"After my accident, I had nightmares where walking snakes chased me. I carved the snakes and put them in hell, where I was living." The Coopers were married in 1949 in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, where they managed a country store until financial problems caused them to move in search of work. In Marion, Ohio, Ronald worked on a General Motors assembly line, and Jessie was a supermarket cashier. In 1984, after Ronald suffered two heart attacks and a near-fatal car wreck, the Coopers returned to Flemingsburg and took up art to escape their troubles. While recovering from his injuries, Ronald began to carve, and Jessie continued an interest in drawing and began to paint in collaboration with Ronald. Although both artists decorate old wood furniture with house paint, Jessie usually paints the objects that Ronald carves. Their works are primarily biblical scenes and depictions of the struggle between good and evil. Ronald carves preachers, snakes, devils, and ghosts. Although their work is serious in subject, the message is frequently seasoned with humor.

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