Greg Robertson - Sculptor

Welcome!

2011-05-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the official blog of
Rock Steady Designs
Sculpture : Water Features : Custom Installations
By Greg Robertson

Scroll through to see examples of my new travertine fountains, granite sculpture and documentation of my process. More of the granite work can also be seen on my website
http://rocksteadydesigns.com

If you have questions or would like to discuss custom work, call 505 670 9965. We can also schedule an appointment to meet at my studio which is on Rufina just north of Siler in Santa Fe.

More Travertine fountains can be seen at:
Santa Fe Water Gardens
2791 Agua Fria St., Santa Fe, NM 505 424 8100

Xanadu Gallery (On the Jackalope grounds)
2820 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe, NM 505 424 3231

Dugan's Nursery
395 Alameda Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 505 897 2600

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!!

Corrales, NM Fountain Installation 5/4/11

2011-05-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is a custom travertine fountain, 58" tall, with a custom granite basin 40" x 36" x 9".
The clients picked out their own granite to go with the fountain, and chose polished rainbow pebbles for the bed. There is also a light at the base of the fountain that will shine up the face.
Click on any image for a larger view.

New Fountains at Dugan's Nusery, Albuquerque, NM

2011-04-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

These and a dozon other travertine fountains can be found at Dugan's Nursery at 4th Street and Alameda, Albuquerque, NM, 505 897 2600
click on images for a larger view

Hand carved and chiseled designs. 38"

28"

Corrales, NM Fountain Installation 4/11/11

2011-04-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Travertine Fountain, 42"
carving on both sides
installed with light at bottom and polished black 1" pebbles

Rio Rancho, NM Custom Fountain Install 4/18/11

2011-04-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, this is an example of some of the many steps that go into fabricating and installing a custom fountain. This piece was installed at a private residence in Rio Rancho, NM
Please click on any image to see a bigger view

First, I have the clients pick out their stone. After discussions about specific designs and dimensions, I load it into my studio.

I usually have to cut the stone flat on the bottom so it will fit onto the stainless steel stand used to support it.

A big stone drill press is used to drill the hole. After that, all the carving detail is done on the face and/or the sides of the stone. Templates are used for specific designs but I like to freehand carve as well.

Now we're on site and ready to install. Dig a hole...

Pond liner, stainless steel supports and galvanized expanded metal. The pump is sitting at the bottom about 2 1/2' down

Add some river rock and a light at the base of the fountain, set the flow and enjoy!

Limestone Fountain, 54"

Albuquerque Fountain Installation

2011-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Travertine Fountain, 36"
Stainless Steel Basin
Rice & Associates, CPA, Albuquerque, NM

2011-04-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

These were travertine pieces that were made as fountains but were installed as sculptures for my clients' private "park". It is located in the lot next to his house and faces the golf course. We set the stones to face the course so one can see them as they drive by. We plan to install some bigger pieces in the future!
Fountain Hills, AZ

click images for a larger view

2011-03-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Back to Arizona for me!!! Click on the image for a larger view.

Rio Grande Arts & Crafts, Albuquerque

2011-03-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

New Installation for City!

2011-03-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

This is the new addition to Santa Fe's Entrada Park, located at Cerrillos & Don Diego. "Vision Passage", 9' x 36" x 24", Blue Pearl and Imperial Red granite. Thanks to the Santa Fe Art Commission and the Entrada Park neighborhood association! The sculpture is on loan to the city for one year.

Custom Arizona Fountain Installation

2010-11-28T19:08:00.001-08:00

During my first November show in Carefree, AZ, I sold a three foot fountain to a very nice couple who said they wanted to replace their old one. When I got to their house, this is what I found. The fountain worked fine other than splashing all over the place. After some discussion, it was decided that we wanted to remove the center piece but still use the basin. I went back to Santa Fe and fabricated a 4' x 4' granite base to place around the round one.

When I returned for the second show in Scottsdale two weeks later, I brought the basin and the other pieces with me: Galvanized steel mesh, river pebbles. plumbing parts and sealer to re-seal the concrete basin. I placed the fountain on top, leveled it, turned on the water, chiseled a tad off the top so it would flow just right....

And we have a working fountain with no trace of the old one!!

Happy Clients!!

This is a video of the finished installation. It has a great sound with no splash onto the patio.

More Travertine Fountains!!!

2010-11-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is an example of one of the various sizes of stainless steel basins that can be used to install a fountain on a patio or other space, indoor or outdoor. 27" square basin with a 26" travertine stone

This is a covered pond install with a center piece of desert onyx, 36" tall with waves carved into the face

This is a custom granite basin 24" x 28" with a 28" travertine stone

Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival

2010-10-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

Click on Image for Larger View

Corrales Harvest Festival Art Show

2010-09-13T23:40:00.000-07:00

Please come, take a hayride and see some art!!!
I will have sculpture and fountains, including some new travertine fountain designs. The art show will be in the park in front of the Corrales Library. Hope to see you!!!!

2010-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

These are new fountains I have been making out of onyx and travertine that come from a quarry in Belen, New Mexico. I now have a drill press in my shop that allows me to drill up to 3' holes and I am adding simple designs to the already cut stone. These are very affordable, ranging from $150 to $1000 depending on the height and carving detail. Most of the pieces I have made are around $400. Call for details 505 670 9965 or email rocksteadydesigns@gmail.com

2010-07-01T09:09:00.001-07:00

New Ad in Northern New Mexico Art Catalogue
Designed by Matthew Hunt Graphic Design 505 490 0872
Click on image for larger view

2010-07-01T09:05:00.001-07:00

This is the latest piece "Flourish"
40"
Golden Butterfly, Verde Butterfly and Dakota Mahogany Granite with hand blown glass

2010-04-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The winter project is now ready to be enjoyed. Next time Brian and I do a project together, we agreed to do it in the summer. However, shoveling snow off of your project to work on it makes you love it even more....or not.

Next project!

Official Flyer

2010-04-13T23:48:00.001-07:00

Click for larger view

2010-03-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

"Heart Bloom" found a wonderful new home in Fountain Hills. I did two shows in Arizona in March: Carfree Fine Art and Wine Festival (which got rained out - ouch!) and Fountain Hills Fine Art and Wine Affaire. Both were Thunderbird shows. Times are certainly lean for everyone, so I feel very blessed that I moved some work.

"Traverse", seen in the last blog below, is going to live in Milwaukee. People LOVE that Blue Bahia granite!

New Works

2010-03-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

"Traverse"
Black Galaxy Granite, Blue Bahia & Golden Butterfly granite, White Carrara marble
28"

"Poise"
Imperial Red and Golden Butterfly granite
24"

Finished!

2010-03-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh it's finished. Fitting that the lower picture has snow on it : )
The day after we finished cleaning the patio, it snowed even more. We folks here in Santa Fe are used to snow, but in the past we could ski on the storm days and usually get a good amount of work done in between. This El Nino season brought snow - and COLD - every week. We told the clients, in November, that this would take a month or so, since it was winter. We finished first week in March. Ouch! Once true spring comes we will turn on the water with the light. I'll post it! Next project...

2010-03-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the back wall going up, right before the flagstone shelf is installed. We had a freak spell of warm weather so were were able to work on this in a normal time span. We did most of the back wall in about a week, until, of course, it snowed another foot. We just shoveled the patio and did what we could...

click on pictures for a larger view

2010-01-21T22:56:00.001-08:00

So this project has certainly been challenging during winter. We have been building this between snowstorms, but it's coming along...

click on images for larger size...

This is the completed basin. I hand chiseled the flagstone cap...

The next step is to apply the pond liner. We have had to wait for warmer weather but it finally came in a two day window so we applied it quickly! (not shown) You can see our wall drawing (left) before we applied it. The next step is to finish the plumbing and start building the back wall up to the flagstone that will create the waterfall. (centered in top portion of wall drawing) We are excited to finish. Give us some warm days!

2009-12-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks...We've been working shorter, colder, but still productive days building a custom courtyard fountain, which will be around 7' tall with a flagstone waterfall spilling into a beautiful natural stone basin. The same stone will climb up the wall to the protruding flagstone and we plan to light the waterfall from the bottom. Since I am much more a granite sculptor than a stone mason, I brought in Master Mason Brian Kennedy, who has built many projects over many years in Santa Fe and beyond....

click images for larger view....

This was an ugly square concrete basin (surrounded by curves all around the courtyard) that we knocked out. Sometimes it's better to start over than to try to make something work. In this case, it was absolutely necessary!

Mr. Kennedy forming up a new underground pump box that will house the "controls"...

We like curves in Santa Fe!

With Brian's guidance, I am learning how hard this ancient craft is. Next time you see a natural stone wall, look at how tight the seams are...then look at these! The basin picture has my stack on the right side. The picture below it is a close-up of Brian's exceptional work. We will mix our stacks to keep a consistent look throughout.
This is hard but fun! I'll post pics as it's coming along. Cheers!

2009-10-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

let's work on this now...

2009-10-21T12:05:00.001-07:00

The finished installation "Reciprocity" in private front courtyard, Santa Fe. 74" x 27" x 15", Granite, of course. When you are standing at her front door, you can see the Aspens through the cutout. This was originally going to be inside her home, against a wall. After seeing it finished in my shop, she decided for the outdoor space. I love it there!

The mighty forklift! The loaders at the Loveland sculpture show had never seen a sculpture picked up like this, with the boards acting as handles.

The flamed side with polished concave circles. A little color sealer will bring the flamed color out just enough.

The polished side before I flamed the circles. The flaming gives it a "crackled" texture, sort of like a chiseled texture but different. All stones react differently to the flaming. This granite flamed beautifully.

Me polishing the inside of the cutout. All the little curves are tricky which entail using different kinds of polishing pads at different angles.

1" steel rod

The base, with the top and bottom layers polished and the middle layer flamed.

New Commission

2009-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends. Now I'm working on a custom six foot sculpture for a woman in Eldorado, based on the "Raincatcher" fountain seen a few blogs ago. Here you will see drawings, templates and the actual piece starting to take form on the table. The piece will be polished granite with flaming techniques in the concave round bits. Feel free to ask any questions. Enjoy...

The Finished Piece

2009-09-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

The Finished Piece "Eclipse". She loved it!

Another Background...

Eclipse sculpture

2009-09-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here's how the "Eclipse" sculpture is coming along...Click on the pics for a bigger size.

I have to clamp my grinder to the table to carve the granite and marble spheres. You can go through a lot of gloves this way...

My earlier sculptures played with round, flat shapes. I'm finding the spheres to be a nicer feel, more three-dimensional, especially in a piece like this

This is the general piece. Now to make a base...

This shape was a departure from the more symmetrical forms in my "Paths" series. In those pieces, I wanted to convey a feel of steady-ness, adverting obstacles with grace. This piece, to me anyway, shows a sliver of time, or perhaps a very long passage through ever moving surroundings. The piece is quite literal compared to my other work, but I have had so many wonderful analogies while working on it. The blue stone is quite captivating.

This was a little Jedi trick I learned...

All photos ©2009 Lara Sanchez/Dancing light Photography

Lately...

2009-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends

After a successful show at the 26th Annual Sculpture in the Park show in Loveland, CO., I have been a busy boy with some new commissions. First is a 22" tall table sculpture based on the "paths" series, but a little more random in shape. It will have a Black Galaxy granite body (with bits of reflective laboradorite) and Gold (the sun), blue (Earth) and white (moon) stone spheres tucked into the curves. I'm liking what I'm calling the "Cosmos" pieces very much, the first of which sold in Loveland.

After I finish that, I will be working on a larger 6' free standing sculpture that's based on the "Raincatcher" fountain design seen below. This was originally going to be a wall installation but the client and I agreed on a piece that she could move if she wanted. The granite is very busy with red and brown colors and swirly features. I'm excited to make it! I'll post pics when it's done...

Rock Blog

2009-08-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. Blogging, eh? OK, sounds fun. Since it is very difficult to haul large granite sculptures around the country or the world, I will bring them to you via the vast abyss of the internet. Then, you can come to me. Santa Fe, where you can't throw a (granite) rock without hitting an artist.
Please do not throw the sculpture.
Stay tuned for dusty insights and humorous randomness.
Thanks...Greg