In 1998, I had the opportunity to live in Pietrasanta, Italy and work as an apprentice to my father Cornelius Sullivan, a master marble sculptor. Carving Carrara Marble in a traditional Italian sculpture workshop – with the buzz of diamond blade saws, a cacophony of hammers and chisels ringing out, and the melodic shouting and singing of Italian artisans – left an indelible mark on my life. While I don’t have much time to carve marble today, I often think about the steady process of chipping away at a block to reveal something beautiful within – an idea that with enough hard work, plays out time and again.
