Richard Kooyman has exhibited nationally in galleries and art fairs since 1982 and currently maintains a full time studio in Northern Michigan. He has published several articles on craftsmanship and served on the board of the Craftsmen Emergency Relief Fund, a national nonprofit organization which provides aid to disaster stricken artist and craft-people.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
We chose to make handmade objects for several reasons: the lifestyle it provides, the pleasure of working with our hands, being our own boss and the many people we meet and places we see. There is also a greater, more significant reason behind the kind of objects we make. We hope our work functions as an important reminder of values that are easily overlooked in today's world. Values such as spiritual growth, our physical and mental state, nature, the cosmos, and even remembering how to play.
Art is not merely something to look at. Art, and beauty itself, has a use. It is a window by which we can become nourished by the transcendent. The work is greatly influenced, and owes a huge debt of gratitude to, writers; musicians; philosophers; and their ideas.