Here is some of my garden art that I made with either cement or QuikWall.

My husband named this the E5 - for the extravagant 5 stalks. It's made of QuikWall, chicken wire and PVC pipe and stands about 3 ft. tall, not including the balls. The balls are metal gazing balls.


(Here is a link that describes QuikWall http://www.quikrete.com/produc...)

Kewlio on all the gazing balls. LOVE it!

These are styrofoam balls covered with QuikWall. While the QuikWall was still wet I pressed real leaves into it. After curing I painted with acrylic paints and then sealed them.

This is one of several garden totems I made. Again, styrofoam balls and discs covered with QuikWall and painted and sealed, threaded on a metal rod. It's about 3 ft. tall.

Oh wow! - these are so cool! I love how you used real leaves and I love the COLOR!

This is made of cement, PVC pipe, chicken wire and hardware cloth. The plate is just a glass mosaic type plate (I didn't make the plate). The whole thing is about 4 ft. tall.

fabulous ideas!

QuikWall is really easy to work with and you can cover or build so many things with it. Your imagination is your limit. It holds up great outside too.

Thanks Sandi. I wanted stuff that was original and I was also looking for adding height to my gardens.

All of those are wonderful Chris. My favorite is the mosaic plate. And I really love the leaf imprints.
Do you thread the balls and discs onto the rod before adding the QuikWall? How well would it hold up to our PNW rainy season?

I poked holes in the disks and balls before putting QuikWall on them, then made sure not to get any in the holes. After they cured I just put them on the rod. On the bottom I attached a big washer to the rod about 6" from the bottom. The balls/discs just sit on that - they aren't attached to the rod at all.

To move it I just take the top ball off, move it and push it in the ground, then put the ball back on. That way you can even hammer it into the ground if you need to without damaging anything. They would definitely hold up in your weather, but if you paint them you'd need to seal them.

Chris, these are great and I can see how they add height. I love them all....but my favorites are E5 and the totem. I look forward to learning more about QuikWall.

So happy you joined us here...I look forward to seeing many photos!

Thanks Becky! I originally made the E5 to plant in. Each of the "cups" has a drainage hole in the bottom. But since it's made of QuikWall it got quite hot in the sun and didn't work well as a planter. So I just found some balls to stick in it.

Oh my, what a great thread, and great artistic ideas!

Now about this Quick Wall stuff...Lowes? Home Depot? Is it something you plaster sheet rock with or is it like a bag of concrete? (I can see Vic and hubby making stuff of it and placing it all over their land!) :>) And me? Hmmm....looks kinda fun to me!

Great job(s), Goldfinch/Chris!

Shoe

Thanks Shoe! QuikWall is kind of a concrete patch sort of thing. I get it at Home Depot or Lowes. I think it comes in a 40# bag. All you have to do is add water. Really easy stuff to work with. I make it about the consistency of toothpaste. (Don't put it in your mouth to compare though! ) And really, anybody can work with it. I also make "cement" leaves using it because it picks up detail better than hypertufa and it stronger than regular cement so you can make the leaves thinner.

OK, I'll be waiting to see projects from all of you!!

lovely work Chris... I've a thing for things n concrete.. havng helped a few guys build their 45' salboats from it.. and dong a bunch of fero concrete things.. like a non distructable playground for kids @ a NJ ..YM & YW HA
[ like a YMCA ] closet cacoon shower. and lots of free form sculptural things.. and lots with uses.. sinks.. showers..stairs. tubs... Any way.. there's a concrete mix called leak stop concrete @ HD & Lowes and sets up in a few mnutes.. [ not that it's of much use.. but it also expands a bit when it sets up.. rather than shrinking some... as the others do.. ] so.. give it a test run.. for something where settng up real fast is a help

closet cacoon shower?....

Hmm, I've been wanting to make a quick outdoor shower area by my shoffice/greenhouse. Guess I better learn more from ya, Gordon.

Shoe (back outside, working in the shade a while)

Gordon, I've heard of concrete sailboats but have never seen one. Must be an amazing process. I'd love to see some of your free form sculptures. I'll have to check out the leak stop concrete too. Sounds interesting!

HS...well.. you're already paying extra for the rope... so guess money is no object.. or you really don't want to chance dropping it...... and unless you already have the wand.. you can get the same effect with a few holes in your hose...
don't go getting upity on us..
Chris...yes the concrete boats are amazing... some 40 years ago I took a tour aross the country looking at them beng constructed there were piles of them being done... saw many dozens of them... vancouver.. had them lined up along this waterway.. some were so fine... one done by this concrete mason was a sleak 52' cutter .. and all were strong... able to take a grounding on coral with out damage.. maybe only an inch thick along the water line... 3-6 layers of wire mesh on each side of the rebar.. tied together with a mllion + wire ties.. actually a wire boat with the holes filled in with concrete during one day's pushing the concrete through/into the wire... then a finshing team would smooth and feather the top coat... applied with concrete pulled from the batch that did that secton of the hull.. so it was at the same level of cure that the underlayng stuff was.... then cured wet for a month.. often under the old fibereous carpet underlayment.. to cut down erosion by the continually sprayed water...... as the longer you can delay the final cureing the stronger it was../is.. ..
yes I was consdering buldng one.. but never did... just expermented some with it n art projects... then went onto thinking of a foam boat... I started one but then got hit by the 70's recession... lots of foam boats pictured here... some gigantic
http://www.google.com/search?u...

There are some huge foam boats there. Amazing what can be done. Gordon, you really should start a thread here with all the cool garden and outdoor things you've made with styrofoam.