Aaron Kennedy
Features Reporter

Photos by Malissa Smithey

Former CMU professor of Land Management Jim Colosky practiced law for 41 years, focusing on oil, gas and land management. Now,  he is a professional sculptor.

“It’s what I do now,” Colosky said, frankly explaining the career change.

Colosky handcrafts his work at his Grand Junction studio using wood, stone, wire and other materials to produce his pieces.

Many of his sculptures have been sold in the price range of $6,000-$15,000. The smaller works are priced between $200-$1,200 dollars.

Colosky showed off a work-in-progress made from marble.

“If finished the way I see it and the way it lets me, I’m thinking $20,000-$30,000 if I find a purchaser,” he said. “That’s how you establish fair market value, is with a willing seller and a willing buyer.”

Colosky’s experience has been purely self-taught.

“I’ve never been trained. I’ve never had classes besides the personal aspect,” he said. “I’m certainly not a Michelangelo, but when he said, ‘All I do is take away the things that don’t belong,’ I can understand that. This is something I truly love to do, and if something sells that’s fine. If it doesn’t, that’s fine too.”

The sculptor believes that the time he spends with his pieces leads to a sentimental bond.

“It’s very personal and very close. If you spend time with something for 20 years,  it becomes a part of you,” he said.

One such piece was The Frog, a marble sculpture which sits in Colosky’s backyard.

“We of course have pictures of the grandchildren sitting on it,” he said.

Colosky explained that his process starts with power tools when he makes the initial cuts. He then uses hand tools for shaping and polishing, but the final tool isn’t one that can be touched.

“I just start cleaning the material up and remove things that don’t look like they should be there,” he said. “I feel the spirit of the stone. I don’t know any other way to say it. They tell me when to stop.”

akennedy2@mavs.coloradomesa.edu