The Red Fish started when I was, as ever, dumpster diving in throw-out bins. I love stones and am always alert for a fetching piece of whatever.

Here was this thick plank of rosso verona with unusually strong shell markings in a fervent red setting.

"You're throwing this away!"
"Yeah, you want it?"

So, ok, I loaded it across my Vespa and took it for another destiny.

Only because I felt sorry for it, really, I began a rescue scenario. Being long and flat I knew I would end up with a fish. What would be better, though, than a fish with seashell markings? The plus was that this stuff was thick, so I could get more wiggle into it.

Red Fish, rosso di verona marble, with pietrasanta base, scoop side: before polishing, at Robert Gove Studio, Carrara, Italy

The Red Fish has a lot of surface area, which all has to be described comprehensively, so the shapes pull from end to end, and top to bottom. It has a line on one side that gives tension. The other side has a scoop shape. The eye must not be caught someplace.

When I coach young people, I say, “the stone is lovely and pretty to shine—but try to think of the inside of the sculpture. Sculpt the inside.”

I like the change-ups and it pleases me to succeed in describing the broad surfaces convincingly in different ways.

Red Fish, temporarily ensconced at the de Tienne Associates' offices, San Francisco, CA, USA

The Red Fish is available for purchase.