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Over the course of 35 years in Yozgat’s Aydincik district, sculptor Erol Gurgen has transformed roughly 2,000 naturally patterned stones into art.
A 54-year-old graduate of Hacettepe University Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Sculpture, a university faculty providing higher education in creative arts, Gurgen's interest in stones began during his university years while working with stone carving.
Collecting stones from various provinces, primarily Yozgat, since 1991, Gurgen cuts and sands them in a municipal art workshop in Aydincik to reveal the natural patterns hidden inside.
Wanting to share his collection of nearly 2,000 pieces, which he has built up over the years, with a wider audience, Gurgen aims to establish a stone museum in the district.
Erol Gurgen said that during his university years, he became fascinated by the different patterns that emerged when breaking, cutting, and fragmenting stones. As he gradually encountered shapes resembling human, nature, and crescent figures, he decided to start saving them.
Explaining that he initially leaned more toward figurative stones before expanding his collection over time, Gurgen noted that he eventually became a collector and turned his focus toward minerals and agates, which are types of quartz minerals with multicolored layers.
He began gathering amethysts, a purple variety of quartz, crystal quartz, chalcedonies, a form of quartz consisting of very fine intergrowths, and stick agates in Aydincik and Yozgat, particularly hunting for those with inner patterns.
Gurgen explained that the colors, oxidation, and lines on the surface of a stone serve as his guide before making any cuts.
When looking at a stone, surface oxidations in green and brown reveal the presence of copper or iron. If a few distinct lines are present, he anticipates they might deepen into a full pattern or picture, though he acknowledges that the ultimate interior of the stone always remains a surprise.
Once cut according to these surface markers, the stone frequently reveals animal or human figures, or landscapes resembling the sea or sky, which he then enhances using precise sanding.
Emphasizing that he takes care to preserve the natural structure of the stones, Gurgen avoids chemicals or varnish entirely, relying instead on sandpapers of varying thicknesses to achieve a polished finish.
Stating that he exhibits his collection right inside the workshop, Gurgen noted that he actively shares his enthusiasm with local children.
As youngsters bring their own gathered stones to the workshop, they learn which types are worth collecting, a hobby that helps build their self-confidence and a sense of order.
Describing his collection, Gurgen remarked that the stones feel almost like his own children. While he usually cannot bear to part with them, he gladly hands pieces over whenever he meets children who share a genuine, excited passion for them.
Looking ahead, Gurgen shared his dream of establishing a local stone museum. He hopes to display everything from fossils, preserved remains of ancient life, and crystal quartz to patterned stones in one dedicated space, pairing each physical stone with a large visual representation of the hidden pattern discovered inside it.
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