THE COLLECTION SERIES / Series 4

The Liberty Collection Portfolio, Part 1

~ Colorado Yule Marble ~ 25 Carvings ~ by Martin Cooney

It often surprises many visitors to The Martin Cooney Stoneworks, as I reveal the source supplying the marble for The Liberty Collection, that the fourth edition to my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture Portfolio, is an unlikely looking ever-diminishing rectangular slab of Colorado Yule Marble. It is probably the last thing they expected to encounter, and even though they may have at this point spent a fair amount of time gazing at the huge display of sculpture adorning the studio gallery, this huge and slightly gruesome block seldom gains attention until I point it out. But I am delighted to announce that this uncompromising three-ton slab, now whittled down to a ton-and-a-half, has now produced the first twenty-five Liberty Collection Sculptures that I will reveal in the order I carved them, bringing us neatly to the half-way point in the formerly three-ton slabs carving process.

Although the Martin Cooney Stoneworks took possession of The Liberty Building (so named due to the address being 121 Liberty Street, Council Grove KS) in January of 2025, such was the prolonged nature of converting a former welding shop into the stone carving workshop and studio gallery, that it took some considerable time to create the facility that it is today. And even though I was able to carve ‘The Liberty Bowl’ in April, it was June and July before The Liberty Collection got truly underway..

~ Six Thousand Pounds of Colorado Yule Marble Potential ~

~ End of the 700 Mile Journey: from Marble, Colorado to Council Grove, Kansas ~

~ ~ ~

~ The Half-Way Point: With the Liberty Slab split in two almost equal parts, around 25 carvings remain to be carved ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

PART ONE: THE GALLERY

PART TWO: MY COMMENTS

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~ PART ONE ~

GALLERY

~ ~ ~

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

~ ~ ~

~ The Liberty Bowl ~

No. 1 : The Liberty Bowl, Web Page Link.

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 68, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Biretta ~

No. 2: Biretta, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 69, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Lucky Scylla ~

No. 3: Lucky Scylla, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 70, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Marble Vista ~

No. 4: Marble Vista, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 71, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Prairie Twist ~

No. 5: Prairie Twist, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 72, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Hard to Starboard ~

No. 6: Hard to Starboard, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 73, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Prairie Schoolhouse ~

No. 7: Prairie Schoolhouse, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 74, by Martin Cooney ~

~ Please Click on and Image to Englarge ~

~ Starling ~

No. 8: Starling, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 75, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Hunter ~

No. 9 Hunter, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 76, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Rough Around The Edge ~

No. 10: Rough Around The Edge, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 77, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Departing The Nest ~

No. 11: Departing The Nest, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 78, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Thundercaps ~

No. 12: Thundercaps, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 79, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Aquatic Anomaly ~

No. 13: Aquatic Anomaly, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 80, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Sheer Strength ~

No. 14: Sheer Strength, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 81, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Sheer Folly ~

16: Lofty Perch, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 83, by Martin Cooney ~

~ Please Click on an Image to Enlarge ~

~ Great Light Owl ~

No. 17: Great Light Owl, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 84, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Tipping Point ~

No. 18: Tipping Point, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~

~ Series 4, Part 1 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 85, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Aspiration ~

No. 19: Aspiration, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 86, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Good Dogs ~

No. 20: Good Dogs, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 87, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Vanishing Point ~

No. 21: Vanishing Point, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 88, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Stepping Stones ~

No. 22: Stepping Stones, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 89, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Duality ~

No. 23: Duality, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 90, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Moonfish ~

No. 24: Moonfish, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 91, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ Fido’s Still Got It ~

No. 25: Fido’s Still Got It, Web Page Link

~ The Liberty Collection ~ Part 1 ~

~ Series 4 ~ COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: No. 92, by Martin Cooney ~

~ ~ ~

~ To Be Continued ~

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

COMMENTS

The Liberty Bowl, my first foray into the Liberty Slab, was indeed something of a test case by which I could set my mind to carve a huge mysterious block of Colorado Yule Marble that was entirely new to me. I wanted to discover its characteristics, its ‘personality’ as it were, well in advance of my broader undertaking of carving the entire slab. I needed a game plan. Just what lay beneath this rather grimy surface? Clearly, the thing had been out of the ground for an extended period. It bore the rips and tares of numerous forklift pushes and shoves as it was unceremoniously shoved around the yard. Deep scratches revealed on the underside confirmed this later, but all this was information I could use. Why was this slab left to tarnish so thoroughly? And how long ago had it been quarried? I later settled on the clue spray-painted onto one end: 18 1484. I presumed the 18 represented the year it was quarried. I could be wrong, but it seemed about right for the degree of surface ravaging and weathered patina the slab bore.

~ I carved ‘The Liberty Bowl’ ahead of the rest of The Liberty Collection to settle my nerves and test the marble for quality ~

However, although I had a few misgivings regarding the condition of the slab’s exterior, my fears were soon dispelled once I commenced carving ‘The Liberty Bowl’. The marble was silky and rich, and most of all a stunningly brilliantly bright white – by far the whitest and brightest marble that I have ever encountered. (“phew, what a relief”). Now I could relax somewhat, finish building out my workshop, get everything where and how I wanted it, and just how it should be, in lieu of the great task ahead. I now ‘knew’ the stone. I had everything in place. My banker workshop was shaped into the absolute finest carving space any stone sculptor could ask for … it was time to begin. The year was approaching its half-way point and I was ready, willing, able and chomping at the bit to get started.

~ ~ ~

My first major decision was to split the slab in two, right down the middle. This way, I could carve one side as a sort of exploratory mission, then perfect the techniques I had acquired to take the second half to new challenging and technically demanding heights. The first half would be devoted to exploration / the second half to pursuing the fine art of perfecting the knowledge and experience I had acquired the first time around.

~ I split ‘Lofty Perch’ and ‘Great Light Owl’, above, with tall upright sculptures in mind ~

And so, as I write this, I am feeling pretty excited at the challenge that lies ahead. The first half – or Part 1 of Series 4 in my ongoing COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture catalogue, has gone quite well and I have enjoyed the carving process immensely. But in Part 2, I want to realize a few ideas that developed towards the later stages of Part 1. I want to refine and exploit the vertical aspect that materialized in such carvings as ‘Great Light Owl’, ‘Lofty Perch’, ‘Tipping Point’ and ‘Vanishing Point’. So, to achieve this verticality, I will need to approach the splitting process in a different manner to that I have used previously. Instead of using the plug and feather wedges in such a way as to create, say, a bowl (‘Biretta’, ‘Moonfish’, ‘The Liberty Bow’) or a bird of prey (‘Departing The Nest’), a beast (‘Hunter’,) or abstract structure (‘Sheer Strength’ and ‘Sheer Folly’), I will have to elongate the process, ensuring the piece retains structural integrity with which to stand tall without fear of tipping.

~ ‘Tipping Point’ takes shape in the Martin Cooney Stoneworks banker workshop ~

‘Prairie Twist’ springs to mind as a good example, with her broad base, split in a slight triangular form, and although her rough block will become a blueprint for creating taller, more vertical carvings, I will aim to incorporate more Curvilinear aspects into their design. This subtle characteristic of my hyper-reductionist approach to sculpting will serve to facilitate and showcase the marvelous and colorful translucence created when Curvilinear walls, carved so light and thin that direct light illuminates the marble from within, are expose to direct light – the effects of which have now become a signature of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture as significant as that of my Hand Carved Marble Bowls.

In short: I am as eager to see what comes next as anyone. Let’s see, of course. A lot depends on what the ‘Mabel’ (spirit of the stone) has to say about it, as I plie my hammer drill, insert the plug and feather wedges, and bear down on them with trusty mallet. But we are to find out, soon.

Stay tuned.

~ ~ ~

Martin Cooney, March 2026.

~ ~ ~

The Liberty Collection Portfolio, Part 1:

COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE: Series 4

~ ~ ~

Thank you for visiting martincooney.com

~ ~ ~

/\/\@R+!/\/

~ / ,

\/