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Concrete Decor - Concrete Decor Magazine, The Journal for Decorative Concrete - Index

their lit batons, with the ends containing
fiber optics for effect. A sunset fades over the
top of a mountain and blends into a starlit
night sky that shines with the homeowners’
zodiac constellations, Taurus and Pisces.
The homeowners also requested a
water feature with fiber optics. Mata created
a volcano with faux hot lava spewing out
from the top and fiber-optic points of light
on the sides. At the bottom of the volcano,
pool lights shine through bubbling water
and a fog machine creates a convincing
haze. “It looks like hot things are going on,”
Mata explains.
Gone to the dogs
These homeowners also wanted
something special out front: another water
feature, to commemorate their beloved
Dalmatians. To accomplish this, Mata first
had to locate a fire hydrant — no easy feat,
as it turned out — to be used as a fountain.
“It seemed like such a natural. Dalmatians,
fire truck, fire hydrant,” he says.
After several calls to fire departments
and recycling centers with no luck, he finally
hit pay dirt with some fellow who was in the
process of replacing old hydrants. He ended
up getting a 1923 model for free.
He sandblasted and repainted the old
fireplug, which served as the centerpiece
for the Dalmatian shrine, and painted a
manhole cover around it. As part of the
stamping job, he included a scene with a
cracked and leaking pipe, with one of the
dogs shaking off water and the others just
hanging out, watching. “When we started
the job they had three Dalmatians. About
halfway through, they adopted a fourth
and wanted him in there, too,” Mata says.
For accent, fiber-optic lights are arranged
sporadically around the dogs.
But the project didn’t stop there. For a
signature touch, Mata cast a rubber stamp
made from each of the dogs’ paw prints.
Dec. ’07/Jan. ’08 | www.ConcreteDecor.net | 55