News / Blog

12/14/2011
A Work In Progress

12/14/2011
Autumn 2011 Haiku Contest WINNer Announced!

10/12/2011
My Dream

10/12/2011
Check This Out!

10/12/2011
Have You Seen Teddy's Fountain?

10/03/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Haiku Contest Guidelines

10/03/2011
Summer 2011 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

6/14/2011
WPMT FOX 43 Visits Igneous Rock Gallery!

6/14/2011
Video of Current Inventory

6/14/2011
New and Improved Landscape Lights

6/14/2011
Spring Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

5/03/2011
Fountain to be Auctioned at Derby Day!

3/24/2011
Simply the Best?

3/24/2011
An Enduring Tribute

3/11/2011
2011 PA Home Show Special

3/11/2011
Remembering Rick Alcorn

3/11/2011
Winter Haiku Contest Winner Announced! / Spring Contest Entries Welcomed

2/16/2011
Rest In Peace, Rick Alcorn

2/09/2011
Counting Past 130 and Balancing Rocks

2/09/2011
Autumn Haiku Contest Winner / Winter Contest Submission Deadline

2/09/2011
PA Home Show

2/09/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Fountain Design Party Discounts!

2/09/2011
Sedimentary Rock Gallery?

11/17/2010
Current Special Promotions – Our Best Ever Offer!

11/17/2010
Autumn 2010 Haiku Contest

11/15/2010
One Thing Leads to the Next…

11/08/2010
I'm A Rock Star

10/15/2010
Sid and Gena's Indoor Fountain Sculpture

9/07/2010
Vacation Musings/Balancing Work and Play

9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Traveling Dog and Pony Show

9/07/2010
2010 Summer Haiku Winner Announced

9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Harrisburg Fall Home Show Exhibit/One Million Dollar Cash Giveaway!

8/10/2010
This One Could Be Yours

8/8/2010
Summer 2010 Haiku Contest Deadline Extended

8/2/2010
Jerry and Crystal Created Their Own!

7/13/2010
She Stole My Heart

7/13/2010
Table Top Fountain Workshop

6/17/2010
New Fountains

6/15/2010
Do You Want to Meet My Dad?

6/14/2010
The Year of the Creep

6/6/2010
My Impending Incarceration

6/6/2010
Spring 2010 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!

3/20/2010
First Quarterly Haiku Contest!

3/13/2010
Honorable Mention at 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show

3/12/2010
Video of Valley Forge Display

Jerry and Crystal Created Their Own!


Some folks who decide they like our custom fountains and want one choose from among the finished features on display at Igneous Rock Gallery. We’ve heard them say,

“You are the artists! You are the experts! This is out of the realm of my expertise. If I am going to pay good money for this, I don’t trust myself not to mess it up! …I like that one… how much?”

I can relate to this. It is the sort of thing I might say to my mechanic. I would rather focus on what I am good at and pay him to get under my truck!

Other folks, like recent customers Jerry and Crystal, prefer to participate in the creation of their custom fountain. It will mean more to them as they enjoy it for years to come knowing they had a hand in designing and building it.


This collaborative process usually starts by studying and discussing the various features of fountains already on display. Flat polished top column fountains look a bit more formal and the water flows uniformly down all surfaces of the rock for a “wet all over” look. The natural top columns have a more organic, earthy feel. If you prefer a look that is more natural, not so touched by man, this may be the look for you. Of course water will follow the path of least resistance and you probably won’t get uniform water coverage on all surfaces of the rock. I still can’t decide which I like best!

Jerry and Crystal opted for the natural tops, but this was not their only moment of decision. Will it be a three column fountain? Five? How high shall the tallest column be, and what about the shortest? Shall it have an open, even sort of spacing? What about grouping them tight, kind of like a gathered family cuddling for comfort? So many decisions, but the process can be a lot of fun.

They noticed that some of the columns have a greenish tone and decided at the onset to work in that color palette. They also quickly decided that they liked five columns better than three. The whole design process took about an hour and a half, the majority of which was spent choosing the fifth column and arranging and spacing the five columns.

Does this sound like fun? Are you risky and adventuresome like Jerry and Crystal? Or do you view creating art like I do getting under the hood of my truck… something best left to the experts? You may be completely smitten by a feature in the show room and feel drawn to it.

There is no right answer. You can play around with the design process in the work shop with no obligation. Before long you will probably be able to pick a focal point column, the visual anchor, which is usually the tallest column. We will position that piece out in the middle of the room and then start adding and swapping out columns … until at last you stand back and say, “That’s it! Let’s not change a thing!” (…or else, “I still like that one in the show room best”).

At this point with the fountain design completed some folks leave and we take it from there, plumbing the individual columns, connecting the manifold and pouring a concrete footing on the base of the columns. Jerry and Crystal wanted to be involved in each step and took pictures to document their progress. After everything was put together and the concrete had begun setting up they pressed their hands into the wet concrete and recorded their initials and the date too! A week or so later we installed their fountain, and we recently received this note from Jerry and Crystal…


It was truly a worthwhile experience creating our custom fountain. When we first went to the Igneous Rock Gallery showroom, we thought that we would have to buy a fountain that was already made, but after talking to Robert we were informed that we could create our own rendition of a fountain. This is where the fun began.

We went back home and started to draw our fountain on paper, changing from three columns to four to finally five. Then we returned back to the showroom and started to look at some of the completed fountains and those still in the ‘works’, just to get a better idea of what we were about to create. We decided on five columns, with two taller columns forming the back. We initially started out with darker brown and beige columns, but then our creative juices started to flow, and we changed our thought process and color palette to shades of green that come closer to our house and garage siding.

Looking through all the different heights of columns, we started to add the other three columns. Robert kept busy washing down these columns so that we could actually see the ‘true colors’ that were hidden within each one. Then came the process of arranging and rearranging the placement of these; did we want them closer together, or with a little space between them? Does the angle look better this way or the way we had it? Let’s move this one over here and that one back over there.

Finally it all came together! We both stepped back and took a look from the front, and then from each side to see if we had the correct angles and spacing. Did the column lines play off each other well? Did it all flow together? The answer was, “Yes! Don’t touch a thing! Quick, take a picture for reference purposes.”

We were both amazed at what we just created -- Our own unique custom fountain. What we found even more amazing was Bob’s comments, that our designed fountain was good enough to be an Igneous Rock Gallery creation. That is how impressed he was with our fountain! That was very flattering to hear.

But we had only begun, these columns were only standing on his workshop floor and needed to be tested to see how the water flowed out of them. We attached the plumbing and tested the larger columns, making some minor adjustments to the tops of the columns so that the water flowed smoothly, instead of splashing over the tops of the columns. After this was completed, we still had to place a wooden form around them before the concrete footer was poured.

The next day the fun began, mixing the concrete, with the help of Robert of course, and then shoveling it into the form making sure we had the correct depth around each column and all areas were covered. While the concrete was setting up, Crystal and I put our hand prints and initials in the wet concrete and dated it. The rest of the work was up to Robert and his crew.

In four days the fountain was ready to be installed. Naturally, the hottest day in July, but Robert arrived at our house with our fountain in tow on his trailer, ready to get started. After all the digging was completed and the fountain set down to rest on its foundation, and all the final connections were in place, we turned it on.

“WOW!” was all that I could say.

How neat is this, to have your own custom water fountain in your backyard to enjoy year round if you choose. What a relaxing atmosphere at your fingertips. Just plug it in anytime, or as we did, connect a timer to it and sit back and listen to the soothing sound of the babbling water and let the tensions of the day slip away. What a unique feeling. And with the lights that are included with the fountain kit, this even adds to the ambience of the atmosphere. All our neighbors who have seen it have fallen in love with it as we have.

We are hoping that all who read this will take the time and make an appointment to see and listen to these wonderful fountains. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Igneous Rock Gallery and thank you Robert! Robert made the experience even better with the passion and enthusiasm he has for his work.

Jerry & Crystal
Mechanicsburg, PA