The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Carving fun
Artist shares passion for stone creations
If you ever find yourself driving down West River Road in Elyria there’s a good chance you have been mesmerized by the elaborate creations of Randy Parsh.
Spread out on the front lawn is an array of carved sandstone works from local sports teams to vast creations such as trains and wildlife that highlight Parsh’s home workshop.
About 13 years ago after getting laid off from his job, the now 50-yearold Marsh began experimenting with stone chiseling as a hobby and began creating bird baths to give away as gifts. After the bird baths began piling up, a need for space and a desire to help pay for his son’s vacation prompted him to display in the front yard.
“I said, throw the bird baths up front and see if you can sell one for vacation and by the time he left for vacation he sold seven of them and it snowballed from there.”
“The first person that stopped, a guy wanted a horse head done,” Parsh recalled. “I was just doing bird baths and little planters and he wanted a horse head done. He asked if I could do a horse head and I said ‘we’ll find out.’ He said ‘well, just don’t make it look it like a goat and we’re good.’” With an open door policy, curious motorists
stroll up the long driveway to see the workshop where he operates year-round, taking requests and donating pieces for charity auctions to creating memorial pieces for families at prices they can afford.
He says he receives a lot of requests for gravestones and stones that memorialize loved ones in their time of need, leading him to take particular care to help people in using his talents and a passion to bring people together.
“The biggest thing about when I started doing this, the thing that surprised me the most was the pain and death and gravestones for animals and people and memorial rocks. That surprised me. The normal stuff and how many people have been in this driveway and they’ve seen a rock and they’ve shown up bawling when they see the rock and that’s what it’s all about.”
“It’s working with the emotions of the people that you’re working with. Unfortunately everyone makes life about money and it’s not about money. It’s about being good to people, treating people right and people like my art when they can afford it. And it keeps me going. I charge enough so I can get more rocks so I can continue to do what I do better.”
In November, he purchased an outdoor shed allowing him to continue chiseling stone on top of a tree stump in all-weather conditions on his property where he also raises German shepherds and chickens. After beginning carving by hand, he made the transition to air chiseling several years ago.
This has allowed him to speed up his process so that he can create small pieces in as little as three to four hours. He also constructed large stone railcars in a 30-hour project that is prominently displayed in his front yard.
But most of all, he enjoys people’s company and the variety of individuals who come up the long driveway and explore his passion.
“The people around here are amazing,” he said. “I mean everyone comes in pretty happy and what I do is unique so I mean when you do something for someone you don’t get a lot of complaints. And I’m willing to fix anything and do it again at no cost.
“If I’m not doing work for somebody I’m always out here playing, “he added. “It’s like just anybody else who’s driven by a million times. They stop but they don’t know when to stop. I’m usually here all the time for the most part and I enjoy people’s company.”
When he’s not chiseling away he coaches the Elyria Vipers Special Olympics basketball team.