TED'S Hobbies
CoffeeTed is on a never-ending search for the perfect cup of coffee. He orders his un-roasted beans from Sweet Maria's South America. Ted then roasts the beans in a popcorn popper. After refraining from burning a batch he cools the beans and stores them in air-tight glass jars. He tries to only keep roasted beans for a week because they lose freshness quickly. This is why his coffee tastes more fresh than a typical cup of coffee (even fresher than Starbucks!). After roasting the beans, he will grind his freshly roasted coffee beans in a 40 year old coffee grinder that still works flawlessly. He uses a spiral ceramic dripper to create a refreshing cup of coffee for himself or visitors.
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Making Maple Syrup
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Ted's Profile
“When I see one of my Snake Sticks in friends’ homes, hanging over a mantel or sitting on a kitchen cabinet or windowsill, I discuss its creation and its current resting place. I think a certain artistic connection is created between maker and owner. I relish the idea that my work has the reach it does, and I would love to expand that reach.”
Ted Cooley’s dad would ask, “Do you like stones or sticks?” as they took walks in the woods by the creek of their farm. “Stones are OK,” the son would say, “but sticks are what I live for.”
Ever since, he has taken the best sticks home, to lean against the back door. In 1978, when he was in need of a Christmas gift, he discovered the sticks make beautiful, one-of-a-kind snakes.
“In my family, we’re required to make Christmas presents,” he explained. “One season Kathy, my wife, mentioned that I should use one of those sticks leaning against the side of the house and paint it like a snake.
His technique and art form were born.
It’s a multi-step process. First, Ted examines the stick as it lies on the ground, looking for its inner snake. ”I have to study the intricacies of its knots and turns,” he explained. “I turn it over until I can envision the head and/or tail. The head usually rises off the ground slightly. The tail is usually lower, close to, if not on the ground.”
Then using clippers or a hand saw, the Franklin County artisan makes some rough cuts to make the stick look more like the snake he envisioned. “After a couple of times on the ground, re-positioning the stick, looking for head and tail possibilities, I can be sure if it is a taker or not,” he said. “If it is a taker, I do a few more ‘lay downs’ behind my barn, and then I do more carving. That’s when the transformation truly begins.”
Ted uses recycled screws for the eyes and carves out plastic tongues and paints them red, using only donated paint. When he’s painting the body of the snake, he’s never sure what he likes best: the colors he chooses – his mother instilled a love for bright colors in him – or the actual application.
“The color seems to be more of a challenge, but getting in to that gooey, thick, half-dried paint left over from friends’ projects is a lot of fun,” he said. “My imagination can run wild here. Mixing the paint with sawdust or glue or fingernail polish works best.”
Painting the snakes also gives Ted a chance to doodle, and that’s something he’s loved to do “ever since I got an F on my papers in third grade for my doodle work in the margins.
“What an inward celebration it is today to be able to let those doodles again glide onto a surface,” he added, “taking shape as I move around my creation, dripping paint here, melting crayons there, in variations of symbols and signs: roots and plants follow rain, clouds, arrows, and circles. The spirals and the gathering and expanding dots are my favorites. Who ever thought of outer space on a snake?”
The process is far from mass production. Ted has made fewer than 70 snakes since 1978,
He prefers sassafras sticks. “The sweet smell of sassafras made the clearing of fencerows enjoyable as a boy on my father’s farm just up from Salt Creek by Enochsburg. I have traveled somewhat, but it seems Indiana has the sweetest smell of sassafras. And those sassafras branches make some of the best Snake Sticks.”
Being an Indiana Artisan is humbling, Ted said. “I applied because I wanted to continue to create my snakes and have an outlet to pass them on. Indiana Artisan helps me release four to six snakes a year to a bigger family and friend network, and maybe a chance to create more artistic connections, something I am very passionate about.”
Shipping and handling charges will be added.
Ted Cooley’s dad would ask, “Do you like stones or sticks?” as they took walks in the woods by the creek of their farm. “Stones are OK,” the son would say, “but sticks are what I live for.”
Ever since, he has taken the best sticks home, to lean against the back door. In 1978, when he was in need of a Christmas gift, he discovered the sticks make beautiful, one-of-a-kind snakes.
“In my family, we’re required to make Christmas presents,” he explained. “One season Kathy, my wife, mentioned that I should use one of those sticks leaning against the side of the house and paint it like a snake.
His technique and art form were born.
It’s a multi-step process. First, Ted examines the stick as it lies on the ground, looking for its inner snake. ”I have to study the intricacies of its knots and turns,” he explained. “I turn it over until I can envision the head and/or tail. The head usually rises off the ground slightly. The tail is usually lower, close to, if not on the ground.”
Then using clippers or a hand saw, the Franklin County artisan makes some rough cuts to make the stick look more like the snake he envisioned. “After a couple of times on the ground, re-positioning the stick, looking for head and tail possibilities, I can be sure if it is a taker or not,” he said. “If it is a taker, I do a few more ‘lay downs’ behind my barn, and then I do more carving. That’s when the transformation truly begins.”
Ted uses recycled screws for the eyes and carves out plastic tongues and paints them red, using only donated paint. When he’s painting the body of the snake, he’s never sure what he likes best: the colors he chooses – his mother instilled a love for bright colors in him – or the actual application.
“The color seems to be more of a challenge, but getting in to that gooey, thick, half-dried paint left over from friends’ projects is a lot of fun,” he said. “My imagination can run wild here. Mixing the paint with sawdust or glue or fingernail polish works best.”
Painting the snakes also gives Ted a chance to doodle, and that’s something he’s loved to do “ever since I got an F on my papers in third grade for my doodle work in the margins.
“What an inward celebration it is today to be able to let those doodles again glide onto a surface,” he added, “taking shape as I move around my creation, dripping paint here, melting crayons there, in variations of symbols and signs: roots and plants follow rain, clouds, arrows, and circles. The spirals and the gathering and expanding dots are my favorites. Who ever thought of outer space on a snake?”
The process is far from mass production. Ted has made fewer than 70 snakes since 1978,
He prefers sassafras sticks. “The sweet smell of sassafras made the clearing of fencerows enjoyable as a boy on my father’s farm just up from Salt Creek by Enochsburg. I have traveled somewhat, but it seems Indiana has the sweetest smell of sassafras. And those sassafras branches make some of the best Snake Sticks.”
Being an Indiana Artisan is humbling, Ted said. “I applied because I wanted to continue to create my snakes and have an outlet to pass them on. Indiana Artisan helps me release four to six snakes a year to a bigger family and friend network, and maybe a chance to create more artistic connections, something I am very passionate about.”
Shipping and handling charges will be added.