Soapstone is a metamorphic stone (also known as soaprock or Kisii stone) similar to talc. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years. Kenya soapstone is found in the Gusii highlands in the western part of the country, near Lake Victoria and the town of Tabaka is the heart of soapstone crafts.
Mind by hand from surface mines, large stones are pulled by a team of workers and cleaved into smaller pieces for carving. The stone is then delivered
to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone. The stone color ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. The carvers used to make mostly wild animal figurines, but have started creating contemporary abstracts, candle holders, bookends, domestic figurines like cats and dogs to name a few for export. The entire process is done with simple hand tools and no machinery is ever used.
Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched designs that showcase modern African creativity.
Click here for World Travel Art Soapstone Carvings
Mind by hand from surface mines, large stones are pulled by a team of workers and cleaved into smaller pieces for carving. The stone is then delivered
to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone. The stone color ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. The carvers used to make mostly wild animal figurines, but have started creating contemporary abstracts, candle holders, bookends, domestic figurines like cats and dogs to name a few for export. The entire process is done with simple hand tools and no machinery is ever used.Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched designs that showcase modern African creativity.
Click here for World Travel Art Soapstone Carvings
