Ron Cowan - The Garden Muse

By Patric Skigen

Ron Cowan: The Garden Muse


Ron Cowan has had a very full life. He has lived many places. He has a wife, with whom he raised two sons. He has had many careers. And now that he is retired, he is able to dedicate his full time to his long-time passion and side-business: art. In his artwork, he “finds” faces within old beams, stumps, logs, and trees, bringing out the “spirit of the wood” through the faces.


Ron Cowan with a face he sculpted as a practice piece.


Ron uses a tractor (top, right) to pull trees out of the woods. He uses the trees for sculpting and to heat his house (bottom, left). When necessary, he goes out to get the trees in the cold of winter (bottom, right).


Ron points out where he thinks he will “find the face” in this particular piece of wood.


For the first part of revealing the face beneath the bark, Ron uses a chainsaw.



The face begins to reveal itself.


Ron prepares to smooth out the face with an angle grinder.


Ron contemplates the face as the features reveal themselves.


Ron uses a power drill to begin the eyes and define the features.




Ron using a belt sander to continue smoothing out the face.


Ron burns in the last few details.



The face progresses towards the finished product.




The face is nearly finished, however, this piece will not be sold.


After beginning this piece, Ron found that it had rotted significantly.


After carving the rotting face, Ron admires Murphy, a finished piece which sold the following week.


Ron places Murphy into a crate to get him ready for shipping.


Murphy prepares for his journey to St. Louis, Tennessee.


Ron warms up inside while his wife, Cheryl, labels the crate for shipping.


Cheryl uses the same wood burning tool as Ron to write the address on the crate.


Ron making sure Murphy is secure for his travels.


Another of Ron's pieces, Norman, with a fully addressed crate, nearly ready to go to Memphis.


Ron with a fully assembled crate, made and labeled by hand, about to ship to Virginia.


Ron checks his email, which is how he corresponds with many customers.


Ron's business card which he puts on pieces that will go on display at one of two events: Arts in the Park or the Common Ground Fair.


Ron displays his work at Arts in the Park in Belfast, ME (top, right) and the Common Ground Fair, in Unity, ME (bottom, left). Sometimes customers buy the faces right at the events, Ron's son Ben can be seen carting a face away for a customer at Arts in the Park (bottom, right). However, most of Ron's customers see a face that they like, and then come back for it later (like Murphy, who sold after being featured at the Common Ground Fair).


Ron and Cheryl sit down to eat a reheated, but home-cooked meal near the end of a a long day's work.



“We're busier now that we're retired than we ever were when we were working. But it's a good kind of busy.”


Appreciation for Walvia, one of the many faces Ron has carved that are across the country and the world.


Wallace, Camden, New Jersey

The Longbreath, Belfast, Maine

Sir Edward, Ottowa, Canada

Backdive, Belfast, Maine

The Drifter, Belfast, Maine

Nameless, Camp Medomak, ME

By Patric Skigen


Ron has faces elsewhere in Maine, across the country, and in other countries, as well. He has work in New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Canada. In addition, his piece Antonio can be seen in the background of the Mel Gibson movie, “Man Without a Face.” Ron continues to sculpt and sell the faces along with the help of his wife Cheryl.

Ron Cowan - The Garden Muse

Art & Photos

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