It's all about finding the right stone. Well, it's also about finding the right companion stone, or stones, to go with it.
My goal is to find interesting shaped stones, with beautiful and unique character, lichen, moss, natural striations and pebble inclusions that make a piece of stone fascinating. My next goal is to create something useful and beautiful from that stone--while doing the least work possible, preserving as much natural character as possible.
More info: devineescapes.com
The top piece is a smooth stone from the river, with beautiful patterns created by lichen on its surface. The bottom piece meanwhile was collected in the forest. It has some green moss growing on its lower portion, and little rounded quartz pebble inclusions speckled throughout. Okay, actually the top piece has a few white quartz pebbles embedded in there as well.
Just a cute little guy! Standing at a total height of 12"....I don't know why this one seems so adorable. Or is it just me?
For this unique birdbath, I have combined a larger sized base stone, with a smaller sized top piece. With both lichen and moss, this one has all types of character--and was sold as a pair, along with the "adorable" 12" small birdbath bath, above.
I like to create and sell these off as pairs, and as triplets. Some smaller birds may be unable to bathe in a larger bath--when flying above, they will scout out the scene and if a puddle seems to large for them, they won't bother. Also, different species of bird will sometimes dominate a birdbath....having multiple different sized units nearby will allow smaller and moretimid and meek birds to drink, bathe and splash about--while a larger or more aggressive bird uses the bath right next door.
When I came up with this design in 2010, I called this bench the "off-kilter" boulder bench. Previously I had made similar benches, with notched boulders on both sides....but here I came up with the idea of notching in on one side, and the cutting the top off of the other boulder. The punchline? Some big company with national distribution came along and approriated the design! They call it the "side leg bench". Don't worry, I have a good sense of humor about it.....and create so many different new things all the time, it really isn't an issue. And I still make and sell my own original "off-kilter" benches, for fun and profit.
A single picture doesn't convey it....this one has swirls of color on the bench surface, beautiful moss on the shorter boulder and fascinating crags and formations on the larger boulder...
Iron oxides embedded within these boulders create highlights and accents of pink, purple, blue and yellow. A purple/gray slab of flagstone for the seating platform compliments the colorful boulders nicely.
A simpler concept doesn't exist anywhere--I took a boulder, core drilled out a holeand presto chongo--it's a flower pot!
Now I also make more elaborately carved vases....but this post today is a themed post. Here I've done as little work as possible, merely putting on display what nature created herself: awesome stones. I just came in at the last minute, put a couple minor touches on it--and they call it "my" work.
Memorial bench, overlooking the Brandywine Creek, and tranquil. Thank you for looking at my stone creations, my collaborations with nature :)
