Artist of the Month
Each month we feature an “Artist of the Month”. As we celebrate our artists we hope you enjoy learning more about them.
Lou Cougill
“Wood turning is like Christmas… You never know what you are going to get! It is always a surprise!” (And they make great gifts)!
That’s something Lou Cougill, the October Artist of the Month at The Community Art Center of Switzerland County, has discovered while transforming some his work skills as a mechanic, metal fabricator and body shop work to a fun skill of woodturning. In 2013, Lou was using a metal lathe at work, and decided to pivot his skills to woodturning to make holiday gifts. Ever since, he has enjoyed his new passion and enjoys sharing it with others. He says, “it is very surprising—you never know what you end up with or exactly how it is going to look.”
Lou’s craft of woodworking involves a machine called a wood lathe, which spins a piece of wood rapidly while the operator presses handheld tools-like chisels and gouges- against it to cut and shape a symmetrical object. Once the object is symmetrical, Lou utilizes special woodturning tools to cut, shape and mold the wood grain. Lou got his first small lathe from an Amish friend who had removed all the electrical parts from it, but had given him all the original pieces to reconstruct.
The art of spindle turning itself goes back a long way, with the first recorded instances of this craft occurring on monuments in Ancient Egypt. Between 500 and 1500 A.D., woodturning innovations came to the forefront, with turned wooden items becoming a staple in European households. These items included everyday cups and bowls.
Today, If you come to the Art Center, of Switzerland County you will be delighted by of the beautiful objects Lou makes from native trees, such as maple, cherry, walnut, box elder and osage orange. In his “segmented pieces”, he blends different types of woods to provide lovely contrast in many of his pieces. The unique finials on the lids of his containers bring viewer’s a delight!
Lou gets joy out of creating. He has plenty of things to do on the farm in the summer, so his wood working in mostly done in the winter in one of his three barns what were originally built for body shop and mechanical work, but now contain six lathes and wood dust everywhere from wood turning!
His form of art is really an interactive conversation between Lou and the wood. “Sometimes the wood tells you what it wants to be. It is “firewood” to “art”! I was looking at everything as I put it in the stove to see if it had potential. I often have a sense of what the wood wants to be—the wood determines a lot,” says Lou.
Some of his ideas come from the wood by its shape, markings, or knots, “I love to highlight the imperfections of the wood with epoxy or other techniques. I have learned to embrace the imperfections—I have even made a custom lathe for it!”
Lou says, “Other times, I have a vision for a piece and have to find a piece of wood that fits the idea. When the piece is finished, it is like Christmas every time! Finding something in it that I wasn’t sure was there.”
His wood comes from his 126-acre farm, when trees fall. He also has a friend in Indianapolis who is a “wood man” and brings him wood. Sometimes, he buys more exotic wood, if he has a vision for a piece.
Green wood can take a year to dry, so Lou uses a small refrigerator with a light and a dehumidifier in it to dry the wood. He weighs the wood before it goes in the fridge to determine the woods’ water content. Most wood has a 32% moisture content prior to drying. The desired result is to get to 8-10% moisture content.
Lou wants to work faster than drying wood takes, so he has began working more on segmented pieces. He cuts wood into pieces, stacks them, and glues together as a unit, then, turns it on the lathe into the desired shape. Some of his segmented pieces consist of different types of wood, which makes a lovely, interesting piece because of the color differences and patterns.
Did you know wood moves? He has to accommodate the movement by working in stages, leaving extra thickness over time and waiting to finalize it until it is completely dry.
He never imagined the be doing wood turning when he was younger. Lou says, “Heck, not even when he was 50! Coming from Noblesville, moving to Vevay, I came with the intent to be a mechanic and body work in his three barns I built. But now the barn is full of wood dust now and six lathes. No one really needs six lathes!”
Lou has learned in the school of “hard knocks”. Had to make and repair his own things being from farming family. Lou, although older, has learned a lot of his skills from watching YouTube. “You can find anything on You Tube!” He discovered laser work on the computer which has lead to his newest work–beautiful colorfull, multi-layered crosses. Although computers have helped him learn a new passion, he still recommends, “people get off their phones, get outside, enjoy the beauty of Switzerland County and learn a craft!”
His pieces range from very affordable wine stoppers, pens, and the very popular snowmen during the holidays, to highly refined bowls and containers— all priced fairly so people can enjoy them! They offer elegant decor to any home and make lovely one of a kind gifts. To make it all extra special and handmade, Lou personalizes each piece with a handwritten caption on the bottom of each piece identifies the wood species, making his work a perfect gift for any wood lover in your life!
Lou claims, “The Art Center of Switzerland County is the best thing that can happen to anyone who is an artist! It has a wide variety of visitors, and being able to share art with visitors is wonderful. The community in the Art Center is delightful, and the space is unique.” He loves his small town. Even though he is happy that Vevay has been voted “the best small town”, he doesn’t want it to change.