A Visit to Lunaform
I have a large number of pots for my growing collection of rare and exotic plants. I love seeing unique container styles especially when they’re from Lunaform, a pottery studio in West Sullivan, Maine.
During my recent stay at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, I took some time to visit Lunaform, and to see some of its latest creations. Lunaform was founded by Phid Lawless and Dan Farrenkopf in 1992. Phid, Dan, and their very talented team, create elegant, all-weather garden containers that are hand-built with steel-reinforced concrete and turned on a potter’s wheel. Each piece is artfully designed and crafted. I have purchased several Lunaform vessels over the years for Skylands and for my Bedford, New York farm - and I love them all.
Enjoy these photos. This is the first of several blogs I will be posting on this summer's trip to Maine, so stay tuned.
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- Here I am at Lunaform standing next to a banded Perugia in dark gray with a light gray wash. The Perugia has an inverted egg shape with a rolled rim and is 40-inches tall.
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- Here is one of my Lunaform containers at Skylands. This Lunaform vessel is one of a pair currently sitting on the terrace ledge. This year, I planted it with a big agave.
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- I bought these four Lunaform bowls with saucers a few years ago. These are called Thuya bowls – they look so handsome here on the steps of my Summer House terrace at Bedford.
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- Back at Lunaform, the studios are treasure troves of ideas, designs, techniques and inspirations. Co-founder, Dan Farrenkopf runs the color studio, where he sandblasts the surfaces of the pots after curing.
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- This is the Luna – the very first design piece. It is faceted, meaning it has flat sides all around. On the front, etched on every vessel, Lunaform’s chop, or potter’s mark, features a fingernail moon, which was designed by co-founder, Phid Lawless.
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- Here is one of the work stations at the studio – filled with all the tools of the trade.
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- Everyone at Lunaform shares these pointer tools.
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- But each one has his or her own hand trowel.
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- Here is one of the wood molds – this one for a large round Sunny’s, one of the most popular of the Lunaform urn designs.
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- Here is a collapsible mold skin made of high density plastic. It is used for segmented designs, and makes removal easier once the piece is cured.
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- Here, it is easier to see the facets on the concrete.
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- This is Lunaform’s Pinecone urn made upside down. It is 29-inches tall.
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- Here is another look at the Pinecone as it is drying. Misters on the ceiling provide humidity while the heated floor turns the water into vapor, which allows the concrete to cure. Concrete needs to be warm in order to harden.
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- Here is another mold with its screed on the right – the metal leveler that shapes each piece as it turns on the wheel.
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- On the wall of the color studio are samples of Lunaform’s 13 standard colors. Lunaform also customizes colors and shapes for various designs.
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- Lunaform makes planters, urns, fountains, birdbaths, and custom garden pieces for both private and public landscapes across the country. This is the inside of a fountain. The inside is colored black in order to make the water look darker and deeper.
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- Here are three vessels in different stages of production. It takes about three weeks to make one piece. The first week is the building, the second week is for curing and the last is for coloring.
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- This is a closeup finish of the Borghese plate texture. When it is colored, the last under layer base coat is put on thick and then troweled as it sets up to create the pattern.
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- This is the big collapsible Borghese mold. The urn, when complete, weighs 1200-pounds.
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- Here is a banded Perugia. Any urn or planter can be banded. The banding is done by hand after it is made. This one is 40-inches tall.
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- This is a brand new design that was originally done as a custom piece – a combination between the Sunny’s and the Capri styles. Lunaform liked it so much, they decided to add it to the collection. Look out for it on their web site.
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- Here is a Luna urn with its winter lid. Lunaform containers can be kept outdoors as long as it is covered during winter, so water doesn’t collect inside, freeze, and then crack the concrete.
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- Lunaform also makes tables. One client wanted a fern leaf embedded into the concrete top of a table. This was the sample – it was exactly what the client envisioned.
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- Here is the Siena urn after it is scored with a metal wire.
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- This is a Milano urn with hand carved snake handles. It is 52.5 inches tall.
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- This is a seven-foot fountain basin mold covered in a spandex material, which will be helpful when removing the concrete after it dries.
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- These fountain molds make giant shallow basins. Here is the mold without the spandex. The concrete is placed on top of the mold upside down, and then once done, removed – completely seamless – a feature unique to Lunaform’s creations.
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- Leftover concrete is formed into giant spheres, which are rolled out into the woodland as relics.
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- Here is one of the sphere molds.
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- The large open porches, overlooking the woods, are filled with fine examples of the potters’ work.
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- It is such a beautiful and serene environment.
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- On this porch, pieces are waiting to be colored.
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- This piece is called Cecina – a shallow, dish-shaped bowl with a parallel, half-round interior groove pattern. It is used as a planter or a fountain.
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- The piece in the middle is slightly elliptical and was also turned on the wheel using a screed.
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- This is a handsome custom made pillar.
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- This wide round Sunny’s mold is being stored outside. The molds can be used repeatedly, but are often re-sanded, re-glazed or repaired. Each mold can make about 25 to 30 pieces.
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- This is called Morgan’s cauldron, made of concrete and iron. It is perfectly round on the bottom and is 37.5 inches in diameter. A hand-forged iron stand will hold the urn perfectly upright.
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- This is a Ucello birdbath. I love bird baths. I don’t think enough gardeners realize how important a birdbath is to the bird population. It affords a place to cool off, bathe, and drink. Of course, the water should be changed daily.
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- This is a dark gray slate plated medium Capri urn.
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- And this piece is a Pirana with a protective lid.
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- It was a wonderful visit to Lunaform – if you’re ever in the area, do stop by and see these masters at work. For more information, go to their web site. http://www.lunaform.com/
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