View of 5.5 metre high stone wall carving in Main Restaurant of Le Meridien Hotel, Bali Nirwana Resort. The process involved in realizing a carving of this size and quality starts with the 'artist' first drawing the image (full size) using charcoal onto card and then when image is approved transfers the image onto tracing paper which is then glued to the stone wall (temporarily erected off site using a mud glue which wears off after 2 weeks so works need to be done quickly !); this is then followed by the first of the stone carvers who chisels through the tracing paper (click here to see this technique being carried out on another carving); this is then followed up by a different set of stone carvers who specialize in chiselling the fine details seen in the final wall carving above. On completion the stone wall is then carefully taken down and installed on site. After the stone joints are grouted (using a mixture of fine cement mixed with powdered stone) there is one final touch-up including fine chiselling, sanding prior to sealing the stone with a special protective varnish which is absorbed invisibly into the stone.
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