With a growing legacy of over a hundred carvings, my ongoing COLLECTION SERIES is a portfolio of fine art designed with a single purpose: to bring an unyielding standard of craftsmanship to each and every piece, however large or small. I apply the exact same obsessive devotion to every sculpture in the series, meticulously refining each surface until the marble gives way to my signature porcelain-smooth luster. This exquisite, tactile finish delights the eye, invites the touch, and secures its place as a timeless family treasure; an original marble sculpture, sculpted to become a cherished heirloom.

An heirloom sculpure is a durable, high-craftmanship piece of art meant to be treasured, preserved, and passed down through generations like a family legacy. It is pronounced “air-loom”. The word comes from its root word “heir”,” which also has a silent “h”. /ˈɛːluːm/

~ Please click on an image to enlarge ~

~ A sampling of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture ~

An heirloom is created to survive the centuries. And in regard to my signature marble sculpture collection, this is a perfect term: marble doesn’t warp, fade, or tear; nothing eats it, it doesn’t rot and it doesn’t burn – it can literally last forever. Think of all the Greek, Roman and Victorian marble sculpture that present as well today as they did centuries or millennia ago – and think of all the wide-ranging situations it has found itself combatting down through the ages. Of course, not all marble can or will survive way into the future. Inevitably, tragedy will befall as the fates allow, but unless a catastrophe of sorts intervenes, the marble within my COLLECTION SERIES is destined to draw the same emotions, feel the same human touch, and provoke the same inquisitive response from future generations as it does today. And perhaps in the future it will garner even more speculation upon its meaning, its reason for being and its implied commentary on the life and times in which it was carved, just as we gaze upon those ancient marble sculptures ourselves.

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‘Time casuals’ is another way of looking at them. Will people still be carving marble long into the future? Will people even know how? Will robots and machines make everything, carve everything, DO everything? However, when future generations’ curiosity cause them to lean a carving over to explore the underside of the base of any of my marble sculptures, seeking clues to their origin, there will be my name, my Mark, its Serial Number and … the name I bequeathed upon the carving, many, many years or even centuries prior. Now, THAT’s what I call “Heirloom”.

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In a world filled with cheap, mass-produced goods, “heirloom” represents the exact opposite. Heirlooms are expensive because they require an intense degree of knowledge, skill and concerted effort to produce. They are rare, in that few people possess these attributes. Even more rare are those prepared to commit themselves to the arduous task of making their ideas come to life; still fewer possess the necessary tools, training and technique to transform ideals into action. Seldom do they find the necessary arena in which to mold these diverse requirements into an actual living and breathing commercial business.

But luckily: I do. It’s called The Martin Cooney Stoneworks, and it resides at the very heart of the country, close to the actual geographic center, in Council Grove, Kansas. It’s a beautiful 1940s red brick building that used to service the trucks and machinery of the old dairy, who’s building still stands right across the street. It boasts large louvered windows to allow plenty of light, fresh air and sunshine into the space; but best of all, being the town’s premier light industrial facility, it has everything a stone sculptor, such as me, could but dream. Pneumatic air stations line the walls, as do electricity outlets. The floor is smooth, solid concrete. The ceiling is high and vaulted. A 5,000 lb. forklift is housed in the adjacent lean-to. There’s plenty of storage, and even space for a large open studio gallery area that displays my work. In truth, it simply couldn’t be more suited to fit the needs of a man obsessed by his fine art heirloom sculpture.

~ The Liberty Building, Home to The Martin Cooney Stoneworks, 121 Liberty Street, Council Grove, Kansas ~

And so, just how do I attain this ‘heirloom’ quality? Well, apart from the singularity of the design – which I attain through a process I’ve deemed ‘Split-and-carve’, a derivative of the ‘Direct Method’ pioneered by Constantin Brancusi over a century ago, much of the sculpture’s claim to heirloom status is attained by the quite exquisite, silky-smooth, ‘porcelain’ surface that I steadfastly apply to all (each and every one) of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculptures. Of course, some of the ‘trade secrets’ I feel I should keep to myself. But they are probably of little interest to all but …. perhaps, my rivals.

So, I will now show you how I go about ‘finishing’ my fine art marble sculpture with its trademark silky-smooth luster. But at this point I want to set one thing straight: when it comes to my heirloom marble, time is NOT of the essence – it simply ceases to exist. People often ask me how long it takes to do this or that; split the rough block from the slab; carve the piece; apply the finish etc., and I always reply “However long it takes”. And that’s the secret to my work. That’s what makes it heirloom quality. That and all the years learning the trade, mastering the art and developing the expertise of carving marble to the point of obsession.

~ The Liberty Slab ~

In the case of my latest series, The Liberty Collection, The COLLECTION SERIES 4th edition, each carving was split and carved from this 3-ton block of Colorado Yule Marble.

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~ The block was split using traditional plug and feather wedges ~

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The slab was split into individual rough blocks. This initial splitting process constitutes the first of three phases that turn raw marble into finished heirloom sculpture.

~ A rough block awaits the carving process ~

When a rough block is split to sufficient size to be carved, it is mounted on the banker in my workshop where the roughing out – the second phase of the carving process begins.

~ Step 2: the carving process ~

The second phase in the process is probably the part that people think of when it comes to carving stone. It involves chisels, diamond wheel grinders and abrasive pads – and this is where most of the material is removed. It is at this point that the finished carving appears for the first time, and it is here where the stone has to be removed with the utmost caution, as once it is carved from the rough block, it is then lost forever. So, caution must be applied to not get ahead of oneself.

~ ‘Aspiration’ begins to take shape ~

~ The finishing process ~

The third and final process is to apply the finish … and this can be something of a time-consuming endeavor, but it is the crucial element that elevates the finished sculpture to ‘Heirloom’ status. Beginning with a rough 40 grit silicon carbide pad, the process gradually moves up through 60, 80, 100, 160, 200, 400, 600, all the way up to 800 grit – with each stage requiring extensive (lightly dampened) passes through each grade. And this can take up to around a third of the total carving process, from splitting to completion, and requires much focus, a deft touch, and a patient disposition. Because the results attained by this ‘labor of love’ are extraordinary, indeed. The marble is transformed from a rough, semi-smooth surface to one that positively gleams to the point that it rewards each touch with a silkiness that proves irresistible to all who encounter it. Time consuming as it is, I actually find this final stage of the carving process the most rewarding of all, as what my hands achieve through the deft application of the various grits is a surface that simply cannot be attained by any other methos – it simply has to be hand finished, or it will never attain that highest accolade of ‘Heirloom Quality Marble Sculpture’ – the benchmark of all my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculptures, whatever their size.

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Heirloom Quality: Carving Marble to the Point of Obsession

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Thank you for visiting martincooney.com

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