The art of stone sculpting dates back centuries, yet advances in technology have brought the craft to new heights. Precision-running mason saws with electric motors, precision-manufactured diamond saw blades, and flawless concrete pavers have dramatically enhanced the ability to create art in stone. This article shares some of the techniques that I have developed during my 15 years as a paver artist. When I begin a project -- whether for a residential client or Rotary International -- I start by defining the client's needs. Residential clients tend to rely on me to design the project, so I come prepared for our first meeting with a portfolio of high-quality photographs showing my previous work. As we review the portfolio, the client is looking for inspiration. Everyone is looking for a design that is unique and eye catching, one that enhances the beauty of the space. Meanwhile, I am absorbing the interior of the home to determine what is most important to the client: decorating style and color scheme, collectibles, pictures -- clues that tell me what the client is looking for based on what the family already values. Occasionally, however, a residential client will ask me to create a design from an original drawing, either one of my own or one provided by the client. Fortunately, I discovered in high school that I have some natural artistic ability. My art teacher encouraged me to develop my talents, and these skills have become indispensable to my work as a paver artist. However, creating art in pavers has less to do with innate artistic ability than it does with accuracy and precision. A contractor who knows how to follow a blueprint to the letter can learn how to transform a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional piece of paver art. But it requires a great deal of practice. In the beginning, I offered to install designs in residential settings at no charge just to have the practice. To learn how to sculpt the Chicago Bulls logo, for instance, I installed the design for free in a client's driveway. The project took about two weeks to finish, but it was time and money well spent. Working on this project, I learned how to make templates to guide the precision of the hand-sculpting process. I also developed a closer relationship with Paveloc Industries, which has become my exclusive supplier of concrete paving stones. The project also reaped big financial rewards: A year later, the Chicago Bulls commissioned me to install the logo at the entrance of their new Sheri L. Berto Training Center. With the Chicago Bulls on my resume, I began to receive more requests for logo installations. The next call came from Rotary International, who wanted to install their logo in Riverwalk Park in downtown Naperville, Ill. The project was a bit more challenging than the Bulls logo because Rotary International has even more specific guidelines regarding the recreation of their logo. To prepare for this project, I thoroughly reviewed these guidelines, then set about creating the template. To do this, I prefer to make my own graph paper based upon the unit of measure that I will use to recreate the design. I then make my own hand drawing of the logo on the graph paper so that I can internalize the design and figure out how to transform it into stone. After color-matching the pavers, I set about preparing the site for the installation. A void is created in the existing pavement; then a base is laid and compacted. Once the background color is installed, the template is used to trace the design onto the pavers. Then the process of hand sculpting the pavers begins. This is the most arduous and painstaking part of the entire project, which requires tremendous skill and an unwavering commitment to perfection. After all, businesses do not hire a contractor to build a likeness of their sacred company logo; they want an exact duplication of that logo -- a work of art that embodies the spirit of the company and matches the quality of its goods or services. To sculpt each paver, I prefer to use an electric, precision-running mason saw with precision-manufactured diamond saw blades. Following the lines of the template, I keep the paver raised off the saw table as I hand sculpt each paver. The piece is then fitted to the pattern to check the accuracy of the cuts. Any necessary alterations are diagnosed and marked on the stone. The piece is then returned to the workbench for further honing with a variety of grinders using diamond-tipped bits -- a process that will be repeated as often as necessary to ensure the precision fitting of the piece within a sixteenth of an inch. The same process is repeated for each of the components of the design until the logo is finished. Once completed, the installation is covered with a layer of sand, which is swept into the joints; then the entire installation is hosed down to drive the sand farther down into the joints and ensure precision fitting. After the installation dries, I prefer to coat the pavers with a high-quality sealer to enhance the colors of the logo. Rotary International was so impressed with the finished installation that I was commissioned to install the logo at another site in Ohio. Perhaps the most challenging logo installation to date was the one that I created for Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. After being offered the commission, I was given a piece of university stationery with the logo on the masthead, which would be my only guideline for the design. Because the logo was to be installed at the entrance to the Robert E. Lee Museum, a registered national historic site, Federal and University officials were expecting an exact replica of the logo. Creating the template became a challenge in itself, largely because of the massive size of the project. Using the process that had worked so well for the Rotary International installation, I set about laying out the pattern for the Washington and Lee logo. The most challenging part of the project was hand-sculpting the intricate pieces that comprise the crown, bird, and the motto letters. As you can see from the photographs of the bird and crown, each piece was individually hand sculpted-not painted, as the intricacy of the cuts would suggest-and then placed in the design. The result is a piece of paver art that has earned my signature guaranteeing its quality and excellence. The greatest artistic challenge that I have encountered thus far in my career is designing and installing labyrinths. Considered both a timeless work of art and an ancient spiritual tool, a labyrinth consists of a single, winding path that spirals to a central point and back out again. As the stresses of daily life have rapidly increased, labyrinths have reemerged in contemporary society as a means to help quiet the mind, relax the body, and refresh the spirit. I had no idea what a labyrinth was until I received a call three years ago from a prospective client asking if I could build one for a church. Although I had to decline the job, the request intrigued me so much that I did some research on labyrinths. I soon found myself reading everything I could on the subject. By the time I received my first commission, I was well versed in labyrinth history and design. The first labyrinth project came in the form of a commission from the City of Naperville to create a Chartres-pattern labyrinth for Riverwalk Park in the downtown area. As I had done with my first logo installation, I underbid the job to the point of losing money just to have the opportunity to build my first labyrinth. Once again, the project turned out to be a golden opportunity because the Naperville Millennium Labyrinth has since become a kind of calling card for my work as a stone sculptor. Since the Naperville project, I have installed more than twenty labyrinths of various designs, including the traditional Chartres, the stylized Chartres, and the Santa Rosa. This year, I have also begun to create my own labyrinth designs for various uses and client needs. At the time, however, I had no idea how much this project would shape the future of my work. A labyrinth installation begins long before my crew and I ever reach the site. First, the concrete pavers are purchased at the Paveloc Industries, Inc. factory in Marengo, Ill. Approximately 50 percent of the pavers are hand-sculpted at the factory to fit the intricate design before they are shipped to the installation site. To pass the time during this week-long process, I envision how the finished labyrinth will look when it is finished. Meanwhile, a local contractor hired by the client is constructing the concrete containment ring at the site. The entire area for the labyrinth is excavated 15 inches deep from finished grade. Then the containment ring is poured, using some steel rebar to provide extra support. The containment ring should be 4 to 6 inches wide and 12 to 15 inches deep. (If cost reduction is a major concern, I recommend using a local contractor and volunteers for this part of the process.) Once I have been notified that the containment ring is nearing completion, my crew and I set off for the installation site. Upon arrival, I purchase base material from a local supplier to fill the containment ring. A quality foundation consists of 10 to 12 inches of base material, which is compacted in 4-inch lifts until they reach a perfect grade. When all is set and compacted, a 3/4-inch bed of sand is then added. The labyrinth is now ready to be installed on an extremely sturdy and stable foundation. The complex process of labyrinth installation then begins in earnest. A contractor who is interested in building Chartres-pattern labyrinths should note, however, that the design is based upon complex mathematical ratios, based on the principles of sacred geometry, that determine the placement of its various components. Without this knowledge, anyone who attempts to build a Chartres-pattern labyrinth will run into havoc trying to piece the components together. They simply will not fit. Once I have determined the placement of the labyrinth components (e.g., quadrants, entrance, lunations, fleur-de-lys), my crew helps me to lay out the concrete paving stones in the design. Pencil lines are drawn on the pavers to mark the precision cuts for the intricate design. The arduous process of hand sculpting the pieces then begins, using the same techniques described above for the logo designs. The hand-sculpted pieces are fitted to the pattern within a thirty-secondth of an inch. Once the design is finished, sand is swept into the joints, and the process of compaction is completed. Compaction locks the pavers permanently into place, ensuring the durability of the labyrinth for generations to come. The surface is then thoroughly swept and cleaned, revealing the labyrinth's stunning artistry. My signature brick is then laid into the finished design as a seal of the highest quality materials and craftsmanship. Creating art in pavers involves high-quality tools and materials, well-honed skills, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. I could use cheaper materials and cut corners to avoid the arduous process of hand-sculpting, but then I would not be meeting my own standards of quality. Although I might not be engaged in the most cost-effective way of doing business, I like to think that the quality of my work ensures customer satisfaction for generations to come.