Ron Cowan
Ron lives and works in Belfast, Maine, a small mid-coast community perched on the edge of the great Penobscot Bay with his wife, Cherie. Using chainsaw, chisel and grinder, Ron has made a name for himself sculpting faces in old barn beams, stumps, and logs. A tour of the town and the surrounding area gives much evidence of his labor, with many pieces standing along public ways and in favored spots in private gardens. One of Cowan’s pieces can be found in the city harbor, a seven figure sculpture that slowly disappears beneath the Atlantic tide each day. The artist spent three months placing the pieces in the old cribbing remains of a ship building pier as part of Belfast’s annual Arts in the Park event. Titled “The Long Breath,” the attraction was so popular the city purchased the pieces from Cowan at the end of the summer. Another of his pieces, “Antonio,” was used in several scenes of the Mel Gibson movie “Man Without a Face.” You can find Ron’s work across the U.S., as well as Mexico, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and Canada.

Ryan Cowan

With Ron as a father it is of little surprise that Ryan took up sculpting as a hobby. As a child he began a few pieces but never finished them until later in high school. While attending the University of Maine for a B.S. in Zoology and M.Ed. Science Education, Ryan began investing more and more time in art. Taught by his father, and continually learning from his own personal observations, Ryan has a unique style of his own. In addition to carving faces in logs to stand alone, Ryan has experimented with transforming the faces into bookends, plant holders, birdfeeders, birdbaths, sundials, and small ornaments. Ryan currently lives in Bangor, Maine with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Molly.