Garden Fountain Commission

This past summer, I was commissioned by a long time collector to design and carve a fountain feature for their West Vancouver, BC garden.

After consulting with the couple, I sketched several options for a granite reservoir that would spill a sheet of water over the top of an existing boulder in their garden. They decided on a linear trough style and I set to work to produce the piece. Carved from a variety of granite that is quarried on Hardy Island, BC, the trough would allow recirculated water to run from a heavy plastic reservoir, down its middle and spill in a dramatic sheet into a pond.

While the granite boulders in their garden are alluvial, rounded shapes, the trough contrasts with its composition of straight lines. However the ashlar faces give a rustic feel that makes it blend in.

In order to fasten the trough to one of the garden boulders, I had to drill a pair of holes for stainless steel pins. Here, I’m drilling the holes with a 1” D diamond core drill bit. As I am doing it freehand, I’m using a square to make sure I’m drilling perpendicular to the bottom surface. Michelle is helping me, as I can control the direction of the drill from my left to right. She is using the square to make sure I’m plumb in the direction from my head to feet – and taking pictures at the same time! While I have drilled thousands of holes and have learned to get them relatively plumb on my own, there are still instances when I feel I need a second pair of eyes.

Check the next post to see how it looks.