Bob Ragan has been carving outlandish sculptures and commissioned architectural pieces in Florence since 1978, when he and his partner Mary Condon moved there to escape the hustle and bustle of Austin.
His personal sculptures are based on characters in a fictional village he sketches. These characters have names like “Thumb Sucker,” “Donkey Fish,” and “Boogie Woogie Got a Horse Bit.” He recently carved an abstract work for the raffle at the Liberty Hill Sculpture Festival.
Mr. Ragan's stone sculptures have something different on each side. His piece “Night at the Opera,” for example, on its four sides has a raven, a sea coral, a cartoon mouth and mechanical-looking gears and bubbles.
“It’s a time machine,” Mr. Ragan explained, although he said he likes to allow the viewer to come up with their own interpretation of what the piece means. “It could mean something different to everybody. Everybody could see one thing 10 different ways.”
Mr. Ragan’s architectural carving career started in Florence when he was asked to work as an architectural carver at a stone mill. The owners had seen a keystone he created on a building in downtown Florence.
“I’ve never really done much architectural work,” Mr. Ragan told the men, who assured him that — judging by the sculptures in his yard — he was trainable. The stone mill produced fireplaces, sculptures and fountains in bulk for homes. Mr. Ragan worked there for less than a year in 1986 — hustling to meet deadlines and working 24-hour shifts when needed.
“When I got home, [from work]” he said, “I couldn’t even open my hands.”
During that time, a lot of Mediterranean-style mansions started to be built in Austin. Interior designers for private clients were approaching the stone mill asking them to create a custom piece. These were Mr. Ragan’s favorite orders to complete because they allowed him to be creative. However, the mill didn’t prioritize them. In 1987, he and Ms. Condon opened Texas Carved Stone, an architecture business that catered to these clients.
“It was a high end architectural and sculptural business,” Ms. Condon explained. She was in charge of running the business; Mr. Ragan said she was very good at schmoozing the customers.
Texas Carved Stone did many European-style sculptures using stone from nearby mills in Florence. At its peak, Mr. Ragan had 12 stone carvers working underneath him. There was a forklift with a Kinky Freedman political campaign sticker that helped them move large chunks of uncarved stone.
“We shipped our architectural carvings all over the country,” Ms. Condon said. The business also did historic restoration work on government buildings across Texas, including the Highland Park City Hall and San Antonio City Hall.
When the tech industry grew in Austin, people traveled to Europe and appreciated the architecture. Ms. Condon said some people decided they wanted a piece of what they saw in Europe in their home. Mr. Ragan did Louis XVI, French-style fireplaces, he said. Gaudi was also one of his biggest inspirations. He was particularly struck by the Sagrada Familia basilica and La Pedrera - Casa Milà apartments in Barcelona. Ms. Condon and Mr. Ragan have traveled all over the world looking at architectural pieces.
Ms. Condon and Mr. Ragan decided to close Texas Carved Stone in 2021. The stone keystone he created on a building in downtown Florence remains. The building has become Dwell House Coffee and Tap, where his drawings are displayed on the walls. Mr. Ragan still has his workshop in Florence; some stone carvers still carver there with him. He has his sculptures listed for sale through Austin Galleries. For inquiries about his work, contact Mary Condon at 512-422-3191.