news
LETTERS TO EDITOR
With respect for Lawrence Strouts, I will keep this short.
TOURING A NEW CG INDUSTRY
The Council Grove Rotary Club visited Martin Cooney Stoneworks, located at 121 Liberty St. in Council Grove, on Wednesday, April 23. During the tour, Martin Cooney demonstrated his unique method of splitting marble by hand. He had drilled 11 holes into a 3-ton block of Colorado Yule Marble, then inserted wedges and struck them with a single-jack hammer. As he pounded the wedges, the pitch of each strike varied based on the rock’s density—until the massive block split in two. Cooney explained that marble weighs about 165 pounds per cubic foot. However, through a method he calls Revolutionary Reductionism, he removes 80 to 90 percent of the original bulk, allowing him to sculpt pieces weighing just 25 to 50 pounds. His approach makes marble sculpture far more portable and accessible than traditional methods. “My rule is simple,” Cooney said. “If I can’t carry the sculpture, it’s not finished.” Among his most popular works are hand-carved marble bowls, shaped with what he describes as a commitment to Curvilinearism. Some are carved so finely that light passes through them, revealing the inner beauty of the ancient stone Martin Cooney Stoneworks is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. More information can be found at mcstoneworks. us or by calling 785-561-0326.
Fresh from the Hen House
I was sitting on my little crate next to Georgi, the Brown Swiss, one morning last week while she was being milked. I’ll massage her udder, keep the hose out from under her feet that don’t always hold perfectly still, watch so an inflation doesn’t slip, etcetera, while sitting there. It’s dark out when we milk, and I’m always fresh from bed, quiet, calm, and cozy in my coat and gloves.