Wooden bowls are full of stories. A wooden bowl contains the story of the tree and the forest where it grew. It contains the story of the maker, his tools and the tradition of the craft. A wooden bowl also contains the story and the memories of the food you eat. A wooden bowl is personable and warm. With frequent and consistent use, it becomes part of your story.

Cooper Ternes

Cooper Ternes (he, him) is a wooden bowl maker living and working in Grand Marais Minnesota. He is a father, a business owner, and a craftsman. Cooper has many interests including cooking, wilderness travel, sewing, and green woodworking. Cooper has worked in the medical, mental health, and education fields.

Cooper is an instructor at North House Folk School, he is a former North House Intern 2010, and is currently participating in North House's Artisan Development Program. He is grateful to be able to focus on deepening his design sense, learning new skills for improving the business side of being a craftsperson, and finding new ways to give back to his community.

He is exploring the balance of form and function by creating objects intended for daily use and for the celebration of the communities we create through a shared table.

Artist Statement

Cooper thinks of his work as a modern interpretation of the wooden bowls in the Scandinavian folk tradition. The tools and approach of these old makers inform the process he uses today. He is exploring the balance of form and function by creating objects intended for daily use and for the celebration of the communities we create through a shared table.

How to care for your Bowl

FIRST OF ALL USE IT!
We use ours every day, for all kinds of foods. Your bowl will become more
special as it is incorporated into your daily life. So use it! Wash it in warm
soapy water just like any of your other dishes.

Occasionally, your bowl would benefit form being re-oiled, all you
need to do is wipe it down with a bit of walnut, flax or sunflower oil when it
looks dry, it is as easy as putting lotion onto your hands!