Care & Maintenance for Outdoor Sculptures

July 28, 2020

Care & Maintenance for Outdoor Sculptures

With people spending infinitely more time at home these days, many are focusing on making their outdoor spaces an idyllic oasis. Create a space with intention and purpose. An outdoor space, no matter how large or small, can foster your connection with nature, allow you to display your plants, tend an herb garden, ditch your devices for a while and just breathe. You’ve likely seen neighbors renovating their yards, and beautifying their homes, gardens, and outdoor areas. There is no substitute for hard work (and several weekends of strictly catching up on weeding in some cases!) but when you are ready for the finishing touch, the focal point and detail that will 100% complete the project, look no further than our high-impact freestanding sculptures. Okay, if we’re honest, it seems some people skip all the hard work, simply display a sculpture, and the space still looks transformed. The sculptures add a sophisticated, elegant, and modern element that says in no uncertain terms, “This space is finished!”

 

 

As you may know, our handmade contemporary metal sculptures are perfectly suited for indoor or outdoor display year-round. With a range of sizes, styles, and colors to choose from, we offer the perfect decor for your garden, patio, balcony, front yard, pool deckor courtyard. Go bold and add a can’t-miss pop of color to your landscape with a color like red or blue. Select a neutral like copper, silver, or green to blend and seamlessly melt into your landscaping. Here are some stunning examples:

 

 

Whether you live in a condo, have a single-family home with a backyard and pool, live in a high-rise apartment or anything in-between, we have a sculpture to fit your space and enhance your time outside. We’ve compiled an in-depth look at the materials used to create our sculptures, display options inspired by our collectors all around the world, and how to care for your sculpture long-term.

Beautiful & Durable, High-Quality Materials

Our sculptures are handmade from high-quality, aircraft-grade aluminum as opposed to stainless steel. We’re frequently asked about Jon’s chosen medium. Though there are strengths with both stainless steel and aluminum, creating the beautiful bends, dips, and curves you see in each sculpture style is all done by hand. There is no tooling or machinery involved in forming the shapes of each sculpture, it is done 100% by hand. This is one of the many factors that make high-quality aluminum our choice over steel for our indoor-outdoor sculptures. Aluminum is very well-suited for prolonged display outdoors in elements like rain, snow, and sun. 

 

Snow falling (above)

Rain glistening (above)

Sizzling in the sun (above)

We also protect each  colored sculpture such as red, blue, aqua, copper, red, green, purple, and gold with a durable, UV-protective powder coat finish that safeguards our sculptures, ensuring the colors stay vibrant and enabling exposure to the elements. Powder coating is a process that applies fine particles of pigment to the aluminum and is then cured to make it more resistant to color fading or chipping.

Our 12” and 24” bases are weighted with pressure-treated wood, and are also protected with a durable powder coat finish for all-season display. The sculpture bases are outfitted with 4 pre-drilled holes so you can elect to bolt or screw (hardware not provided) down to garden stone, rock, wooden deck, etc. (Our flat base sculptures can also be displayed outdoors, but as Jon envisions them displayed on a pedestal or in a nook, so we do not advertise these for outdoor display. They do not come standard with pre-drilled holes for mounting as our 12” and 24” base offerings do.)

How to Display Your Sculpture

Through the years, we’ve seen many creative sculpture displays. We’ve shipped these sculptures to collectors all over the world, from New Zealand to New York, Poland to Palm Springs, Brazil to Boston, and France to Fairbanks, Alaska. You’ve shown us some amazing and completely unique installation ideas!

Covering an unsightly utility (above)

Base buried (above)

Affixed to garden stone (above)

DIY pedestals (above)

Affix directly to a post (above)

On its very own private island (above)

Making a splash by the pool (above)

For its long-term well-being, be sure to display your sculpture in an area where chemicals from a sprinkler or chlorine from a pool won’t make regular contact with the piece. Harsh chemicals can and will damage the artwork.

In a planter (above)

Using garden stones (above)

Secured to a tree stump (above)

Secured to a rock (above)

Secured to a rock (above)

Mounted to concrete (above)

Placed in a decorative pot (above)

Display multiple pieces to create a true art installation (above)

Use strategically to cover an unsightly utility or other feature on your property (above)

 

Care & Maintenance

To clean your sculpture, we advise using a soft, cotton cloth. Wet the cloth with water (no chemicals/cleaners) and simply wipe any dirt or debris from your sculpture. If you wish, you can also apply regular auto wax to your sculpture to further preserve the color and keep the sculpture’s lustrous finish pristine throughout the years.  We recommend using standard car wax and applying a thin coat with a soft cloth.  Follow the instructions specific to the brand of wax you use.  Just like with a car, this extra step of waxing your sculpture will keep it looking brand new and can enhance the lifespan of the piece.

 

Sculptures above being tested outside our studio in various conditions. It's a beautiful job, and somebody's got to do it!

We’re located in South Florida. We have a deep understanding of extreme heat, humidity, harsh UV rays, and relentless rain. The sea air can also be harsh, just as it is the case with your car. Because our commitment to quality is second to none, we thoroughly tested these pieces for several years in various outdoor conditions before ever offering them for outdoor display. Now, we’ve been selling them to collectors all over the world for over 10 years and counting. Though there are no warranties or guarantees on the sculptures, we have collectors who have been enjoying the pieces outdoors for 10 years and counting with no issues whatsoever. Our glowing reviews all across the internet reflect the high-quality nature of our pieces.

Though these wonderful, durable sculptures can withstand elements like snow, rain, and sunshine, please recognize that these are 100% handmade art pieces. If your area experiences extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive wind, you may wish to take the sculpture indoors seasonally. Always plan to take the sculptures indoors should an extreme weather event such as a hurricane be forecasted.  


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