For more than ten years, Squirrel Hill artist Heather Cronin has been carving a niche for herself – literally. A stone sculptor and journeyman stone mason, Cronin is one of only a few stone sculptors still practicing this ancient craft in the United States today. Yet while art has always been her life, stone sculpting has not always been her art. Cronin’s journey of artistic expression led through university halls, French streets, and pastry kitchens before she discovered her true calling in the form of a solid limestone slab.

Such an eventful journey may have seemed unlikely at one point in her life, as Cronin accepted an art-club scholarship to the University of Illinois, began her studies in international business, and continued to draw and paint on her own. After two years at the University, however, Cronin decided to study abroad in Montpellier, France, for ten months. Here she served her first apprenticeship, to a patissier. Surrounded by the culture of Languedoc-Rousillon– a beautiful region in the south of France – and the flavor of the pastry shop, she dreamt of opening her own salon-de-the in the United States.

But upon returning home, Cronin found that while she enjoyed catering parties and crafting specialty desserts, management of her own cafe was much more stressful. At this pivotal point in her career, Cronin met her first stone mason.

“This 67-year-old man built a serpentine brick wall at my parent’s home. I knew as I watched him work that this was something I wanted to learn.” she recalls.

She soon began to work with the mason, and after several years, she moved from brickwork to fitting stone.

“Fitting stone was the next level of learning for me,” she explains. “It took creativity to work out how the stones fit together best, and it kept me interested for quite some time.”

It was at a job site that Cronin received a large piece of limestone; this unusual gift would lead her to the next step of her artistic journey. After hauling the stone around in the back of her truck for two years, Cronin finally approached it with a chisel. Shortly thereafter, she received her first stone carving commission.

In stone carving, Cronin found her natural artistic expression.

“I lose myself in the process of revealing the work of art within the stone,” she enthuses. “Because a block of stone seems cold and inert at the outset, the finished sculpture is all the more vital.”

Although she still loves painting, Cronin explains that she is more skilled in stone than in clay or paint and can understand the material better. She particularly loves wood and limestone, which offers the right texture. Lately she has also begun to carve granite, which provides an array of colors and with stands the weather better than limestone.

Weather is an important consideration for Cronin, as much of her work is environmental and installation art. She may carve delicate petals on an existing stone wall or install an elaborately carved fountain in a landscaped garden. Indoors you may find her work adorning intricate fireplaces. The beauty and functionality of her stone carving is so striking that people may not realize that her art is also attainable, that it is feasible to have stove carving in your home, gracing a mantelpiece or doorway. The limited number of stone carvers still pursuing this ancient craft only adds to its mystique.

Yet within Pittsburgh and the East End especially, word continues to spread about Cronin and her rare profession. She often works with garden designers, landscape architects, and building contractors to incorporate or design stone carving. Her recent pieces include a wood sculpture for this year’s First Night celebration, and she has begun work on a carved granite memorial bench. With the arrival of warmer weather, she expects to spend more time on her installation art.

Warmer weather also means more interaction with the community, one of the Cronin’s favorite aspects of living in Squirrel Hill. Neighbors say they love to stop by and see her latest work, and Cronin particularly enjoys when children of the neighborhood visit. A former resident of New York City, Cronin claims she is lucky to be here. She and her husband moved to their home near Frick Park six years ago, when he began a doctorate program at Carnegie Mellon University. In contrast to New York, Cronin believes that the city and the people of Pittsburgh really give you a chance. “It’s easy to become part of the community.”

Heather Cronin’s artistic journey has led her to such places as Illinois, New York City, and Montpellier, France. Now that she has made her home in the East End, may she continue to carve her special niche here for years to come.

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