Triaxial Twist / Web Page / COLLECTION SERIES MARBLE SCULPTURE By Martin Cooney / For Sale

Posted on April 26, 2026May 4, 2026 by Martin Cooney, Stone Sculptor

Triaxial Twist / For Sale / The Liberty Collection

Colorado Yule Marble / 7 x 10 x 21″ / 30.4 lbs / SN260402

Currently Displayed at The Martin Cooney STONEWORKS

121 Liberty Street, Council Grove, Kansas 66846

Please email martincooneysculptor@gmail.com for sales information

A modern abstract sculpture made of white marble, featuring a twisted design with smooth curves and angles.

~ Poetry in Stone ~

‘Triaxial Twist’s name stems from the peculiar dynamic created by three twisted columns that concur with common definitions of the unusual sounding, but visually informative word, triaxial; “having or involving three axes, commonly describing structural stress, material testing, or cable construction with three conducting layers”. In my mind at least, it serves to provide an accurate visual description of a carving that results from a set of actions preplanned to create an architecturally sound result. And this simple system of setting out a COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture has now served me well in creating many such preordained carvings. However, when the additional factor of my signature Split and Carve technique is added to the equation, art meets architecture to form some quite spectacular results, as Direct Method carvings ‘Oblique Perspective’, ‘Reversed Equation’ and ‘Maypole’ readily attest: which is significant, as I now intend to investigate and explore this intriguing phenomenon – that of combining the wild imaginings of split and carve with the formal disciplines of architectural structure, to form whatever Curvilinear Reductionist Marble Sculpture may present itself over the remaining 20 or so Liberty Collection Colorado Yule Marble Carvings.

A modern abstract sculpture with a smooth, curved surface, tapering at the top and a flat base, displayed against a gradient background.

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Curvilinear Reductionism is a carving discipline I created to produce attractive and lightweight fine artwork to be enjoyed in ‘The Real World’, as opposed to the more traditional and perhaps palatial settings often associated with the lofty world of marble sculpture. And central to this prescribed set of acquired skills is the little matter of my having learned ‘my trade’ within the professional masonry industry – carving both fast and accurately for hours upon hours, days, weeks and months, for years, before branching out into the magical arena of Direct Method Marble Sculpture. Thus, I was able to transfer a great deal of knowledge, experience and confidence from the formal world of stone masonry to the impromptu platform of expressive sculptural exploration. Consequently, throughout my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture journey, I have often drawn upon these deep-rooted assets to create works that are distinctly ‘architectural’ in nature. And few of my architectural carvings reveal these hidden masonry origins with more aplomb than ‘Triaxial Twist’.

~ Please click on an image to enlarge ~

~ COLLECTION SERIES Plot Twist ~

As The Liberty Collection’s 30^th carving and coming in at No. 97 in THE COLLECTION SERIES as a whole, ‘Triaxial Twist’ benefitted from a long and continuous process of exploration and refinement that has produced several distinct categories.

~ ‘Triaxial Twist’ on the banker in the workshop ~

~ Rough block ~

~ Carving process ~

For instance, since first splitting and carving The Maiden Slab back in September of 2011, my Hand Carved Marble Bowl Collection has grown to encompass a huge variety of shapes, sizes and dynamics that I could not have conceived prior to my embrace of Direct Method Split and Carve Curvilinear Marble Sculpture. Similarly, my growing band of Beasts is now refining itself with the introduction of several Liberty Collection carvings that continue to grow and evolve with each new sculpture. My Maidens have also blossomed in the years since ‘The Belle’ first made her debut within The Maiden Collection. And recently, I have begun to recognize a new category of what I call Window Pieces now taking hold of the Liberty Collection, as their slim lines and transparent marble walls bask and play in the ever-changing direct light of the sun’s vibrant rays.

~ Zig ~ Zag ~

But now, I find myself increasingly drawn to the architectural instincts that propelled me to create a distinctly upright and sculpturally bold category that I labelled Standing Stones, due to their relatively large scale and outdoor nature of their characteristics. However, I am increasingly drawn to replicating such striking sculpture in a much-reduced proportion amenable to both indoors and out. And so, in this respect, ‘Triaxial Twist’ may become to my new and intriguing Architectural category what ‘Cat Walk’ was to the Standing Stones; a bridgehead to future possibilities.

~ When straight lines make curves ~

As yet, much is to be revealed regarding this new Architectural category of mine – and I am as interested as anyone else as to just how this more formal discipline is going to impact itself within the freeform world of Direct Method Curvilinear Marble Reductionism. But at this point I am very excited indeed to be headed in this new enticing direction. I aim to explore similar parameters with the twenty or so Liberty Collection sculptures that remain to be carved. But this new architectural development may well prove to be the signature symbol of THE COLLECTION SERIES’ fourth addition by the time I put my mark on the final sculpture, sometime this summer.

~ Please click on a link to enlarge ~

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What distinguishes this piece from most – in fact, nearly all my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculptures are the use of straight lines with which to form a visually curvy Curvilinear design. And this is a technique that I will no doubt be exploring to the full before the series’ end

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‘Triaxial Twist’ will fit right at home in most environments, and unlike many of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture isn’t too particular with its lighting demands. Not too translucent, so – no particular need for direct light. And with all those complex intersecting planes, he’ll gobble up any light that comes his way. Meaning, he will look great just about anywhere. And he will shine from any angle, as he was carved to be admired fully ‘in the round’. But what he will appreciate is a spot of light to beam down on his triangular face. This will bring out the multitude of calcite crystal sparkles that really have to be experienced in person, as pictures do this little magic trick no justice at all – just wait and see!

~ Click on a picture and zoom in the rare split face Colorado Yule Marble surface ~