Ron Cooper
Tall Black Alabaster Bowl with Curly Maple
Segmented Alabaster Bowl with Cherry rim & base
Silver Cloud Alabaster Bowl with Walnut base
Mt. Vernon, KY
Website: http://www.cooperstoneworks.com
Ron Cooper does stone work to create bowls, treasure boxes and vases. He combines various colors of American alabaster stone using a combination of techniques used by stone craftsmen and wood workers.
Ron is self taught. He draws on his years of training and experience in photography for color, balance and shapes as he designs each piece. His years of work with metal and wood aid in construction skills and also with creating the unique tools needed to work with the stone and wood together. Many of his tools are one of a kind, vintage or self built. He employs tools and technology from the early days to the 21st century.
To create his unique pieces Ron takes various colors of alabaster stone, cuts it up into small pieces and glues it back together to achieve the designs and patterns. Some of them are then put on a lathe to cut off any part that does not look like a box or bowl. Others are hand shaped into their final shape. After sanding until the surface is smooth, he applies several coats of a water base finish to bring out the rich colors of the alabaster and wood.
The majority of Ron’s work are functional pieces like vases, boxes and bowls. His workshop is located in a historic building in downtown Mount Vernon, Kentucky. As time allows the building will be restored and a gallery will be included to show case his work and that of other artists from the central Kentucky area.
Ron Cooper is a juried member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Crafts men and The Sheltowee Guild of Artist and Craftsmen. His work can also be seen at The Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, Kentucky.
Artist’s Comment: Alabaster is a beautiful stone that lends itself well to carving, shaping and engraving. One never quite knows exactly what to expect when cutting into this wonderful creation of God and time called Alabaster. Each piece of stone has it’s own unique color, texture and veining. That is part of the joy and wonder of working with this stone.
