Sculpture & Woodwork

John Coppola

During fishing season, Rockland-based John Coppola has chartered trips from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay for striped bass, bluefish, and bluefin tuna. In the offseason, he turns to his workshop, crafting handmade wooden pieces under the name Northeast Woodworks.

Coppola creates segmented bowls, bottle stoppers, ice cream scoopers, and other functional objects. He sells his work through local galleries and shops like Once Upon a Tree, as well as online via Etsy, which helps support sales during the quieter winter months. Drawn to woodturning from his first experience at the lathe, he enjoys the balance of precision and creativity the process requires. Smaller items can be completed in under half an hour, while his segmented bowls take several hours of careful work.

His products have been shipped around the world, with East Coast customers tending to favor bowls and West Coast buyers gravitating toward smaller items. Coppola refines his designs through subtle changes in form and detail, ensuring each piece is unique. What began as a way to support a hobby has grown into a business he hopes to continue developing as a full-time pursuit during fishing’s offseason.