As corny as it may sound, I feel it is the artist's mission to reveal what is inherent in the stone with minimal input to capture the essence of the piece; to become what it needs to be for its fulfillment.  The task is to help it emerge.  The artist must develop a relationship with the stone, establish a feeling for it, and understand that its nature must prevail.  This philosophy follows the theory of Monism* that maintains that every sentient life in the universe possesses it's own form of concsciousness.

I work directly with the stone, rarely, if ever, sketching or modeling beforehand, which generates constraints and compromises spontaneity.  This also allows me to sculpt what is appropriate to the stone without regard to any particular style.