LUBBOCK, Texas — Minute by minute, as Lubbock artist Simon Gonzalez carved intricate lines into black granite slabs, he couldn’t help but feel connected to the pieces. After over 40 hours, he’d finished carving the faces of the 19 students and two teachers who were killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022.
Gonzalez started the project after he was asked to make a granite slab for one of the victims in the mass shooting. After agreeing, he knew he had to take it a step further.
“I made one and so I just thought to myself, it’s best if I just make them all,” Gonzalez said.
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Each carving took up to two and a half hours, giving the artist time to memorize each of their faces and names. Gonzalez needed a week or two to rest from the sadness he felt after finishing the granite slabs that honored the victims who were tragically killed. He has a kid of his own and knows the fear of losing him…