Famed stonecutter Blackwell addresses Rotary on cutting-edge career
September 11, 2013
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
When it comes to the beauty of Nathen Blackwell’s work, you can say it’s carved in stone. That’s what members of the Santa Paula Rotary Club learned at a recent meeting, where the master stonecutter and engraver was a special guest.
Blackwell, a native of England who lives in Ventura, was introduced at a recent meeting by Rotarian Otto Schimmel, who noted Blackwell is a “master letterer and architectural carver. And not just any carver: Blackwell’s portfolio includes the stone lettering on the monumental headstone and presidential seal for the late President Reagan.”
Blackwell was born in Hull, England, and learned his trade working for a stone company in Yorkshire, England.
A dashing David Niven look-alike, Blackwell said he graduated from college where he stu died art and first went into monument sculpture, “then letter cutting ... carving names on headstones, that sort of work. That’s how I eventually got into my business.”
Blackwell moved to Canada in 1957 and worked as a commercial artist for “the worst 18 months of my life!”
He then moved to California, where he found his home and calling: Blackwell’s work has ranged from the largest of monuments to the smallest of finishing touches, such as a creating a replacement finger he was asked to recreate for a vintage statute missing the digit.
He’s carved flowers, worked for royalty, and carved a dog for a daughter studying to be a veterinarian.
Blackwell’s tools have been in his possession for 69 years, and he’s constantly venturing into art realms such as building cabinets and creating and illustrating booklets.
He’s on the small side and wiry, but Blackwell told Rotarians of the look of astonishment on the face of a shipper when he hoisted in a 320 pound stone carving to be shipped to a school.
In Santa Barbara he has fixed marble statutes that have split, replacing the metal rebar with stainless steel, “And you couldn’t see the work!” and his clients have ranged from Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue to Michael Douglas.”
The latter has a castle in Spain with a black and gold marble bathtub that needed a shell with 18th Century carvings: “They shipped that out to me. I had two weeks,” to work on the two tons of rare marble the intricate job required.
Blackwell has become the house carver, so to speak, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, handpicked by First Lady Nancy Reagan for all the projects that require carving and lettering whether the stone is black granite or limestone.
He carved the Ronald Reagan Memorial, the marker for Air Force 1, the library time capsule and patrons’ wall.
Of the latter project he said, “I had to carve 1,700 letters and finished the day before the dedication,” in spite of several odd requests including one man who wanted his wife’s name removed and his girlfriend’s name added.
Blackwell has been summoned to Hearst Castle for restoration work that involved rock crystal, ebony and gold. The 14th-century reliquary, made for the remains of a Russian czar, was thought by castle docents to be a jewelry case but he knew was an art and historical masterpiece.
For relaxation he paints and goes dancing twice a week with wife Millie, “And I take a sketchpad ... I met Millie when I made her a door then she decided to marry me!”
Neatly dressed with a bowtie, Blackwell displayed his tools for Rotarians, noting he made several special ones no others have.
“I do deep, square cut lettering ... I’m the only one that does that now,” many of his chisels and hammers sporting thumbprint indentations on each side from “all those years of tapping, millions and millions of taps” by Blackwell’s large hands, babied daily with exercise and creams.
Over the years Blackwell said, “I’ve covered up a lot of mistakes for a lot of people,” and his stock answer to those who ask how is “very carefully!”
He started as an apprentice, and after seven years he became a journeyman and since “The boss.”
Now in his 90s, Blackwell is still considered the finest cutter in the business.
