Page 73 - CA 2019 Final(3)

Beauty and innovation in the Maine woods

feature and phot s by A lene Benham

Driving down shady Cedar Lane a little north of Route 1 near Sullivan feels a bit like fol-
lowing a green tunnel into another world. The atmosphere is slightly mystical and, perhaps,
part of what spurs the creativity at Lunaform, manufacturers of unique – and very large – con-
crete pots.

The company had its origins in 1992 when Phid Lawless wanted some flowers around his
home. Living on a rock ledge, he needed containers. There were few manufacturers of con-
crete pots, and he wanted large ones, so he made his own. A landscape archtect saw them and
asked for some. The drawbacks of cast concrete pots left a niche to be filled, and led to the
innovations that characterize Lunaform, which Phid co-founded with Dan Farrenkopf. They
now turn out some 400 pots a year, ranging from their smallest 40-pounder through those
weighing 350 to 600 pounds. The largest ones top 1,000 pounds.

Other manufacturers use a mold to cast their pots. It’s fast and efficient, but has two major
disadvantages, according to Phid. One of those drawbacks is when separating the mold that
liquid concrete has been poured into leaves a seam; and it’s very difficult to reinforce the pots
in steel. He said that while concrete is strong under compression, it has no tensile strength. A
planter full of wet soil that freezes may crack without steel reinforcement.

Lunaform’s containers are quite another thing altogether. Their molds are ribbed wood or
plastic forms in the shape of the pot and, by mid-2018, the company had 170 different designs.
The molds are covered with shrink wrap plastic, and the concrete is applied to this in a lengthy
process. Layer by layer, it is troweled on, with attention to the moisture content. As the pot is
slowly turned on a wheel, a screed – a shaping tool on a frame around it – smooths the concrete
into the desired curve. Leaving each layer a bit rough helps the next layer stick to it, as does
The “Alto” is 48” high and weighs 350 pounds.
polymer mixed with the concrete. The pots range from one to three inches thick, but
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A view of the gallery

Lunaform’s creations punctuate the landscape in the studio’s peaceful setting. 71