Something Rare and Beautiful

William Kooienga is a sculptor. Most of his sculptures are created in rare or exotic woods, but he also works with stone and metal to create everything from unique fireplaces, to furniture, to indoor and outdoor sculpture. He and his wife, who weaves and spins wool, live simply on their 100 acre farm in a self-built, solar powered, log home which was featured on Tennessee Crossroads, a production of Nashville Public Television.

William has been commissioned by several well-known patrons, including Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. His most recent commission resulted in a remarkable custom tree house on Center Hill Lake in Middle Tennessee. William has won prizes in several art show competitions in Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee and has been featured in articles in Crafts Report, American Style, Percussive Notes, and other publications. “We pick the wood like Michelangelo is said to have picked his stone,” William says.

William grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from Western Michigan University. He traveled to Europe, India and Nepal, studying the works of master sculptors from antiquity to the present. More than two dozen of his pieces are on display at the Dooge Veneers showroom in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He carved a thirty-four foot tall Totem for an executive on his 4,000 acre ranch in Montana. “The very day I finished the project, the ranch and Totem were purchased by Paul Allen of Microsoft,” he says.

After attending a workshop presented by African drummer Babatunde Olatunji in 1994, Kooienga “fell in love with drums and drumming.” Jamie Haddad, a drummer for Paul Simon, bought one of his early drums, and soon William was carving custom drums for Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead and Armando Peraza of Santana.

William doesn’t participate in shows or advertise, relying instead on small groups of loyal patrons who have purchased his work and tell their friends and associates of his sizeable talent. Most of his work is done on a commission basis and is distinguished by flowing sensuous lines, organic shapes, smooth surfaces, and exotic woods.

Several of William's pieces of sculpture are featured and available for purchase at Beech Hollow Studios.

Allen Lentz