Stage one
Unstable material
The very first days of the project confirmed all my worst fears about carving in limestone. In one place the stone was as soft as chalk, so that one could almost carve in it with a fingernail; and in other parts it became so hard that even diamond cutters couldn’t handle them. What’s more, inside the stone there were cavities, fossils, and overgrowth. As a result, the pieces were often falling apart, sometimes just a step away from being finished. This turned the initial excitement into weariness and doubt.
Stage two
Appropriate tools
The specific nature of the "raw material” wasn’t the only problem — there was also a lack of suitable tools. Seweryn’s workshop had tools to carve in wood, not stone. According to the motto, the best tools for a sculptor are the ones he made himself, the artist bought several metal chisels at a hardware store, which he sharpened and forged into chisels suitable for working with limestone boulders. The kit was completed by a pair of diamond cutters and a hand grinder.
Stage three
The Chessboard
The army of limestone warriors stands on a chessboard made partially from oak wood and partially from fragments of stone taken from the castle. The board stands on four legs of stone. There is no other chessboard set like this in the world. They are unique, because there is an extraordinary story behind them. When I was carving these chess pieces, I felt that these stones had a soul. There will never be another chess set like this — the sculptor summed up many months of his work.