Concrete, granite or other masonry, Gerald Taylor works them all.

Decorative concrete is all the rage, whether you’re talking contractors, public artisans or homeowners. One of the great tradesmen in the arena for concrete art is Gerald Taylor, who blends art and hands-on power tool application to create functional art out of concrete, granite and other materials. One design he’s become adept at applying in a variety of masonry materials is the iconic fleur-de-lis.

In addition to its comparatively recent connection to the New Orleans Saints football team, the design has existed for hundreds of years and appears on everything from a king’s sash to a family coat of arms. This is one of the iconic designs Gerald has used in his work. And now he’s showing you how it’s done.

Check out the Idea Box to learn some of the master secrets to building incredible concrete and masonry artifacts that are both beautiful and functional.

By Steven Ochs, Professor of Art, Southern Arkansas University

As a professor of art at Southern Arkansas University, I challenge my students to become active members of their communities.  When you take your classroom out onto the sidewalks, the students experience the real world, real rewards and the pressure of real consequences. They see their skills making a positive social impact as they build networks and earn trust for future successes. Continue Reading

The big concrete show in Las Vegas brings all kinds of people together, including a tradesman like me and Arkansas concrete artisans the caliber of Steven Ochs and Gerald Taylor, who team as “Images in Concrete.”  They created a colorful relief design in the Bosch booth (you can watch them in this video) during the show.  This particular two-day effort highlighted the Bosch 125^th anniversary and the company’s strong line of concrete tools, blades and other accessories.  The pair worked on the project during show hours, even allowing interested booth visitors to make contributions to the piece.  Steven and Gerald represent key partners with Joe the Pro and we’ll highlight their work and commentaries about the ever-changing world of concrete art.  Look for their “special guest” contributions.  You can learn more about their experience at World of Concrete by reading their post at concretedecor.net