Jasper on Basinite
H 10” x W 6”
“Tierra del Fuego” 2006
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Metamorphic Greenstone
H 38” x W 15”
“Gems!” 2006
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Basalt
H 12” x W 3”
“Lahontan Dragon” 2006
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Basinite
H 28” x W 13”
“Vulcan’s Labors” 2006
Rhyolitic Lava on Diorite on Sandstone
H 61” x W 48”
“Saguaro” 2007
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Granodiorite
H 25” x W 11”
“Into the Wind” 2007
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Metamorphic Greenstone
H 29” x W 15”
“Flexion” 2008
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Metamorphic Greenstone
H 35” x W 16”
“Flexion II” 2008
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Granodiorite
H 43” x W 22”
“Hot! 2010
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Basalt
H 35” x W 15”
“Grazing,” , 2013
Rhyolitic Wonderstone on Metasediment
