Heron by the pond
Two metres tall, cut from a single 4 mm plate, standing in the reeds of a pond garden.
Nº 112 · Heron by the pond
- Work
- Nº 112
- Client
- Private client, pond garden
- Animal
- Grey heron
- Height
- 198 cm
- Plate
- Corten steel 4 mm
- Weight
- 46 kg
- Lead time
- 7 weeks
- Installation
- Concrete footing in the bank
What they asked for
Every morning the owners saw a heron at their pond, until it stayed away in winter. They wanted one that stays. As tall as the reeds, so that in summer it half disappears into them.
The making
We cut the body from a single 4 mm plate and joined the neck at an angle in three parts. The legs are solid round steel. We ground the beak so thin that it catches the light.
On site
We poured the footing in the bank, below the waterline. It has now stood there for two years and is a deep rust brown. According to the owners, the real heron came back in spring.
How it stands
there now
Patina right now: rust brown. Deeper and darker. Now it hardly sheds anything.
- Day 0Mill scale
Blue-grey and smooth, as the steel comes from the rolling mill. That’s how we set the sculpture down.
- Week 2First rust
After a few showers orange spots appear. It looks a bit messy for a while; that’s normal.
- Month 3Orange
The whole sculpture is a warm orange. The protective layer is starting to close.
- Year 1Rust brown
Deeper and darker. Now it hardly sheds anything.
- Year 5Velvet
Purple-brown and matt as velvet. It stays like this for decades.
Which animal is looking for a home in your garden?
Send a few photos of the spot and tell us which animal you have in mind. Two weeks later there is a sketch to scale, with the price on it.