This Spring, we decided to get a selection of statues & fountains in to review, but each with very diverse and unique attributes so that they complement each other. In other words, we wanted to find a collection you could use in your office, home or garden which would all work together. We combed the web and did our research and finally vetted it down to the following vendors and artisans — note that there is another vendor who is missing from this list which we will cover in the fall, so stay tuned for another favorite pick in a few months. All of these creative and inspiring individuals have Etsy stores so you can explore your own personal favorites from each of them as well.
Inspired Sculpture from Oregon
We were drawn to Inspired Sculpture because of the diversity of sculptures they offer. These sculptures are all on the small side but the attention to detail is amazing. There are also tons of options, including Shakespeare Theater, Goddesses, Angels, Vedic and Hindu Deities, Tibetan & Buddhist statues, Mystical Symbols and more.
There’s so much wow in their sculptures — the attention to detail really inspired us.
Behind Inspired Sculpture is Ann Godwin, who specializes in detailed miniatures of devotional designs for altars and retreats. She believes in creating sculptures with deep meaning that inspire personal growth and mark important events in life. These pieces are collected for meditation, gifts for bereavement, spiritual passage, congratulations, coming of age and positive support in difficult times. Inspired by world travel, the sculptures reflect diverse beliefs and cultures from many countries.
Many of the designs in her Etsy shop were originally sculpted by her mother and father who have shared their talents and helped Ann develop her skills. The sculptures are made by Ann in her home studio in Oregon and the work helps support Mission Studios (her parents studio) and her own shop, Inspired Sculpture. She has been making and selling her own and her family’s sculptures nationally and internationally since she was 7 years old. (we love hearing stories like this!!)
Says Ann about her early beginnings, “I spent the first few years of my life in a cabin my parents built from stacked rocks with a dirt floor and no power or running water. I still feel grateful every time I use the tap and get hot running water! The cabin was a very long tricky drive from town, so when I grew bigger, we sold the land and started traveling.”
“I still enjoy connecting with nature by sculpting people and animals, and designing and creating large metal sculptures in my blacksmithing shop, but I really enjoy making sculptures that bring peace to people’s hearts.” — Ann Godwin
As part of the creative process, spiritual leaders are consulted repeatedly about traditions and regional differences as the sculpture takes its shape. Each sculpture reflects its origin and conveys a feeling of reverence. A special prayer or mantra is sometimes sculpted into the design as well. Taking about nine months to sculpt, the master design is then expertly molded with their special process and carefully cast with love– creating the final devotional sculptures!
Below are some of the devotional sculptures we got in to review and whoah, aren’t they beautiful?
The Goddess Durga
Krishna playing the flute
Then there’s Kali, Vajra Yogini, who is known to be a very passionate and powerful Goddess.
For more information, be sure to visit their Etsy store and order a few of your own favorites.
Open Hearts with Madonna
How’s this lovely Old World Madonna statue? Made and shipped by a shop called Open Hearts (we love their name)! Based in Sopot Poland, the work of this talented duo is a bit remote but they ship anywhere, so don’t let location stop you. Although their Etsy store isn’t particularly large (in terms of the number of products they offer), their work is truly profound and worth a look.
This shop is run by Arek and Mania who make their statues out of porcelain. Says Arek, “Contemporary figures are mostly plastic and do not have an ancient climate. We decided to try it for ourselves. It turned out that over time, we realized that it gave us a lot of satisfaction and joy. The friends who came to us started asking us to make Madonnas for them, which is how and when we started showing our figures to the world. “
Antique is the look and the overall statue has an aged look. The Madonna wears flowers around her head.
We absolutely love the beautiful detail throughout — the statue also has a lot of energy. When Anthony felt the Madonna, he could feel the strong and pure Madonna energy come through.
“I have always been fascinated by old Madonnas for as long as I can remember.” – Arek
They also offer different statues as well as lovely jewelry — just look at this gorgeous pearl bracelet for example.
Be sure to visit their Etsy store for all of their offerings and how to order. We applaud their creative work so do browse their site.
Statues by DS Garden Shop
We were really drawn to DS Garden Shop because of the diversity and wide array of choices they offer — yes, they’ve got a lot of beautiful garden statues but also offer other garden products as well. We found ourselves meandering through their site and Etsy store for well over an hour. What first jumped out for us was their tall beautiful representation of Siddhartha Gautama, which stands on a primitive knotted base and wears a long traditional draped garb with a simply elegant embroidery. His right palm is open and grasping a corner of his robe while his left gently holds a delicate Lotus flower.ﾠAnd, his elongated ear lobes have long been related as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Beautiful energy, right?
And so, we opted to review this beautiful statue which is cast in stone. It measures at 16 inches by 13 inches, so large enough to make a mark in your garden.
Just look at the attention to detail.
The statues are hand crafted in America of solid cast-stone (concrete) made with integrated coloring and they are sealed for outdoor use. This beautiful piece was originally created by Michael Gentilucci and copyrighted by Designer Stone, Inc. Michael has designed hundreds of clay sculptures which are then recreated into a solid and durable cast stone material with integrated coloring. His designs have a spiritual reverberating quality.
This Siddhartha Gautama measures 24 inches by 8 inches and weighs in at around thirty pounds. It is shown here in Antique (a bit like an English gray), but there are other colors and finishes available — we love that there are so many options to choose from so you can truly personalize it.
“Michael’s designs are the type of garden art which evokes a glimmering smile, can remove life’s pressures for a few precious moments and remind us of who we are and what we live for.” — DS Garden Shop
Here is a meditating Buddha shown in a few different finishes so you can get an idea of their color options.
And if Buddha’s aren’t your thing, they have plenty of other great options, including lots of animals, such as dogs, turtles, cats and frogs.
And yes, even Gargoyles. Although gargoyles are hideous in appearance, they’re considered guardians used to ward off evil spirits and many want them around (or in their yard) for that reason. This version of the traditional Gargoyle of Notre Dame makes a great conversation piece and is very nice on a bookshelf, mantle or are truly at home when placed outdoors near an entrance or within your garden. The below gargoyle they offer is around 10 inches tall by 6 inches wide and weighs around 9 pounds.
Gargoyle shown in Antique (Old English Gray).
Based in San Diego, California, they also make stepping stones, spirit stones, birdbaths and feeders, library planters, head planters, Zen creations, wall hangings and more. Be sure to check out their website as well as their Etsy store for the wide variety of choices — there is something for everyone’s budget.
Serenity Stones & Fountains by Awesome Stones
Based out of Ontario California, we fell in love with the creativity behind the artisans at Awesome Stones. For example, this wonderful cairn stone creation can blend well in any room — house or office. Representing safety, hope and friendship, cairn stones have been used by cultures around the globe for centuries.
Made of real stones and a steel rod, each cairn stone they use is selected for its unique and appealing aesthetic. Whether serving as a memorial stone or a directional marker, cairn stones add a sense of balance and calm to the hectic pace of daily life. Made from natural river stones, cairn stones are hand made from Java Island in Indonesia. And, look at how beautiful they look!
We tried them on top of our piano and in front of a horse painting. We receive so many compliments on them — everyone wants to know where to find them, and so, now you know!
We also opted to review one of their bestsellers: the Natural Rock Cairn Water Fountain. You can get this fountain with either 5 or 7 stones.
Made from river stones, this beautiful stone fountain is designed to replicate the cairns which traditionally mark wilderness trails. Each stone in the cairn fountain is carefully selected and secured to the base, which is made of a steel rod completely hidden within the design aesthetic. Also hand made in Indonesia, the quality of the product is top notch. Note that each product may vary in design, dimensions and colors as a result of the characters of natural raw materials.
A close up shot of where we tested it in one of our meditation rooms — it looks very natural and authentic, which we love!!!
If you want to spruce it up and go for something with a little more color, they offer a Natural Septuple Rock Cairn Water Fountain with Glass. It is made from Jasper Stone and Recycled Glass and is absolutely beautiful.
Be sure to check out their Etsy store to view their cairn stones, fountains and other offerings.
Fountains & Statues by PrimeGood
PrimeGood is a small company founded by two partners, which started out as a side gig but grown to be their full-time business. They ran their own website in 2016 but since 2019, have started to focus on their Etsy store, which we love. They strongly believe in customer service and see it as a ‘way of life.’ In other words, the customer always comes first. The founders tout their goal and passion as “bringing prime your life by providing beautiful and high quality products to your home and garden.”
“We search on a daily basis for the next product which will beautify your home and add value without compromising on quality.” — Prime Good Founders
Although PrimeGood has a lot of amazing fountain and statue options, we were really drawn to their outdoor Buddha fountain which includes a lighting effect. This Buddha in repose is the timeless image of Zen serenity, shown here as a sophisticated centerpiece surrounded by a beautiful relaxing fountain. This beautiful find instantly turns any patio, porch or garden into a tranquil retreat. The submersible water pump is included with the fountain and it stands around 29 inches tall and weighs in at around 26 pounds.
We love the energy of this piece — so powerful whether you use it indoors or out. Note that it comes in black but we decided to spray paint it brown to better match our color scheme. The original black is stunning too btw, so no need to change the color unless you’re one of those creative junkies like me who loves to repaint everything!!
They also have a smaller Buddha fountain which makes a great addition to any home setting, especially an office to help you relax during a stressful work day. Water and flame create a harmonious ambiance, making this tabletop Buddha a welcome addition to any space. This lovely tabletop water fountain has a single tealight candle holder and an LED bulb in the lotus flower on meditating Buddha’s lap. Fill it with water, add a candle and enjoy the peaceful calm of this beautiful piece.
If you love fountains but Buddha isn’t your thing, how about this creative western fountain? We found it to be quirky, eclectic and fun.
And, we absolutely LOVE these lions which you can put at your door or also in any garden setting.
Rest assured, fountains aren’t the only thing that PrimeGood’s Etsy store offers if you’re keen on seeing what other things they have for gardens and patios, they have quite a large selection. PrimeGood also offers wedding options, other garden products like tables and smaller statues, furniture, lanterns, lamps gifts and home decor. They also offer a few smaller fountains as well which can be used indoors. Be sure to check out their website for more of their offerings.
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Note: we were sent some of these products for review but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
