Marc Archambault
Mediums: Mosaics, Paving, Sculpture
Artist's Bio
I am a stone mason and artist based in the mountains of western North Carolina. I create walls, steps, paths and patios using traditional, old school building techniques. I started setting stone in 1997 and have steadily grown in my ability to imagine a project and implement complex designs. My stonework is an artful balance between bomber structure and graceful aesthetics. In addition to building with stone, I am devoted to sharing the craft with others; I teach stonework classes and maintain an active website and stonework blog. I am a member of the Stone Foundation and Handmade in America. I have written and presented on sustainability in stonework construction.
Hammerhead Stoneworks is my company, founded in spring 2009. I worked for the Unturned Stone for six years as a mason and designer and later as a project manager. While I enjoyed that role, I am happiest when my hands touch the stone. I am a devoted husband and the proud father of two young boys, who seem to share their father’s passion for moving stones around. In addition to Hammerhead, I have a small creative visuals company called Papershine. I offer educational and information design as well as graphic facilitation services. I have taught English in Asia and worked extensively in the field of developmental disabilities.
While all my work has an artful quality to it, I am especially focused on creating mosaic floors of natural stone. Images appear in the flat walking surface, created by different types, colors and textures of stones, as well as the joint lines between pieces. I lay my exterior stone floors dry, without mortar, concrete or grout, typically on a bed of 3/8” pea gravel. This allows for drainage and makes the surface more durable. Expansion and contraction cause mortared surfaces to crack. Once the surface integrity is broken, water penetrates, cracks worsen, grout flakes out and some types of stone can delaminate. Freezing greatly worsens this. Dry laid mosaics are better for the environment because they virtually eliminate the need for cement products, which are extraordinarily energy intensive to create.
I believe strongly in functional craft. Stonework in modern times is sliding towards irrelevance, as houses are more likely to be clad in a thin veneer of stone (or a stone-like product) rather than use stone as an integral part. Mosaic floors are functional and beautiful, using stone to its greatest advantage.
