For more than a decade, Dave Briggs and Avy Hattingh have combined their love of nature and passion for making things to create useful and artful accents for their home and garden.
And now they’re spreading the love.
From a mighty 200kg rose quartz rock chipped by hand into a garden pot, to a one-of-a-kind bonsai bowl, Assagay’s Dave and Avy live to create things that elicit not only a sense of pride but an atmosphere of tranquillity.
“Twelve years ago, we started with a blank canvas – an empty building site that was the foundation for our home. We landscaped, which included building rock walls, planting and formulating of rock pyramids, bird baths, bathroom basins, benches and bonsais. It was just the two of us, armed with a few tools, an angle grinder and the help of our gardener.
Between them, they have skills in personal development coaching – Avy offers life lessons, counselling and conflict resolution – and Dave, in spite of his background in biochemistry and psychology has always preferred to remain on the fringes of mainline employment. Both have successfully published books ranging from poetry, HIV/AIDS, and self-help, to the history of the Dusi and chronicles of their adventures around the world. So what on earth inspired them to try their hand at rock carving?
“It is far more satisfying to create something out of the ordinary than buying an item that is mass produced and readily available to the public. Our hope is that if others see what we’ve done, they might also give this a go. It’s not that difficult. It just requires a bit of effort and innovation,” says Dave.
Using a variety of rocks they manage to scavenge locally as well as precious stones – mostly rose quartz – they get from a quarry in the Northern Cape, Dave and Avy patiently chip away at rocks that weigh up to 200kg. “We cut these down by hand into garden pots, benches, indoor coffee tables, bird baths, decorative pyramids, tables and wooden lights made with rose quarts and resin.” Their newest endeavours involve carved stone work and decorative or unusual trees – mostly bonsai since they are passionate about these miniature trees that embody patience, peace, dedication and perfection.
“Whenever we run out of stone we hook up our trailer and look for more down in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. The bonsai we grow ourselves, and the beauty of a fig is that one can just cut off a growing area and plant it in the ground and it will grow. Fig is also quite easy to manipulate into various shapes and requires little watering so these trees are fairly difficult to kill.”
The couple say that they don’t only find pleasure in the final product of every item they make, but they also find the creative process highly therapeutic.
“As we use our bodies, we get to experience the transformation of rock as it is polished. It changes colour considerably from its existing blandness to magnificent darks and vibrant sheens,” says Dave adding that carving the rock is nowhere near as intense as the labour involved in cutting stones with an angle grinder and mixing cement for larger items.
“Unfortunately as with everything in life, a tad of hard work, innovation and persistence is needed but, it’s a progression, and time is for the most part irrelevant. One merely formulates a vision and slowly chips away as with moulding a chunk of clay until the light at the end of the tunnel becomes a reality.”
When it comes to their bonsai creations, Dave says they hollow out a rock with an angle grinder and chisel, make an underside lid to hold in the sand, polish the upper surface which they then carve with a dremel.
“We then polish it using seven different diamond grits plus water to remove all the scratches and slip ups. It can take anything up to 40 hours to complete.”
A labour of love indeed, considering that a seedling must then still be grown through the upper holes and this can take few years to become established.
“When we make our rose quartz lights, we hollow out the inside, make a wooden lid to mount the metal scrolls on – these we weld together. The base is usually an old chunk of wood which is sand blasted to highlight the grain. We pour resin into the eroded areas and support all of this on a hollow polished stone base. We then insert LED lighting into all areas from the top to bottom and voila! Everything lights up!”
As for the tables they make, these are done by placing rock slices into cement and then grinding and polishing them smooth before joining them together.
“This can be a challenge,’ says Dave, “as most glues don’t stick very well, but we’ve found our groove.”
With all that grinding and chipping away, one would think the two would easily manage to annoy their neighbours living in a complex of only nine units but, since they are all free-standing homes, Dave and Avy say they’ve successfully managed to stay out of the spotlight when it comes to the noise factor.
“We are very mindful of when we cut and for how long at a time and, when need to, we load up our portable generator, travel to a section of vacant land not far from where we stay, and spend the day cutting and shaping for bigger projects we need to get done.”
And just where can Dave and Avy’s marvellous creations be found?
At the moment most of the products the couple have made adorn their home and garden, although they have been commissioned to create a few. They currently have a collection of around 20 stone decorations, bonsais and out-of-the-ordinary creations, and have been documenting the process of each product with the thought train that it might be valuable for people to see that it is within everyone’s reach to make something different.
“Currently, given the time it takes to create such bespoke items, it necessitates a very niche market but, we’ve created a Facebook page and have a website showcasing most of what we’ve made over the years.”
On it you’ll find a full colour electronic book with more than 130 pages detailing some of their processes and final products, as well as a DIY section for those inspired to create their own.
“Uniquely rock was originally started to demonstrate and encourage others to economically create that special item for their home and garden, regardless of whether you live in an expansive estate or small concrete box. We have tried to document the more important aspects of our journey to show that anyone can own magnificent creations that are not only limited to magazines, palatial homes or those with resources. The ability to transform your environment – and of course your thoughts – into something that calms the spirit and redirects focus and energy is well within everyone’s reach.”
As for what’s on the cards …
“We could partner with an existing show, showcase in a hotel foyer or establish our own exhibition. Who knows? We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Details: Follow them on Facebook @uniquelyrock or visit uniquelyrock.co.za
