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PHOTOS: Glowing boulders popping up in the Okanagan

Local landscaper Brandon Messier also brought the Lost statue to its new home

Brandon Messier’s Penticton front yard on Huth Avenue is getting a lot of looks these days.

How could it not when there is giant glowing boulders on it over a river bed of blue glass.

The largest boulder, in front, almost looks like a chunk of gold from the distance and it weighs just about the same amount.

That one weighs around 1,400 pounds, said Messier. But it isn’t the largest Messier owns. That one is displayed at Sandstone Landscaping Supplies on Government Street, weighing in at over 1,600 pounds.

The unique landscape feature is actually recycled glass melted down and coloured, he said.

“I wanted to offer my high end clients something different than bark mulch and grass so I found someone who made these glass boulders and had 60,000 pounds of it shipped to the Vancouver docks. There was so much of it I had to unload it myself,” said Messier, owner of Messier’s Concrete and Landscaping.

He thinks he might have the largest amount of glass boulders in North America.

There’s a lot you can do with the recycled glass chunks. It can be cored and turned into a water feature or lit from the inside as he has done in his front yard. The blue glass can make a unique looking river bed feature, he said.

“The glass in fireplaces is similar idea in a smaller scale than what I have,” he said.

What was going to be a fun side project has actually turned out to be a busy business, he said.

“I’ve had quite a bit of interest and people purchasing for their own homes,” he said.

One of those people is the former CEO of Liquidity Winery, Ian MacDonald, who is an art collector. He wanted a glowing boulder for his lakeview estate.

Messier played a large role in safely removing the huge ‘Lost’ statue from the Front Street roundabout recently, helping bring it to his new home where it joined his glowing boulder at McDonald’s Okanagan property.

Messier had worked with Lost sculptor Karl Mattson before so was pleased to be the one who brought his art to its new home overlooking Okanagan Lake.

“We poured the concrete for where the 800 pound Lost statue went on Ian’s property. It was a really fun and unique job.”

Lost sculptor Mattson is working on an art project right now that involves one of Messier’s glowing boulders sitting in the palm of a hand. That project will be revealed soon, he said.

In the meantime, check out the glowing boulders at 28 Huth Avenue or Sandstone Landscaping. To see more sizes and looks check out Messier’s Concrete and Landscaping Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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