The Maiden Collection Portfolio / Part 1 / Series 1 / COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE by Martin Cooney

Posted on March 2, 2026March 28, 2026 by Martin Cooney, Stone Sculptor

THE COLLECTION SERIES / Series 1

The Maiden Collection, Part 1

~ Colorado Yule Marble ~ 21 Carvings ~ by Martin Cooney

THE COLLECTION SERIES, as a concept, arose gradually over a period of around eighteen months, beginning in September of 2011, when a strange set of circumstances conspired to my splitting a large 5 foot by 11 foot slab of ‘well-seasoned’ Colorado Yule Marble, into manageable rough blocks that I then maneuvered into my workshop with little real idea of what exactly I would do with them. At the time, I was enjoying life, living in a historic log cabin, in Woody Creek, Colorado, just 3 miles outside of Aspen, where Kris, myself and our son, Joseph, were enjoying all that the magnificent Rocky Mountains had to offer. My stone carving workshop and stone yard lay just 25 paces from the cabin door. Our rustic ‘Floating Garden’, “Birdhaven”, was fed via irrigation ditches from the nearby Woody Creek River, and as the name suggests, was a popular attraction for the local bird community. But not only birds took advantage of the garden; deer, elk and foxes frequented it too, along with some spectacular birds of prey. It also steadily evolved into a repository for my limestone carvings, and then later my marble sculpture. In short, these were some of the happiest days of my life.

And so, with this pleasant mindset at play, and with the great economic recession of ’08 now receding into the past, by the time I set about carving my newly split large blocks of marble I was in a frame of mind to create something special. I had no idea just what … but instinct told me that, this was it. My whole life had arrived at this singular point in time for a reason. All my life I had followed the notion that in every man’s life there is “one thing” that he is good at – I mean, really good. And if he gets a chance, he must follow his calling. And this was it. Now was my chance. Happily, just over a decade ago I discovered that I not only enjoyed carving stone, I was actually pretty good at it. I had earned a Banker Masonry NVQ Level Two at The City of Bath College in my native England and I’d carved stone professionally in the trade. College taught me how to work accurately; the trade taught me how to carve fast. It was these skills that combined to equip me to work for myself in Colorado as a Banker Mason. And now, the opportunity arose for my sculptural journey to begin by carving this huge block of marble into sculpture that instead of following convention, would blaze a new trail. It would be light, portable and carved for full immersion in the real world. I wasn’t interested in monumental work – I had had enough of that with the heavy masonry work I have been involved with. No. I wanted to create sculptures that would be accessible to anyone and everyone. I want marble sculpture to be relatable; I wanted it to come out of the special category in which it resides and becomes part and parcel of people’s everyday lives. And in doing so, THE COLLECTION SERIES was borne. This story continues through each of my ongoing Collections, each carved from a singular source of marble. It’s a story of progress from early exploration to ultimate refinement. From beasts to maidens, bowls to standing stones, standard to Curvilinear, conventional to translucence.

Displayed in the order in which they were carved, the Portfolio Series follows my sculptural journey in sequence. Each post begins with an introduction, such as this, a gallery containing links to each piece’s Web Page, and concludes with my comments.

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PART ONE: THE GALLERY

PART TWO: MY COMMENTS

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~ Below: How I split The Maiden Slab. September, 2011 ~

~ Please click on a photo to enlarge ~

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Please enjoy the scroll, as I present: The Maiden Collection, Part 1:

~ PART ONE ~

GALLERY

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~ Please click on an image to enlarge, and click the links below each gallery to visit the sculpture’s web page ~

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~ Genesis ~

No. 1: Genesis, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 1, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Thing One ~

No. 2: Thing One, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 2, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Thing Two ~

No. 3: Thing Two, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 3, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ The Demure One ~

No. 4: The Demure One, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 4, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Terrible Lizard ~

A side view of a white sculpture partially obscured by tall green grass and plants, with a hilly background and blue sky.

No. 5: Terrible Lizard, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 5, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Dreadnought ~

No. 6: Dreadnought, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 6, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Mabel, Spirit of the Stone ~

No. 7: Mabel, Spirit of the Stone, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 7, by Martin Cooney ~

~ Please click on a photo to enlarge ~

~ Troy ~

No.8: Troy, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 8, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Top O’ Th’ World ~

No. 9: Top O’ Th’ World, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No.9, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Swan Wave ~

No: 10: Swan Wave, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 10, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Adam ~

No. 11: Adam, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 11, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Eve ~

'Eve' Bowl, Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

No. 12: Eve, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 11, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Titanic ~

'Titanic', Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

'Titanic', with hand, Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

No. 13: Titanic, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 13, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Chicane ~

No. 14: Chicane, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 14, by Martin Cooney ~

~ Please click on a photo to enlarge ~

~ Constellation ~

No. 15: Constellation, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 15, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Vanilla Bean ~

No. 16: Vanilla Bean, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 16, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ The Maiden Bowl ~

No, 17: The Maiden Bowl, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 17, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Felucca ~

'Felucca' Bowl, Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

No. 18: Felucca, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 18, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Slippershot ~

No. 19: Slippershot, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 19, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Venus di Mermaid ~

'Venus de Mermaid', Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

No. 20: Venus di Mermaid, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 20, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ Jonah ~

No. 21: Jonah, Sold, Web Page Link

~ The Maiden Collection ~ Part 1 ~

COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture No. 21, by Martin Cooney ~

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~ PART TWO ~

COMMENTS

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In the summer of 2009, an unlikely string of events was to lay the groundwork for the concept of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture Portfolio. Kris and I were enjoying our life on the outskirts of Woody Creek, Colorado, enveloped in alpine splendor, as our little family partook of all that the picturesque Roaring Fork Valley had to offer, which was a lot indeed. Blessed by the sheer magnificence of each passing season, the soft billowy snow of winter, the late but exquisite sudden burst of spring, the magnificent summers and memorable autumns combined to cast lasting memories that recall some of the happiest days of my life.

~ Please click on an image to enlarge ~

Our little cabin looked out on a beautiful floating garden, fed by the nearby Woody Creek, which we named ‘Birdhaven’, in regard to the incredible wildlife sanctuary that it became. My stone yard and workshop lay just twenty-five paces from our front door. And with my masonry business steadily gaining momentum with each successful project, I felt a growing confidence steadily build as I eyed our future. That is, until the financial bust of 2008 brought us all down to earth, with a bump. For five years I had been steadily building a nice little banker masonry business, providing ‘bespoke’ masonry, entrance signs, fireplaces and what is known as “trim” to the masonry industry – hand carved stonework destined to adorn premier properties in Aspen, the Western Slope, Denver and beyond.

Martin Cooney, author martincooney.com, Studio Workshop, Snowscape. Feb 5, 16

~ A banker mason’s life ~

To cut a long story short, from 2009 to 11, like just about everyone, I had to scramble to, well, simply survive. But while I was busy ‘surviving’ I received a phone call one day. It was a friend of a friend who, knowing that I carved stone for a living, proffered a simple question – would I like a big block of marble? Well, yes, of course; a stone carver never turns down the offer of stone – heaven forbid! I’ll be over this afternoon, he said. And he was. But what he hadn’t mentioned was the sheer size of the thing. It was massive; approximately five feet by eleven, by two-and-a-half feet thick. Where do you want it? Err, urm. I hadn’t really thought about it, and I had certainly not expected a slab so very large. Where could I put it so that it wouldn’t get in the way and foul up my nice tidy little stone yard. Over there, I said. And over there he landed it, with a thump that went right through me.

And there is sat for around two years, slowly sinking into the ground – not good for the marble, but certainly not good with winter approaching, for it would most certainly become frozen and locked into the rock-hard ground. It was September of 2011 when, after many a quick nap upon its large flat surface, a little star gazing, and nothing else of much use, I decided upon a course of action that, unknowingly at the time, would alter the course of my life forever. I took out my set of traditional plug and feathers wedges, drilled a series of one inch in diameter holes, placed the wedges, and with the assistance of a rather large mallet, began to split the slab into manageable blocks. If I hadn’t taken such drastic action, the slab would not have been of use until the thaw, in and around April of 2012.

'Work in Progres'Bowl, carving process, workshop, Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

Author martincooney.com, Mother of Pearl - The Carving of...

'Mother of Pearl' Bowl, with the sculptor in the workshop, Collection Series Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney.

So it was, that without my even knowing it, THE COLLECTION SERIES was born. Not aware of just what I was to do with the large, formidable rough blocks, some weighing many hundreds of pounds, I seized upon a little ‘bite sized’ slice that had caught my attention and decided to experiment on it prior to tackling the bigger brutes.

As it turns out, this strange little sliver of Colorado Yule Marble was every bit as intriguing as I had hoped. In fact, it was way, way more fascinating than I could have imagined. What presented itself on the surface as a slightly faint band of grayish marble, turned out to be a very impressive and rugged belt of solidified magma, i.e. granite. Imagine my shock. And imagine the damage incurred on my poor drills and diamond blades. But after a while I realized that an occasional misting of water made all the difference, it cooled the diamond drill head, and I began to make headway, the result? ‘Genesis’. Clearly, it was game on for this peculiar slab. I was on to something and I knew it. But what?

~ The mysterious sliver of Colorado Yule Marble that sparked THE COLLECTION SERIES. ‘Genesis’ ~

‘Genesis’, as the name suggests, paved the way for every COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture to date. Grandiose concepts such as ‘Curvilinear’, and especially my signature Hand Carved Marble Bowls were still a way off, but the die was now set; and I was hooked … line and sinker, there was to be no going back.

~ The City of Bath College NVQ Level 2, student, Martin Cooney, and hand carved test pieces ~

Calling upon all of the knowledge I had gained in attaining my NVQ Level Two from The City of Bath College in my native England, a decade earlier, and drawing upon the experience gathered from working in the Stoneyards in the hills and countryside around Bath, plus the years spent carving commercially for myself, I relished the challenge of channeling all of this energy into a fascinating new obsession. And how I have loved every minute of it. Sculpting marble is the definition of freedom itself. By utilizing the acute discipline acquired via the ‘ten thousand hours’ it takes to attain master mason status, I absolutely relished the opportunity to test this strange local metamorphosized limestone (marble) in ways that defied logic. For, buried deep within the mysterious properties of ‘The Yule’, as I have come to know it, lies a tantalizing force that before long I was to carve into the provocative form of ‘Mabel, Spirit of the Stone’. For whereas limestone tends to meekly submit to the carver’s intentions, this liquid-like material appears to possess quite a mind of its own: split it this way – and it goes that. Never, it seems, did the stone simply lie down and comply. No. The only way I was ever to have any sort of success with The Yule was to enter into an understanding with the marble. There was no way I could simply rely on shaping it the way I would with limestone. I could split limestone to down to the inch, but ‘Mable’ wouldn’t hear of it. Grated, after much experimentation, a lot of frustration, and more than a little bemusement, I am now able to control the split to some degree, and at times quite accurately. But gradually I began to look upon these ‘interventions’ by Mabel as simply part of the carving process, and these days I am absolutely fine with her, at times, wild imaginings. They are now an essential part of THE COLLECTION SERIES’ grand repertoire of exotic shape, curvy, waviness, and I would feel quite bereft if they were to ever go away – perish the thought.

~ The Yule Marble Quarry / ‘Mable, Spirit of the Stone’ ~

All the angled slants, the 30-degree inclines that you see throughout each collection – are a result of Mabel. And Mabel is a result of the seam, up at the quarry, four miles above the beautiful little town of Marble, Colorado. You see, they quarry the marble on a level plain, for obvious reasons, but the seam – the largest marble deposit in the world at three miles by one and a half miles, by one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet tall – actually slopes at an angle of about 30 degrees, which is the source of Mabel’s uncanny knack of thwarting at times my best laid plans … all for the better, it must be said.

~ The Maiden Slab’s likely resting place along The Crystal River, CO, keeping runnof water from undermining the railroad ~

The Maiden Slab arrived with quite a long and unlikely history to it. Having been hauled out of the ground, most likely in the mad scramble to provide suitably massive blocks for the building of The Lincoln Memorial, this weather worn battered and scarred slab had actually been slid down the bank of the Crystal River in order to save the quarry’s railroad from being undermined each spring runoff. It then found its way to the nearby Snowmass Rodeo parking lot. Then, roughly a hundred years after its quarrying, I took possession of it one September afternoon, in Woody Creek – a nice bit of luck for both of us, I would say. Because when you look at any Maiden Collection sculpture it’s hard to imagine it being slid down into a river bed, hauled out again and manhandled into a rodeo parking lot to… well, I don’t know why it ended up there. But it was a long and very convoluted path to being carved by me into the wafer-thin bowl that gives The Maiden Collection its name, the namesake ‘Maiden Bowl’. For once I had carved her, I knew I had really seen the light, as it were. ‘Light, portable and carved for full immersion in the real world’ soon became my commercial mantra, because it is carved for the real world that we inhabit, not stuffy lobbies, formal surroundings and dry sterile environments. The COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture is for you to enjoy as Jewelry for the Home. Little treasures that share your life as Objects of Beauty and prized possessions, so enjoy them whenever and wherever you wish.

Marble is nothing short of remarkable. With its reaction to direct light, you are in for a treat as you explore the myriads of display options. Impervious to direct sunlight with its hot and normally harmful UV rays, it sits quite at home in even the brightest of window sills.

The Maiden Collection consists of 41 carvings: 21 in this first half of the portfolio, with 20 more to follow in Part 2. Each COLLECTION SERIES Portfolio is presented in this way, so please check them out. You’ll find links below to the next installment.

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