Dms Studios

In 1970, having earned an MFA from Pratt Institute, and having been awarded several prestigious fellowships for his student work, the young Daniel Sinclair conceived the idea of going to Pietrasanta, Italy to discover if there was anything further that he could learn about stone carving in the commercial studios there. Pietrasanta is a town renowned for its marble quarries and fine stone carving since Roman times. Trudging from studio to studio, portfolio in hand and speaking a rudimentary Italian, Daniel was met by unfailing patience from the Italian craftsmen, but soon found that finding a position there was not to be so easy. As the weeks went by, he resolved to focus his efforts on what he believed was the premier shop in the town, the studio of Pasquino Pasquini. Eventually, by dint of sheer persistence, he found a position there, that of floor sweeper. While performing this and other duties for which the management deemed him qualified, and assisting the skilled artisans, it began to dawn on him that, in spite of his academic achievements, "I knew nothing about stone, about tools, about craftsmanship. I knew nothing about art." Thus began an apprenticeship which was to last for five years.