Twenty years it has been since the day that I finally squared the block while attending The City of Bath College, and thus earning a chance to attain my coveted NVQ Level 2. And during this time it has been my immense pleasure to carve just about any kind of carveable stone that comes my way into just about any shape you can imagine, and more than a few that I bet you can’t.
As an initiation ritual squaring a rough-old quarry block into a near perfect ‘cube’ proved quite as taxing as it sound. Actually, it was not a cube per se , more of a rectangle, but all six sides were perfectly flat with every angle and corner spot on. Plus, all I had for tools would have been easily recognized by any Medieval mason. Put simply this meant a mallet, a few hand chisels plus various straight-edges and angles were all that I could call upon to assist me in my efforts, aside from, well my own rather strenuous endeavors – which where strenuous indeed I can tell you. Other than that it was me against a freshly sourced quarry rock. And yes, it was rough, tough and quite a shock to the system I can tell you. But during that time-honored ritual I learned what every mason in England has learned all the way down through the ages – back to the days of the mighty cathedrals – did I really want to do this for the rest of my life? I mean, even back then I was no spring chicken. But once my cube was accepted and I shook the hand that had shaken every masons hand, all the way back to cathedral times, well, I you could say I was somewhat hooked. For as I write this within the cozy, tidy little KMJ STONEWORKS studio workshop, I can spy many of those hand tools here and there all over the place, as I still have a great use for them; but these days my tools would surely make any of those ancient mason’s head spin.
I think it true to say that the array of what I call my ‘electric kit’ – diamond blades, spinner pads, polishers and the like – allow me to remove more stone faster than any gang of a dozen or so men could have achieved a century, or perhaps even a few decades ago. Which means that, compared to the ancients I can get through a whole lot of work in one lifetime – a task that I am thoroughly enjoying to this day. But more than that, I am able to carve in a way that the ancients would have their heads shaking and eyes blinking in sheer disbelief. I can only imagine their expressions as I tore into block after block, cutting through stone like butter, or so I suspect it would have seemed to them.
But it is not just the speed in which I cut the stone that would amaze my ancient colleges, it would be just how fast and easily I am able to leave a finished surface behind. Plus, and perhaps more importantly, given my chosen style of sculpting stone, what would truly amaze them is just how astonishingly thin I can carve the stone without compromising its tensile strength and structural integrity. For with the tools they had no one could carve marble so unbelievably thin that light beams right through it, and in doing so spotlights hues, colors and swirls quite invisible to the eye otherwise. With the tools that they had at hand – basically the same few hand tools with which I cubed the block at The City of Bath College – they would in no way be adequate in removing so much stone from such thin, thin walls. The stone would have just been shattered to pieces by all of the pounding. But with my trusty Electric Kit at hand I am able to carve for hours and produce an abundance of work compared to the output of Medieval masons, or sculptors (as today – very often the same thing).
And so, all things considered, perhaps it is not surprising that given the tools I have at hand my work does not resemble that of previous carvers, although it is true that some of my more traditional masonry fireplace surrounds would be instantly recognizable now that I come to think about it.
The fact is that my sculpture, my carvings and designs, are forward looking and contemporary rather than traditional, even though they stem from the same long history of banker mason structural integrity. Which is why my work is distinctive and probably unlike anything you have seen before – which is a comment I get often. It is also why it is so well balanced and practical to own; a subject dear to my own heart. For perhaps the most radical aspect of my work is how I manage to carve quite large dimensional sculpture yet have it weigh so little that I can simply pick it up and move it around with relative ease. I mean, I am not a giant or a weightlifter or anything, but if I can pick it up and walk it around then….
“Light, portable and carved for full immersion in the real world”. That’s my slogan and I am sticking with it. The truth is that I hate the weight that plagues the stone industry. Its not just difficult and awkward to manage, it can even be dangerous! Marble weighs in at around 175 lbs for every cubic foot. Think about that. My sculpture – that is, practically everything you see in my gallery pics – is so light that I can pick it up, as I said, and move it around with relative ease. Now, take a look at some of the dimensions that we are talking about and do the math, as they say. Owning a piece of my work requires no heavy lifting gear, there’s no need to protect your floors as you move it from one room, or situation, to the next: simply hold the carving as close to your body as is comfortable – hug it in other words – and simply walk it to any place you wish, or get someone you trust and have faith in their strength to do it. That way you will be able to display your treasure in any location you wish. Think about that the next time you see a stone sculpture. Ask yourself how much must that way?
So, please head up to my gallery tab in the banner, click of a few sculpture Home Pages and take a look at my Collection Series Marble Sculpture. Each page displays the dimensions as well as the weight
Yes, I remove as much unnecessary stone as I am able, yet when its gone its gone, and what you see is but a fraction of the original block in most instances. The majority of the stone is swept up off the workshop floor, leaving the actual work of art itself to be, as I said, simply picked up and walked around with ease.
So that’s it – my little introduction of welcome. Thanks for visiting martincooney.com. I hope you enjoy the website and I hope like my work and will perhaps consider adding some of my carvings and sculpture to your home, office, patio and/or garden.
Finally, don’t forget that most of my ten thousand-plus photographs are large format, so please click on any image and ENLARGE TO SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE.
As a matter of fact Along The Way proved a positive delight to carve, and unlike her sister On The Cusp I actually encountered no surprises along the way !
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