COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE

Carved by MARTIN COONEY

Troy / The Maiden Collection / Colorado Yule Marble

23.5 x 10.5 x 13.5″ / 52.2 lbs / SN120801 / $1,950

This Carving is Currently Displayed at the THE KMJ Stoneworks

Located across from the airport and fronting Highway 82

111 Aspen Airport Business Center, Suite D, Aspen, Colorado 81611

~ ~ ~

This piece was the first of a trio of ‘Beasts’ that include Swan Wave and Terrible Lizard, pictured below.

But just what sort of creature he is?   Difficult to say; a hobby horse? Sea horse?   I eventually settled upon the ‘horse’ whose timely intervention proved so decisive way back in ancient Troy.

Troy shares the distinctive shape and markings of Things One & Two pictured below, as they were all laying side by side in the slab when I split it.

Thing One and Thing Two

The angle and the nature of the intrusions are the obvious clues as to just where ‘The Beasts’ were carved from within The Maiden Collection Slab.  Obviously these were bedfellows within what I deem “The Brutal Zone” – a band of huge intrusive chunks of cooled magma known as Chert.  Believe me, carving my way through a combination of relatively soft marble – at least when compared to most rocks – right alongside what must be one of the toughest stones on the planet proved a tall order, with much effort and a great deal of exertion expended along the way.

Needless to say I had to perfect a technique never previously required of me as a stone carver in order to even shape these blocks, let alone sculpt them.  But slowly I began to make progress with a combination of the right sort of diamond blade on my grinder, and various combinations of angle and pressure, accompanied by just the right amount of water, which is unusual for me as I do practically all my carving, especially during the crucial roughing out stage, dry.  So I had much to learn about carving this unusual combination of stones – and broke more than a few blades along the way going over the edge as it were and getting greedy, as we say in the trade.

However I’m always amazed by how the sculptures instantly become animated when I place them outdoors, where their markings act to camouflage their presence and allowing them to quite sneak up on you at times. And this is especially true with  Beasts  such as Troy.  Being light enough to simply pick up and move around is one of the greatest attributes of these whimsical beings.  One thing for sure is that they can handle themselves pretty well out there in the real world – tough as nails they are, in an endearing way.

Throughout the winter months I am captivated by the way the snow continues to shape and mold the sculptures, conspiring with them to create new, if albeit brief, artwork in the form of Snowmarble. Snow never falls the same way twice, and the sculptures emerged flaunting a different robe every time. The slightest deviation in the wind, the size of the flakes, the angle of the sun… all these conspired to transform the Sculpture Garden’s carvings.

As you can see from the photos, Troy is no softy piece of artwork.  Come to think of it, it’s actually difficult to summon anywhere on earth he wouldn’t feel at home: blistering heat, arctic cold, gale force winds, massive hailstones… he can take them all. In fact he thrives in any sort of weather. To date he has spent most his life out-of-doors up here in Colorado Rocky Mountains, and as we get just about everything the weather can throw at us up here, I’m sure he’ll take whatever he is exposed to in your neck of the woods comfortably in his stride.  However, be kind and don’t forget to bring him in from time to time, for unlike his buddy Terrible Lizard, he’s really a very sociable creature and loves to get around.

~ ~ ~

PLEASE CLICK ON A PHOTO TO ENLARGE

~ ~ ~

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

~ ~ ~

COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE

Carved by MARTIN COONEY

Troy / The Maiden Collection / Colorado Yule Marble

23.5 x 10.5 x 13.5″ / 52.2 lbs / SN120801 / $1,950

This Carving is Currently Displayed at the THE KMJ Stoneworks

Located across from the airport and fronting Highway 82

111 Aspen Airport Business Center, Suite D, Aspen, Colorado 81611

~ ~ ~

thanks for visiting martincooney.com

~ ~ ~

mä⌈†Ïℵ

~ ⌈  •

√