THE COLLECTION SERIES / Series 3

Autum of 14 Collection Portfolio

~ Colorado Yule Marble ~ 14 Carvings ~ by Martin Cooney

In stark contrast to the conditions in which I carved the previous COLLECTION SERIES portfolio, the 1314 Winter Collection, whereby the Rocky Mountains threw every stormy trick in the book at me, to the point that I had to dig my way into the workshop seemingly every morning – this time around The Rockies bestowed conditions of almost total bliss upon me, with some of the very finest weather the Colorado High Country has to offer. The Roaring Fork Valley’s alpine Autumn season is just tremendous, probably the very best weather of the year, as anyone familiar with the region will eagerly tell you. Add to this the fact that only a few weeks prior to beginning work on the Autumn of 14 Collection, I had just returned from a three month adventure in Tuscany, as I travelled The North West Tuscan Way in search of all things marble in ‘the land of marble’ – the gorgeous, rustic, rural idyl we know of as the world famous region of Carrara. Which, by the way, you may accompany my travels over there if you click the ‘Rogue Carver on the Loose in Italy’ tab in the banner at the top of the page. And if you’ve ever been to this lush and verdant corner of Tuscany (and if not, you most certainly should, one day) you’ll no doubt agree that marble, and stone carving in general, predominates the whole of society; from the vast open marble quarries, to the sophisticated galleries, public sculptures, flamboyant fountains, rambling villas, resplendent architecture – and of course, my favorite building in the world, the legendary Leaning Tower of Pisa.

~ The North West Tuscan Way ~

~ Please click on an image to enlarge ~

~ Oh, that Glorious Summer of ’14 in the Birdhaven Studio Sculpture Garden, Woody Creek, Colorado ~

~ ~ ~

The Carrara region boasts a stunning landscape sunbathed by the gorgeous Tuscan-blue sky and is fanned by a cooling Mediterranean breeze that kept me alert and actively engaged as I roamed the province in search of answers. How did Carrara marble compare with my beloved Colorado Yule? Was anyone over there carving marble in the Curvilinear fashion that I had come to think of as my own? And what could I learn from simply hanging around the people and places that drew so many creative artists, and particularly sculptors, to this one point on the planet? Well, I can’t go into the details here, as that is not what we are here to discuss right now, but needless to say, when I finally got to grips with the Autumn of 14 Collection I was suitably ‘charged’, excited, relaxed and very much inspired to create a body of work that would do justice to the third COLLECTION SERIES instalment – which is a good feeling, I can tell you.

~ ~ ~

PART ONE: THE GALLERY

PART TWO: MY COMMENTS

~ ~ ~

~ The man who carved the Autumn of 14 Collection ~ Along The North West Tuscan Way, Spring/Summer of ’14 ~

~ ~ ~

~ PART ONE ~

GALLERY

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

~ ~ ~

~ Ice Boat ~

No. 1: Ice Boat, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 56, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Nessie ~

No.2: Nessie, Sold, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 57, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Pilgrim ~

No. 3: Pilgrim, Withdrawn, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 58, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ San Rocchino Pool ~

No. 4: San Rocchino Pool, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 59, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ No Strings Attached ~

No. 5: No Strings Attached, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 60, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Beached Boat ~

No. 6: Beached Boat, Sold, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 61, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Polar Trout ~

No 7: Polar Trout, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 62, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Kenai Skiff ~

No. 8: Kenai Skiff, Sold, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 63, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

‘Girl in the Moon’, Cosmic Twin 1′

No. 9: Girl in the Moon, Cosmic Twin 1, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 64, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Salt of the Earth ~

No.10: Salt of the Earth, Cosmic Twin 2, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 65, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Troglodyte Cloister ~

No. 11: Troglodyte Coister, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 66, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Cuvilinear Campfire ~

No. 12: Curvilinear Campfire, Sold, Web Page Link

~ 1314 Winter Collection ~

~ Series 3 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 67, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

COMMENTS

Looking back upon the array of carvings I created for the third addition to my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture catalogue, I see that one or two obvious themes arise within the dozen pieces that make up the Autumn of 14 Collection. For one thing; water. Beginning with ‘Ice Boat’, a stylistic iceberg, moving on to ‘Nessie’ – an even more stylized Loch Ness Monster of comic affectations, Beached Boat – a washed up Tramp Steamer I had discovered on a Mediterranean beach many years prior, ‘Polar Trout’, a name that needs no real explanation, and ‘Kenai Skiff’, an almost near replica of the shallow flat-bottomed ‘bathtub’ upon which I had seen out a season’s gill netting Alaskan salmon … even more years ago. There is even a water related theme with ‘San Rocchino Pool’. Which if you do follow my hint and take a trip with me, the Rogue Carver on the Loose, by clicking the button in the banner, you will discover for yourself as one of the finest swimming pools I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

~ San Rocchino, its pool, fabulous garden and stunning views ~ my home away from home for the month of June, 2014 ~

So, I think it is safe to say that having spent a full three months prior to carving these pieces within touching distance of the Mediterranean, I must surely have had a case of water on the brain. For, all-in-all there is not much of it, water that is, up at 8,000 feet in the Rockies; perhaps a reservoir or two, but that’s about it. And for someone who grew up and lived on an island locked between the mighty Atlantic and the mercurial North Sea, well, simply the sight of the warm and languid Mediterranean was enough to thoroughly excite my mind – or so it seems.

~ North West Tuscany is, lush, green, packed with art and history; and by far my favorite corner of the whole, wide world ~

~ Three months on or near the Tuscan Coast rekindled my love for those magical places where the land meets the sea ~

Boats, ships, ferries, yachts, schooners, merchant vessels, military warships, (anything but cruise ships!), all fasciate me. And to be honest they show up quite regularly within THE COLLECTION SERIES, but a ratio of 6 maritime themes out of 12 carvings is a little disproportionate compared to other collections, before or since. But I think this example serves to illustrate a point I quite often make when people ask me about my motivation for carving, and the inspiration to embark upon a particular subject. I tell them that, as far as I am concerned, it’s a matter of ‘what goes in must come out’, in so far as imposing visual images tend to leave a lasting impression in my mind’s eye. For instance, when I lived in the Rocky Mountains, I found myself carving the rocky terrain, the pure white snow, and the lines that ski runs make down the slopes (‘Top o’ The World’, ‘Dreadnought’, ‘Elk Mountain Bowl’ for instance).

~ There are no shortage of places in which to roam and wander in The Flint Hills of Kansas, as long as you stay on the roads ~

But once we moved to Kansas, for the 4^th Series, The Liberty Collection, visions of remote schoolhouses, tall wheat fields (‘Prairie Schoolhouse’, ‘The Prairie Twist’) and … dogs, “huntn” dogs, with big long ears, jowly snouts and short legs soon appear on the scene (‘Good Dogs’, and ‘Fido’s Still Got It’) … and there maybe more to come, who knows? At the time of writing (March 5^th, 2026) am only at the half-way point with The Liberty Collection, so who knows, there may be one or two more before the 4^th series is through.Then there are the two Marble Masks; ‘Girl in the Moon’ and ‘Salt of the Earth’; sister and brother split from the same rough block. I’m not sure where they came from, but as they had spent roughly 30 million years situated back-to-back within the same seam of Colorado Yule Marble, I felt I just had to keep them together once they were set free. It only seemed right, and that’s why I am pairing them together – for all time, hopefully. Or at least, I wouldn’t want to be the one to separate them after being so close for so very, very long. But I think they came about as a result of my carving ‘Industrial Evolution’ and ‘Mystique Masque’ in the previous collection; the weather-challenged Winter of 14 series. That is also an aspect of ‘carver’s inspiration’, the desire to further explore concepts and ideas that have percolated via previous carvings. It often happens, and usually I am quite unaware of the fact until well after the event, when the notion clicks and I am let in on the little trick that memories seem to like to play on us from time to time.

~ Splitting The Cosmic Twins, ‘Girl in the Moon’ and ‘Salt of the Earth’, went extremely well, you could say… ~

Which just leaves us with the flamboyant ‘No Strings Attached’, ‘Troglodyte Cloister’ and ‘Curvilinear Campfire’ – perhaps my most ambitious carving to date. ‘No Strings’ stands as the only Hand Carved Marble Bowl of the series, as I thought I had carved sufficient bowls in the previous two collections, I thought I would explore different avenues this time around. But the block that NSA was carved from had one huge imposing feature about it, and that was a giant one-inch hole drilled deep into the lower third of the block- right where its bowl now sits. In fact, that was the first thing I did when prepping the piece for carving. I carved out the hole and in doing so cut out a large bowl shape, so I thought, why not? Just where the long fret board came from, I have no idea. But like all ideas, once they stick there is no going back; a guitar shape, or more accurately I suppose, a lute, or instrument with a large sounding drum just seemed to materialize, as things often do in the world of ‘Direct Method Carving’. In fact, that’s the thing I most love about what I do. I’m not stuck to any particular plan, I can ‘go with the flow’ as it were and just see where an idea leads me.

And finally, we come to another set of ‘twins’, as it were, with ‘Troglodyte Cloister’ and ‘Curvilinear Campfire’, two more companions who shared 30 million years together within a seam of Colorado Yule Marble. But whereas The Cosmic Twins were split with absolute precision – right down the middle – from corner to corner, with a splitting technique that served to make me proud, this time around I decided to ‘weight the equation’ by offsetting the plug and feather wedges to produce a lopsided result.

~ ‘Troglodyte Coilster and ‘Curvilinear Campfire’s split, although purposesly lopsided went very well indeed. ~

With winter conditions fast approaching, and my supply of carvable marble rapidly diminishing to the point of scraps, this was my last chance to make a show of things and pull off a highly ambitious set of Curvilinear carvings. I wanted to make a statement regarding the ‘Light, Portable and Carved for Full Immersion in the Real World’ properties of my newly developed carving technique. First came ‘Troglodyte Cloister’, with its fractured split and rounded dome, plug and feather hole windows and impossibly thin walls, a result of splitting.

The idea for leaving the holes and including them in ‘Troglodyte Cloisters’ overall design stemmed from memories of a remote, isolated derelict abbey I had recently discovered in Tuscany – proving once again how ideas and images tend to percolate in the brain’s subconscious, until they are needed. And Curvilinear Campfire materialized as a tribute to the many evening campfires we indulged in on clear nights, when the stars carpeted the heavens, the air was bitingly fresh, the night creatures were a-roamin’, the steady up-valley breeze sent the long flames sideways, sparks flew, usually up valley, but occasionally down, in a lively display of energy that never got old. Oh, the memories…

~ Twenty years of our life were spent in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, a time that Kris and I enjoyed immensely ~

~ Our time in Colorado was fun, interesting, rewarding, challenging, but by 2023 we both agreed, it was time to move on ~

Alas, however, unbeknownst at the time, a full ten years were to elapse before I would have the chance to expand upon my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture catalogue with The Liberty Collection: The Lost Decade, I now call it. But carving marble in such volume as a series like mine demands, is a privilege that can dry up and go away at the drop of a hat, and so I never take a single carving for granted. I carved plenty of other things in this time, of course, but not my beloved Colorado Yule Marble. It was, sadly, utterly out of my reach. I was waylaid, high and dry. To the point that I/we had to leave Colorado just to get my hands on another mighty slab of the The Yule: but that’s another story, for another time.

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

Autumn of 14 Portfolio / Series 3 / COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE

~ ~ ~

Thank you for visiting martincooney.com

~ ~ ~

lVl/\R+I[\]

~ / ,

\/