We were generously given an Incan/Mayan inspired sculpture by our good friends Gary and Nat (a really lovely family I may add!) last time we paid them a visit. I’ve always thought such an ornament would be perfect for our jungle area, wherein it can blend with the lush planting and will make a little surprise for anyone exploring it.
What makes this sculpture even more special is that it is unique and handmade by Gary himself, carved out of low density concrete blocks. He’s talented and very good in making different sorts of garden ornaments and can turn his hand to many different crafts, which comes in handy as they are currently restoring a 17th century English cottage.
We spent some time choosing a suitable location to show off, and at the same time blend in this new sculpture, which is at the base of a large old tree. As the sculpture is made from a concrete block and still looks very bright and new, we wanted to hasten the aging process so it will look like it’s been there for quite some time already.
It’s worth noting that you must use ‘Live Yoghurt’ in the mix, as opposed to just a Yoghurt flavoured product.
Not quite a finished product as yet, it will take a few months to see the more or less final result, hoping that it will look like it’s been there for years in just the space of a few months. But for now I’ll let mother nature take its course and will post an update in the spring.
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
What a talented friend you have. The sculpture looks great. Thanks for the tip on aging concrete too. I will use that sometime.
ReplyDeleteYour friend's talent really is impressive...and that trick with the yoghurt and compost is really neat. I need to remember it for when I ever get to the point of installing sculptures in a garden.
ReplyDeleteI love the sculpture, and I love how aged it looks right after you apply your special mixture. Another awesome piece for your awesome yard!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sculpture. It will just look better and better as it ages.
ReplyDeleteI've tried carving it (we call it Hebel here) and it's not as easy as it looks -- but then you do need talent.
Thanks for the kind comments everyone, love what you have done with it Mark, it looks great in its new home, will be nice to see it in its new home in a couple of weeks :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a great ornament for a jungle!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece, and so much more special as it was made by a friend. Look forward to seeing it "age" gracefully.
ReplyDeletethe sculpture fits perfectly in your jungle!! it already looks so much better with your aging treatment!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year. jim and pat
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments, Gary appreciates them too as you can see :)
ReplyDeleteIt's actually the live yoghurt that does most of the work, the compost enhances it and provides instant aging effect. Another option is to add a drop or two of green food colouring to the mixture so the painted ornament gets an instant 'algae' effect. But it won't be Cookies and Cream anymore, more like Pistachio :)