Our Bell 505 Helicopter Weathervane was first ordered by a family living high up in the windy Colorado Rockies. They own a real life Bell 505 and love it. When under construction they chose the 505 as their weather vane for the cupola over the great room of their home.
The helicopter is an all copper sculpture piece with optional palladium gilding delineating the windows, stripes and rear rotor. As this piece weathers, darkens and eventually patinas, these silvery visual details will be very effective.
Due to the high winds and updraft at 5000 foot elevation an optional security device attaching the sculpture piece to the main rod was selected.
Helicopters are popular weather vane orders. We’ve done many. Most are associated with a family member’s enduring memories of piloting one at some point in their lives. Even currently for some.
If you, too, have a passion for helicopters, enjoy exploring the various ones we’ve created through the years here.
This 5 Diamond Banner Weathervane was originally designed to be mounted on a large barn in Maine. Our customer had a very distinct image of what he wanted and it was a lovely collaboration. It was our Oak Leaf Banner Weathervane that had inspired this customer, but in this instance Five Diamond Cutouts were requested, representing each member of the family. This five diamond theme was used throughout the property. After some pondering the local Eastern White Pine was chosen for the foliage element.
The construction of this all copper weather vane is swell-bodied. Each of the diamonds is emphasized with optional gold leaf, and a ‘lucky penny’ from each family member’s birth year is affixed above ‘their’ diamond cutout. The dated Token from the year of completion is attached to the finial globe. Along the upper edge of the wavy banner (another customer design request) is inscribed the family name and date.
We really love that this beautiful weather vane is a true family heirloom, on a property that in every way possible acknowledges that deep and loving connection.
Banners are very popular weathervane options, because they can say so much with small details, and are visually very distinct at a long range. If you’ve been considering something personal yet ‘bannerish’ do scan our Banners catalog, and get back to us with your ideas.
This Leaping Trout Weathervane V3 was a custom order for the Prado Regional Park Snack Bar Renovation project. Because of the size of the Snack Bar and the relatively short distance from which it would be viewed, a small stylized design perfectly suited the site. This is an all copper sculpture piece, fabricated in simple swell bodied style. We love the sense of motion crafted in the splashing waters as the trout leaps.
We ‘time stamped’ the weather vane with our 2026 West Coast Weather Vanes copper token sealing the end of the copper tube. That could be a wonderful discovery many years from now, after the sculpture piece has weathered and created its patina, and no one remembers its origins. It also establishes provinance in the world of American Folk Art.
These two Dancing Bear Weathervanes were such a fun project. The original commission was for the two of them*, male and female. It is such fun working with our customers on their visions. Here is what this couple had to contribute:
Hi LizAnne, it was so pleasant and informative talking with you! I thought you might get a kick out of some of the background for our dancing bears idea. My husband named our property Dancing Falls because we met at a dance and there is a beautiful lively waterfall in the center of our forest.
…and, full disclosure, this forest mentioned has BEARS! The region publishes bearwise guides for safety and encounters. You can see one here.
These all copper weather vanes were to be mounted on two cupolas. Design wise-our clients had to decide whether they wanted their bears to be facing each other in the wind or chasing each other. They decided on facing, because it seemed more dance like, and that is why the female is standing and facing the fletching, away from the point of the arrow.
The bears have brown glass eyes and are fabricated in swell bodied style. Surprisingly they are also ‘mirror image’ which means they look identical from whichever side you view them. (Our designers have a lot of tricks for creating mirror image.) The location for this original order has high winds, so optional Security Devices were requested. That is the little ‘ears’ below the arrow, tightly securing the sculpture piece to the vertical rod.
Our master artisans all have made themselves special hammers for creating different fur textures. These bears appear properly furry, and will remain so as the years pass, the copper weathers, and eventually, begins to patina (a process that is dependent on location, humidity, temperature and the salts in the air).
Inscribed on the tube of the arrow is their home’s name, Dancing Falls. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from significant years in their lives sealed inside the bears in addition to a traditional penny from the year the sculpture piece was sealed.
We’re hoping to receive pictures of these two Ursus Americanus happily dancing in their forever home. It makes our day when customers, in their busy lives, take the time to shoot a few pictures and send them on.
*This vision required the two weather vanes to complete, and, adding a little honey to the deal, it qualified for our 10% discount on multiple or future orders. All of our return customers receive a 10% discount on their orders, but when your first order is for more than one weathervane a 10% discount is applied when the order is completed.
A pair* of this Ethel Walker School Logo Weathervane were ordered by a donor to this highly regarded secondary school, founded by Ethel Walker in 1911. Ms Walker is quoted as saying, as she opened this girls only institution with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, that at the time “the general public thought girls would be physically ill if they studied.” Hah! You can find some good history of the school on Wikipedia.
The matching vanes will be mounted atop cupolas on the school’s large riding arena. Because of the viewing distance from the ground, and the size of the building, they were ordered in a custom 57 inch size. Two vanes this large required building a shipping crate, pictured above for interest, with our stellar Victor. Victor built the crate and also gilds all of our sculpture pieces with great expertise.
Along with the two very large vanes, we also made a small version of the two big ones to give as a gift to the donor who financed the project. It was such a lovely gesture on their part. Knowing how to make a meaningful contribution with lasting effect is sometimes difficult. Weather vanes are a wonderful contribution, with enduring aesthetic appreciation and value.
The design challenge here was in taking a logo representing a sundial being viewed on the horizontal and effectively translating it to the vertical. Where we settled, to great result, was crafting the sun disk, with its rays embellished from the lines in the logo, but the dial we placed at a 45° angle to the disc, which is solid, secure in winds, and reads very well from the ground.
This is a copper vane fabricated in Swell-Bodied style as a mirror image, meaning whatever side is being viewed it looks the same. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested to emphasize the angles in the sculpture, the time markings, and the arrow and fletching. This will be really wonderfully effective as the copper darkens and patinas, while the gold remains bright.
The shaft of the arrow below the vane is inscribed with the school name and date of its founding. Capping the tube at the fletching is a 1911 penny, in the tradition of ‘Lucky Pennies’ originated here at West Coast Weather Vanes. Sealed inside is our WCWV copper token for 2026, as the penny is no longer being minted, (A very big historical move!)
*All of our repeat customers receive a 10% discount on subsequent orders. When a first order is for more than one of our weathervanes a 10% discount on both is applied to the final payment on the completed order.
This portrait of Two Shetland Sheepdogs with Squirrel Weathervane was a fun project. It is a copper sculpture piece, in swell bodied style, with brass grasses. Optional gold and palladium leafing was chosen to express the markings of the two dogs, Santino and Leo. Our customer decided on using gold leaf for the white parts of the two dogs and the squirrel, and palladium leaf for the gray parts of the Merle. As you can see, it is a visually successful mix. As the copper weathers and darkens these dogs will be strongly colored, distinct and bright in their location. The dogs have glass eyes, brown for Santino, brown and blue for Leo. Their names are inscribed on the horizontal tube.
A weather vane is a lovely way to keep our great furry friends alive in our hearts. Seeing them bounding around as the the winds create motion is a constant delight.
This Dwarf Nigerian Goat Weathervane was ordered as a birthday present for a woman who has a small Nigerian goat farm and breeds show goats. As you can imagine, a weather vane demarcating a prize show goat farm needs to be exceedingly accurate! Here’s what the husband said as he was placing the order:
“The weathervane animal she is quite careful about because she breeds show goats and I have attached the ideal breed standard and because they are milk goats the udder and back legs are one of the big key aspects. The uphill confirmation in the goats stance to the neck is also distinctive. Hopefully your artisans can recreate something like this!”
Happily, working together, we got it just right. The weather vane is now topping the barn’s cupola and impressing those knowledgeable of the breed. Historically, after metals became accessible to the working classes, weathervanes were first employed to identify businesses and the items of their trade in times where a written sign was not helpful in a largely illiterate populace.
The style of this weathervane is swell bodied, and the metal is copper. The goat has blue glass eyes. Our incredible artisans take on fabricating challenges with enthusiasm. In this case the real challenge of creating a smooth and shaped body seems simple but requires great skill. Because this weather vane will be located on an ocean bluff an optional Security Device was a selected. The copper of this vane will weather and patina in interesting ways in the seaside atmosphere.
‘Lucky Pennies’ were chosen by the family, wished on, and then sent to us to be attached inside the goat’s body. The penny from the year of completion (and the birthday) caps the arrow and fletching and the farm’s name is inscribed on the horizontal tube.
Weather Vanes are really great gifts. They are a lasting visual remembrance of the day, the giver, and the mutual appreciation.
Our Saguaro and Prickly Pear (opuntia) Cactus Weathervane was first commissioned by a resident of California’s beautiful Mojave Desert. If someone had the time to chart it, we’d probably find that nature themed designs depicting and celebrating the flora and fauna of the mounted weather vane’s locale are among our most popular. Here these glorious, and in the case of the Saguaro—endangered, cactus are looking noble and proud on their arrow and fletching. We worked with our client on this design. He had a very clear idea of what he wanted and we translated his design ideas into a functioning weather vane that would be structurally strong enough to withstand the desert winds. A Security Device was also optioned for this piece, because the winds of the Mojave can be brutal at times.
The sculpture piece, as pictured above, has the Saguaro cactus in brass and the Opuntia in copper. These two metals will weather and patina to have very subtle and enhancing differences in their shades. They are fabricated in Swell-Bodied Style. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from significant years in our customer’s life affixed to the bases of the cacti and capping the arrow and fletching. Attached to the arrow’s shaft there are two inscription plates; one on each side. What a lovely heirloom to pass down through the generations in such a celebrated locale.
You can learn more about the emblematic Saguaro, and why it is protected in some regions, here. Saguaros have a long lifespan, often exceeding 150 years. They often grow their first side arm around 75–100 years of age, but some never grow any arms. Arms develop to increase the plant’s reproductive capacity, as more arms lead to more flowers and fruit. A saguaro can absorb and store considerable amounts of rainwater, visibly expanding in the process, while slowly using the stored water as needed. This characteristic enables the saguaro to survive during periods of drought. It is a keystone species, providing food and habitat to a large number of desert dwellers.
Be the first, and own #1 of our limited series of this Sun and Clouds Weathervane. We love this design; it has a satisfying cheerfulness. When the rains come and the sun follows all is right with the world. With rain and sun our flowers will bloom, our crops will grow, and food will be available. It is comforting. It conjures children and puppies playing in puddles.
The copper sculpture piece would be fabricated in swell-bodied style. The rainbow colors would be enameled. In the design drawing we envisioned optional gold leaf on some of the sun’s rays, and optional palladium leaf on the raindrops. This optional gilding would really bring through the post rain sparkle.
If you find the weather theme appealing, we have other popular weather themed weather vanes, like this Girl with Umbrella,
We enjoyed working on this Five Diamond Banner Weathervane with Pine Bough. Our customer was building a new barn and wanted to create an heirloom piece to top the cupola. Every choice and decision was made with family referenced, from the bookplate in their copy of The Art of the Weathervane, to the inscription, and the ‘Lucky Pennies’ from the years of the family member’s births. Because we are often some months out in our production schedule, we sent the mounting rod out in advance for the contractor to install during construction, with the finished weather vane to follow.
Working with our client to create this piece was a productive collaboration and the end result shows it. Design began with the customer’s ideas for the banner, and then they had the lovely idea of adding a bough and cones of the regional Eastern White Pine to the mast. One challenging decision was size, which can always be a difficult selection and we are happy to help you with that. In this case a larger custom size was decided on.
This is a mirror image, copper weather vane. The banner is a wedged construction from two sheets of copper, for strength. The pine bough is fabricated in swell-bodied style. Optional gold leaf was requested to outline the diamonds. These little bits of gold are a bright and eye-catching element that will become even more distinct as the copper darkens and weathers.
Banner weathervanes are very popular. They are beautiful in motion and have an accessible price point. We have sold many for businesses, schools, and teams in addition to personal homes. Some have logos on them and some are logos. We are happy discuss your banner ideas.
Our Fat and Happy Alligator Weathervane was first commissioned by a family who were relocating to a home on the beautiful waterways around Hilton Head Island, SC. We loved our customer’s whimsical approach to the fun and fauna of their chosen locale and decided to emphasize this sense of whimsy by wrapping the alligator’s tail around the mounting rod. To highlight the visual details of this piece optional gold leafing was requested for the tennis racket and the alligator’s eyes, belly and teeth. Palladium leafing was requested for the martini glass and swizzle stick. These bright highlights will bring the eye up to the mounted vane on the cupola. As the copper parts proceed through the weathering process the gilded areas will be even more fetching in their contrast.
The copper sculpture itself was fabricated in detailed swell-bodied style by one of our great artisans, and he had fun with it. The repoussé involved was quite complicated, with all the varying elements. Brown glass was selected for the eyes. ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important years for the family were sealed inside the laid-back alligator, and the traditional penny dating the year the sculpture was completed is mounted on the end of the arrow and fletching. DREAMS BUILT HERE 2025 was their lovely choice to have inscribed on the horizontal tube.
This design will be a fun conversation starter for all who pass by and a great family heirloom through the generations.
This sleek Yellowtail Weathervane was first commissioned as a gift from a wife to her avid fisherman husband. Yellowtail are his favorite sport fish to catch and they are delicious! He was delighted with his gift.
It can be a challenge through the years to choose really good gifts for our spouses. After you’ve given them every accessory and tool for their hobbies and trades, what’s next? That’s where a weather vane can be just the thing. Weathervanes are popular gifts because they are enduring functional art pieces that remind the recipient daily of how they are appreciated for who they are what they are passionate about. And through those associations they become cherished family heirlooms, all while gaining value as Folk Art.
As pictured above, the sculpture piece is fabricated from copper, in swell bodied style. It is a mirror image, meaning it looks the same from both sides. It has custom glass fish eyes. Optional gold leaf was requested for the natural markings of the yellowtail: the body side stripe, fins, and tail. The addition of a Security Device was also requested because this vane would be mounted on the windy coasts of Blairgowrie, Australia.
There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ mounted inside, commemorating important dates in the family, in addition to the traditional penny from the year their weathervane was sealed shut. On the vertical rod there is a personal inscription.
We enjoy surprise gift projects and hearing back about how they were received. Sometimes the recipient doesn’t know how much pleasure they are going to take in the art piece until months after the installation and seeing it happily revolving in the winds.
This Springer Spaniel Pointing Weathervane was first commissioned by a couple living in the New Territories of Hong Kong. They sent us photos of their dog, Hardy, to enable us to exactly replicate the dog’s markings in optional gold leaf. As the weather vane weathers and darkens these markings will become even more distinct. Our skilled artisans fabricated this swell bodied piece in copper, with brown glass eyes. They use their individual custom hammers and repoussé technique to create the fur texture.
There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ sealed inside from important years in our customer’s life. The traditional penny from the year of completion is capping the arrow and fletching. There are personal inscriptions on each side of the the horizontal tube of the arrow. Because this weather vane was to be mounted on an exposed deck railing in an area subject to typhoons, a Security Device was requested.
Dog weather vanes are very popular. Our canine friends are so dear, it is a comfort to celebrate all the joy they add to our lives. If this, of our many dog designs in our catalog, is close to the dog weathervane you want, our specialty is personalizing our designs to be what you are looking for.
Our Standing West Highland Terrier Weathervane is a portrait of Daisy. Her name is inscribed on her dog tag. This family sent us numerous pictures of Daisy to enable our getting the conformation just right, particularly the unique way she held her tail. Many of our dog weather vanes are commissioned as portraits, and it is not uncommon for them to be commemorative of a best friend who has passed on. Inside the weather vane and on the ends of the arrow and fletching tube are affixed ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important years for this family and their dogs.
If you would like a Standing Westie Weather Vane similar to this one we can personalize it specially to you. All of our weather vanes are, essentially, custom. We do not put the order into the production schedule until we have worked with our customer to create the weather vane they want.
As pictured above, this mirror image copper sculpture piece is fabricated in Swell-Bodied style, with brown glass eyes. Our master artisans have used their specialzed hammers and highly skilled techniques to create a fur texture in keeping with the breed. Optional gold leafing was requested for the dog’s collar and tag. This bit of gold will remain bright and eye catching as the copper weathers and darkens.
Our customers often comment on how much they enjoy looking out and seeing their weathervane of a beloved pet, spinning happily in the breezes.
This historical 1946 Ercoupe Airplane Weathervane was first commissioned for the Walton Family by the construction firm remodeling the corporate aviation headquarters. It is a 3D replica of Sam Walton’s personal plane.
3D vanes are typically the most complex and time consuming style of weathervane to fabricate, but they are really perfect for creating replicas that look exactly right to they eye from all angles as they spin. We often work from original designs, based on true proportions, and then precisely reduce scale. Failing that, we begin from many photos, capturing as much detail as possible.
A ‘Lucky Penny‘ from 1968, the inaugural year of Walmart Aviation, was requested to be attached inside the cockpit. The copper plane has been gilded with optional palladium leaf to replicate its silvery metal body. The N Number and side designs are red enamel. There is a Security Device attaching the sculpture piece to the copper mounting tube. In addition to adding some structural details to the design, a security device is included in the price of all our winged weather vanes to assure they don’t literally ‘take off’ in strong winds.
The Ercoupe was a big change in small plane design, with its low wings and drive train that steered like a car. It was designed to be the safest fixed-wing aircraft that aerospace engineering could provide at the time and you could even order it from Macy’s and JC Penney! The Ercoupe continues to enjoy a faithful following.
This powerful Bengal Tiger Weathervane (Panthera tigris tigris) has wonderful fluidity and motion. It will look impressive wherever it is mounted. Designs with a single feature are an effective choice, especially if they will be viewed against an active background. Selecting size, and design have a number of considerations, especially viewing distance and the viewing simplicity. You can see more about this here. And we are happy to consult with you about it.
The copper tiger is fabricated in swell bodied style. It has pale yellow glass tiger eyes. The grasses on the arrow are brass. Optional gold leafing* was applied to represent the yellow of the tiger. As the copper weathers and darkens into deep browns the essence to tiger striping will be really powerful.
On the horizontal copper tube is inscribed ‘We See All You Do For Us’. What a tender and lasting memory for all. This is how family heirlooms are made.
*With the ever escalating price of gold we must quote this separately.
We love this Goldfinch on a Branch Weathervane. It will be so beautiful in a garden or on a rooftop as it turns in the breezes. It is designed as an all copper weather vane, in swell bodied style with optional gold leafing on the breast and back of the bird, optional palladium leafing on the wing and tail accents, and brown glass bird’s eyes. As the copper weathers, and darkens this gilding will create bright contrasts replicating the bird’s natural look.
But these are determinations you will make. Each of our weathervanes is essentially custom. We do not begin the fabrication process until we have worked with our customer to include and personalizing touches that are important to them.
We have many wonderful bird designs in our catalog, but if this one in particular strikes your fancy, you will have the highly regarded number one in the series while foregoing design fees!
This J29 Sailboat Weathervane was first commissioned as a 90th birthday present to a fellow sailor by a group of friends who had both sailed and raced with him on Lake Michigan for decades. The copper sculpture piece is fabricated in swell-bodied style for the boat while the billowing sails are in silhouette, meaning a single sheet of copper. Optional gold leaf was requested for the sail markings, and palladium leaf to demarcate the water line. Included in the price is the name of the boat in gold leaf on the hull. As the copper darkens over time, the gold leafed lettering will stand out in nice contrast. The addition of a Security Device was requested because of the high winds in the vicinity of the lake.
When ordering a custom sailboat weathervane, we are often able to reduce the design fee if detailed schematic drawings are available. Also helpful for personalizing are detailed photos of the actual sailboat including the insignia, detailing, interiors, etc. Often overlooked by customers are detailed photos of the underside of the sailboat. This is an important view when looking up at a weathervane. If actual scaled down models are available, we often find them helpful guides during the construction process.
Because the price of our weathervanes is based on how long it takes us to make them, another consideration is the degree of detail. Some of our sailboat weathervanes have cockpits, steering wheels, detailed sheets, etc. Some don’t. When mounted on a roof you look up at the weathervane and details like the cockpit and steering wheel may not be visible from this angle. If we eliminate these features or reduce them in complexity, we can reduce the cost of your weathervane accordingly.
One thing to remember, however, is that skillfully handcrafted copper weathervanes can last a very long time. A century or more is not unusual, and in that time they can become quite collectible. A weathervane may remain in the original location up on the roof or on a cupola for decades, or someone may take it down to display indoors as a piece of American Folk Art. If this is the case, details like the cockpit and steering wheel would be valued. Either way, since each vane is made to individual order, we can add or eliminate details based on our customer’s preference.
We truly enjoyed creating this Bow and Two Arrows Weathervane. It was originally commissioned by a mother to celebrate her two children. The mother’s inspiration for the design was the poem On Children by Kahlil Gibran. This is how heirlooms happen! And what an effective visual this sculpture piece is, with the Swell Bodied bow in copper and the arrow tips and fletchings alight with the application of optional gold leaf gilding. She asked us to seal in each of the arrows a ‘Lucky Penny‘ from the year of each child’s birth, and that they each have their name inscribed on their arrow. We love working with you all to create such lasting memories!
On Children – Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself They come through you but not from you And though they are with you yet they belong not to you
You may give them your love but not your thoughts For they have their own thoughts You may house their bodies but not their souls For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams You may strive to be like them But seek not to make them like you For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday
You are the bows from which your children As living arrows are sent forth The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite And he bends you with his might
That his arrows may go swift and far Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness For even as he loves the arrow that flies So he loves also the bow that is stable
Our French Bulldog on Crescent Moon Weathervane was first commissioned as a lovely tribute. Dog weather vanes are quite popular and are often ordered as commemorative. This little ‘frenchie’ is so sweet looking up to the star while the Man in the Moon keeps an eye on him.
The copper sculpture piece is crafted in Swell Bodied Style. It is also what we call a mirror image, meaning it looks the same from both sides, always seeing the little dog from the back. Adding the dog’s face to one side would be a possible personalization . The moon has blue glass eyes, and optional gold gilding. The butterfly ‘fletching’ on the arrow was another optional customization. You can view standard fletchings here. The star and the butterfly also have optional gilding. These bright highlights will emphasize the copper dog as it weathers and darkens.
There are ‘Lucky Pennies‘ affixed inside the dog, and an inscription of ‘Look for the Brightest Star, that’s Where I’ll Be’ on one side of the tube of the arrow, and names were inscribed on the other side. This is definitely a tender heirloom for the family.
The pricing here is for the sitting dog, but possible variations are many. You can have a standing dog or a dog in playbow, maybe a dog with a ball. Call for pricing on these variations. We have also made a Standing Airedale on Moon. See pricing at right.
We enjoyed creating this Sculler Weathervane design with our customer. It was a birthday gift from an appreciative husband to his TACR Scull Racing wife. The techniques of Scull Racing are quite specific. We worked from photos that were sent and with her detailed eye to get everything just right. Here are a couple of examples of how these exchanges proceed before we complete a new design, or personalize an existing design.
Designer: At your convenience, could you send us a photo of your oar and an image showing the correct hand grip on the oar, as shown in the amazing photo you sent us of you in your scull?
Customer: I know I owe you a photo or two of my oar and a close up of my hand position in the boat. I will also be thinking about details regarding the lucky penny, logo, etc. I have two races at the Head of the Charles in October to complete before I can commit to the inscription. I’m thrilled about this project and honored to work with you.
This is a mirror image copper weather vane crafted in Swell-Bodied fashion. It is also a portrait of the rower. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested for the body of the rower and the fittings on the big oar below the boat. Because Lake Michigan can sustain some high winds, the addition of a Security Device was also requested, to assure the sculpture piece will stay in place in those big gusts.
There are ‘Lucky Pennies‘ attached to the strengthening gusset where the oar attaches to the spire, and in oar is inscribed with our rower’s name, TACR, and dated.
Boat and boating weather vanes are popular subjects, and we have many designs. It was lovely adding this one to our catalog. We’d be happy to discuss this design or any of our others if you have a vision of a boating weathervane to grace your home or business.
This Stylized Tortoise Weathervane was designed to be mounted atop a commercial building with a Tortoise as their business logo. It replaced a smaller weather vane that was not to scale for the building and had no particular relevance to the business. It was ordered in a large size, and optional gold leaf was requested to delineate the sections of the shell. This size and the bright spots of the gold will both bring visibility to the sculpture piece from ground level.
Our master artisans crafted this copper sculpture piece in Swell Bodied style. It is a mirror image, meaning it looks the same from any side the prevailing winds have you viewing it. Though it is a challenge to hammer copper into very smooth rounded shapes, our team has that mastered. The business initials and the date are inscribed on the horizontal tube and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ cap each end of the tube.
We create many business themed weathervanes. We’ve made them for dentists, sports arenas, colleges, day care centers, breweries and medical clinics, to name a few. This tortoise is particularly visually effective, and definitely in keeping with the historical use of weather vanes to help customers find businesses.
This Dragon on Top of the World Weathervane was commissioned by a daughter as a birthday present for her mother. It was to be displayed inside the home where her elderly mother could delight in the whimsy of it at all times. It was fun working with her on this design. We love her choice of bright blue glass eyes for her dragon, it makes for a certain serenity. And her inscription of ‘Favorite Person in All the World’ is so tender, from a daughter to her Mom.
Our master artisans crafted this copper sculpture piece in Swell-Bodied style. It is a mirror image, meaning it faces both ways. Optional gold leaf was requested for details on the dragons body, wings, and spines on the tail. Palladium leaf was chosen for the world’s oceans. These bright spots will be very fun and eye catching as the copper naturally ages and darkens, even indoors.
There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ inside the sculpture from important years in the family’s life together. All in all, just a really sweet piece, and an heirloom with wonderful memories going forward. Our customers are all so great. It is an honor to work with them to create a sculpture piece of deep significance!
This Australian Shepherds Weathervane – Double on Hill, is the second commission from a client who so fondly commemorates her delightful companions. Some years ago she also ordered our Australian Shepherd Running Weathervane. All of the dogs in these orders are portraits. Some are portraits of more than one dog! We accomplish this feat with the help of photos of the dogs that are detailed enough we can replicate their markings in optional gold and palladium leaf in addition to matching their confirmations and profiles. You will see that each side of the tri-colored is quite different, those are the markings of two different of her beloved dogs.
These copper dogs are fabricated in detailed Swell-Bodied technique. Their fur is created with many many many hammer strikes by our artisans with their specialized hammers. The dog’s glass eyes are brown for the tri-color and blue for the merle. There is an inscription with their names on the horizontal tube and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates are capping the tube and one is inside the merle.
Portrait weather vanes of beloved family pets are very popular. They touch everyone’s hearts and make really great family heirlooms that are valued in many ways beyond their true value as a Traditional Folk Art.
We love this Tree Swallows on a Cherry Blossom Branch Weathervane. It will be so beautiful in a garden or on a rooftop as it turns in the breezes. It is designed as an all copper weather vane, in swell bodied style with optional gold leafing on the flower petals and the breasts of the birds. But these are determinations you will make.
We originally worked with a potential customer to create this weather vane design for a wedding venue. They decided to go a different direction with their project, and we did not end up making it for them. However, all of us here love the design and think it would make a beautiful weathervane.
If you think so too, you will have number one in the series while foregoing design fees!
Ingrid Olsen commissioned this exclusive Three Pots Weathervane as a surprise for her husband Fred’s birthday. She chose West Coast Weather Vanes because she felt our individually hand crafted sculpture techniques could best convey the unique surface characteristics of his wood fired ceramic jars. She said:
“I think a composition of three would work nicely. Also the usage of your materials would complement the composition.”
It was lovely creating this homage to an incredible man and his life’s work. There is one brass pot flanked by two copper pots. As they age and weather the color difference will become quite subtle and complimentary. There are ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates in their lives affixed to the fletching of the arrow, and his Potter’s Mark is inscribed on the arrow cap. Also inscribed, along the arrow’s shaft, is their names and and current year. Because this weather vane would be mounted in a high desert location in California an optional Security Device was added to assure they sculpture would stay in place in high winds.
Historically, weather vanes were first used only by the aristocracy. They next became signage for the trades, helping an illiterate populace to know what service was being performed, or product being made and sold. And so, a renowned potter is now showing his wares atop his desert home.
Perhaps this gives you ideas for ways you can use a weather vane to convey a business, a passion, or a logo. We’re happy to discuss this with you. We have made weathervanes for dentists, farmers, breweries and preschools, to name a few.
Fred Olsen has been a ceramic artist for over 40 years making both thrown functional pottery forms and sculptural ceramics. He specialises in wood firing, in which the natural build up of fly ash falling and melting on the clay and glaze creates unique and interesting effects. He also has an incredible eye for balanced asymmetry. A true artist.
Our Arrow With Globe Gusset Weathervane was first commissioned by an Alabama resident who lives in ‘Hurricane Alley’. For that reason, we positioned the spun copper globe at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical copper tubes. This serves to strengthen that joint, so on the one day in a thousand when you encounter strong winds, it is not only decorative but makes the weathervane stronger.
The optional Security Device (the little ‘ears’ above the directionals) adds further insurance when a particularly battering storm spins through.
This is an all copper design fabricated from heavy gauge sheet and wire. The large (5″) copper globe/gusset and the cornice atop the spire were spun custom for this order. This weather vane would be seen against a very busy background and at a distance of about 100′, making a larger size appropriate.
When creating a classic arrow and fletching weather vane, there are many variations possible for the design. You can see some of those options here. We are happy to discuss these and any other variations you envision with you.
Our Hemlock Tree Weathervane, (Tsuga canadensis), was originally designed for an established customer who summers in Wisconsin, where the Hemlock thrives on cool, north facing slopes. To protect their home from falling trees they needed to take down a giant hemlock. They left the trunk at about 8 feet and put this Hemlock Tree Weathervane with singing bird on top along with their bird feeders. Their decision to put the tree on a feather is so appealing, and functional, with the feather acting as primary wind catcher.
It is a copper sculpture piece in swell bodied style with the singing bird a silhouette in optional gold leaf. So visually effective while being quite clean in its lines.
This is the seventh of our weather vanes these customers have ordered, taking full advantage of our 10% discount on all subsequent orders! And if your first order is for two you are entitled to 10% off the second weather vane, applicable at the time both are completed and shipped.
This Flushing Ground Birds Weathervane includes a Pheasant, a Gambel’s Quail and a Bobwhite Quail. It was ordered in an Extra Large to bring the three detailed birds visually to scale when viewed from a distance. Our master vane maker did wonders in creating the textures of the various birds’ feathers, through precision hammering with specially created hammers. The swell bodied birds are copper and the grasses are a mix of copper and brass hammered silhouette style from flat sheet. The pheasant has red glass eyes and the quail have brown. Optional gold leafing was requested to accent the birds’ markings, feet and beaks, and for the arrow tip and fletching. These bright touches are very effective in conveying the detail when viewed from a distance and will remain bright for many years as the copper and brass darken and weather.
This is the fifth weather vane these customers have ordered from us, and we love their enthusiasm! On all of them, their family name was inscribed on the arrow, and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from their birth years were attached inside the sculpture piece. The penny from the year of the vane’s completion caps the tube of the arrow. As with all of our much-appreciated continuing customers, they enjoy a 10% discount on all of their orders.
Our Blue Crab Weathervane (Callinectes Sapidus) was first commissioned by a couple building a waterfront home in Rhode Island. The Blue Crabs in that area are referred to as Western Atlantic Blue Crabs, and enjoy a vast coastal distribution from New York south through the Yucatan Peninsula. Their only other habitat is in the Western Mediterranean along the coast of Spain. The rooftop location for this all copper weather vane is subject to some big winds, which required a very sturdy design and assembly, and the additional option of a Security Device.
This sculpture piece is created in Swell-Bodied style, with deep repoussé to define the shell pattern. The crab is also a mirror image, meaning it is the same on both sides. The representative waves on the horizontal bar are single sided, also referred to as silhouette.
Also included in our weather vanes is an inscription of your choosing. You can almost see this in one of the pictures, under the crab on the horizontal tube. These customers also requested we seal inside the crab some ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important years in their family, in addition to the traditional penny from the year of the vanes completion sealing the ends of the tube.
As this visually strong vane weathers and eventually patinas, it will always be a striking and memorable piece.
This Balloon Dog Weathervane was first commissioned by a resident of Salt Lake City who was inspired to create a gathering place in his urban setting where none existed, knowing that we must all make community to stay happy. He called his little yard where many were invited to commune Meanwhile Park. It was hugely popular! What an inspiration! This whimsical Balloon Dog was mounted on a single car garage at the park.
The copper sculpture piece is fabricated in swell-bodied style, and hammering those smooth, roundish shapes was a lovely challenge for our talented vane makers! It is inscribed, Meanwhile Park, and the date. ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates were chosen to be attached inside the dog. We love how darn CUTE it is!
Our Double Eagle Weathervane is visually stunning. It is a copper sculpture piece, fabricated in swell-bodied style, and it is a mirror image, meaning it looks the same from both sides. Essential to the visual readability of this design is the use of optional gold and palladium gilding. It is the gold leaf of the sun and sunrays that will distinguish the shape of the eagles in front of the sun as the copper weathers and darkens. In addition, Palladium leaf was chosen for the eagle’s heads which in addition to creating another bright, eye catching detail, also makes identification as a bald eagle unequivocal.
All of our designs with outstretched wings, be they birds, bats, or airplanes, etc, have a Security Device included in the price. This is to assure the do not literally take flight in the wind. You can see them on this vane just above the upper globe. Our hand hammered inscriptions are limited to 25 characters. For the vane pictured here, the customer chose to have us inscribe their family name and and the current year.
This design was first created for Michael and Karen Crane of Virginia. They recently sent us this photo of their weather vane atop saying:
Our Flushing Sandhill Cranes Weathervane (Antigone canadensis) was commissioned by a talented Chicago photographer who is passionate about these beautiful birds. For many years, she has traveled to the Nebraska Rowe Audobon Sanctuary to observe and photograph their spring migration. At its peak, you can spot nearly 500,000 birds at this location, where they feed on grain stubble as they prepare to make their arduous journey north to their summer grounds. You can watch the cranes in early spring on a live camera at the Audubon webcam (around dawn is the best time for optimal viewing).
Because of her love for Sandhill Cranes, our customer thought this would be the perfect weather vane to remind her of these special birds throughout the year. She provided us with some of her photographs, and we used them to create this design for her.
She is not our only customer who shares a fondness for these unique birds. We also offer another Sandhill Crane Weathervane showing two of these stately birds walking through the reeds together. Sandhill Cranes Walking.
As pictured above, this swell-bodied sculpture piece is mostly copper. The grasses and seed stalks are made of copper and brass. As the copper and brass weather, they will attain a subtle, but complementary patina. Optional gold leafing was selected for the bodies of the birds and their wings, excepting the wing tips, to replicate the natural dark tips on Sandhill Cranes’ wings. The orange eyes are custom-made glass taxidermy eyes, and enamel paint is used to create the striking red feathers on the head of these remarkable birds.
Because of the potential for high winds in the Chicago area, we employed a unique technique on this weathervane by adding strengthening gussets below the grasses. The gussets are designed to represent water. Optional palladium leaf was applied to create the illusion of the gently flowing river along which these birds feed.
Inscribed on the horizontal tube is a personalized inscription which reads, LONG LIVE CRANES! We also added several’Lucky Pennies‘. Two of the pennies were affixed to opposite ends of the horizontal tube, and additional pennies went inside each bird. There is also an optional security device attached just below the upper globe.
This project was the perfect expression of the joy that comes from collaborating with our customers on their weathervane projects. Their passions can become our passions, and we constantly learn new and interesting things about the world in which we live.
We hope your journey through our website inspires you to pursue your passion project!
The origin of our Fisherman Standing in Boat Weathervane design has a lovely backstory. Our customer had purchased a fishing lodge built in 1937. While working on refurbishing the building the architect somehow came upon the original plans, which included a weather vane design that had never been a part of the establishment. Projects like restoring large, old buildings can take a lot of time and expense, and it was looking like once again the weather vane would not find a place in the budget. And then friends stepped up and brought the design to us. They had us enhance the simple flat design to create this beautiful, swell-bodied sculpture piece in extra large, keeping scale with the building. On the horizontal tube is inscribed ‘Gift of’ … and the date. There is more on this interesting backstory: https://bigforkinn.com/history
For this customer, the boat and fish are each brass, and the rest of the sculpture is copper. It is a mirror image piece, meaning it looks the same however the wind spins it. Optional gold leaf highlights were requested for the fisherman’s face and hands, and the speckles on the trout. The boat’s name is also in gold leaf. As the brass of the boat hull weathers and darkens this bright gold name will be a particular stand out: PERSEVERE. A 1937 ‘Lucky Penny‘ caps the horizontal tube, giving a nod to the origins, and a 1924 ‘Lucky Penny’ is inside the fisherman to date the year of their new beginnings. The area can experience strong winds, so a security device was requested, to keep the sculpture piece from blowing off the spire. There are also two copper gussets where the vertical tube meets the horizontal giving added strength and connection.
We are delighted with this piece, and hope to be adding pictures of it mounted on the Bigfoot Inn in the not too distant future.
This Christ the Redeemer Weathevane was designed for a family of faith to mount on a garden wall at their home. They were inspired to choose this particular iconography by Brazil’s huge and magnificent Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Because weather vanes point in different directions dependent on the wind it was decided for this design to create the copper sculpture piece as a mirror image, with both sides the same. By doing this the family is always facing their Redeemer. It was created in detailed swell-bodied style, with deep repoussé to express the draping of the clothing and details of the face. Our master metal workers did a wonderful job accomplishing this.
Optional 23K gold leaf gilding was requested for the toes, hands, face and chest, while the heart on the chest has been treated with coats of red lacquer. This bright gold will remain bright while the copper naturally darkens with age. There is also gold leafing on the Chapter and Verse on the arrow’s fletching, and John 3:16 is inscribed on the copper tube of the arrow.
‘Lucky Pennies’ were selected for the birth years of the grand children, and were applied to the stylized arrow head on the arrow and fletching. The traditional penny of the year the weather vane was completed is inside the sculpture piece.
We worked with the father/grandfather every step of the way on this deeply personal piece and what a fabulous family heirloom he dreamed into existence!
Our Dancing Zebra Weathervane design was first commissioned to be mounted atop a newly built Dance Barn at a family home. Zebras are the clients favorite animals, practically a totem, and dancing is so much fun they needed a dedicated space for dance parties. This zebra looks to be having a really good time! To emphasize the fun aspect, this customer wanted the globe beneath the zebra to look like a disco ball. We achieved this look by applying optional palladium leaf gilding in a mirror ball type pattern.
The copper zebra sculpture piece of this weather vane is fabricated in swell bodied style. The glass eyes are blue (eye color is a choice you make at the time of your order). Optional palladium leaf gilding was also requested to emphasize the zebra’s stripes. This will make the entire piece quite eye catching as the copper weathers and darkens, to create the zebras overall black. To write this description we had to look up whether a zebra’s stripes are black or white? Spoiler, they are not black.
Inside the horse and capping the end of the arrow tube are ‘Lucky Pennies’ to note important dates for the owner, and the traditional penny from the year of creation. This gives the weather vane an important documentation for future provenance.
Our Winged Shar Pei Weathervane was first commissioned by some good people who rescue these sweet dogs. We love this concept, and other of our customers have commemorated their dogs with angelic images also. The Dog Weathervane with Halo and Wings is another popular design. These designs can be personalized to become a different breed and/or a portrait of a specific dog.
The sculpture piece here is fabricated from copper in high detail, swell bodied style. We worked from photos to design the draping of the Shar Pei and our master artisans did an amazing job working the metal in repousse to enact our design. Brown was selected for the glass eyes. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested for the wings and halo. These bright, non-ferrous, touches will remain bright and eye catching as the copper weathers and darkens.
On both sides of the horizontal tube from which our Shar Pei is launching is the inscription ‘Love Never Dies’. And within the body of the the dog are numerous ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates in these customer’s lives.
At the time of your order, many of the choices you see above will be yours to make: eye color, inscription, ‘Lucky Pennies’ are all selected to create the exact weather vane you want.
Our design for this Permit Fish Weathervane (Trachinotus Falcatus) in our catalog has a fun back story. The customer is a retired doctor with homes in Chicago and Belize. With retirement he is able to pursue his delight in fishing….but what would one do with all those fish?!? The answer: set a world record for the catch and release of the Permit Fish! We worked with together to get every detail exactly right, loving his expertise! He knows every nuance of the Permit Fish, calling himself an aficionado.
This is an all copper sculpture piece – fish, sand, crab, and vegetation. Careful attention was made for all of the textures. While the body of the Permit Fish is smooth the sand is stippled and the fins are delineated, literally, capturing their tiny lines. Optional palladium leaf gilding was requested for the body of the fish. As the copper weathers and darkens the silver body will create a brilliant and accurate portrayal of it namesake. The fish has custom yellow glass eyes, and the crab has black glass eyes.
Because this weather vane would be mounted in a high wind location, a security device was added to the order. This is additional insurance in preventing the sculpture piece from lifting off. You can see the device in the pictures; it is the little ears above the upper globe. There are also ‘Lucky Pennies’ capping the horizontal tube, and inscriptions on both sides of the tube.
Here is what our customer had to say:
I just arrived to Belize and unpacked the Permit WV. It is so perfectly done! Looks like a live Permit. Looking at your website I appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that goes into producing these not only functional, but also exquisite pieces of art.
And a followup note:
We have had so many compliments on the beauty of the weathervane. I really treasure it. One of my most prized possessions!
Our Black Walnut Branch Weathervane was commissioned by the owners of a black walnut farm in Georgia. They were renovating one of the farm’s buildings and wanted an original weathervane to top the cupola. This was an interesting sculpture piece to design and for our artisans to craft. It is a copper vane in both silhouette and swell bodied styles. The leaves are in silhouette, meaning a single layer of copper that has been cut and hammered to create the shape, texture, and depth. If you look closely you will see that some of the leaves are slightly overlapping with the adjacent leaves. This was done to add tensile strength, and to create just a bit more continuous surface to catch the breezes. The stem is copper sheet wrapped on copper rod, and the nuts themselves are two sided, swell bodied. Because this weather vane would be viewed among actual black walnut trees, optional gold leafing was requested for the black walnuts and the veins of the leaves. This worked out to great effect. As the copper of the leaves weathers and darkens these bright golden details will be eye catching.
There are six Lucky Pennies inside the walnuts, commemorating important years in this family and for this farm. There is also an inscription on the vertical copper tube with family name, farm name and date—thereby creating a wonderful family heirloom, and adding value to it as original American Art.
This Knight on Rearing Steed Weathervane was ordered as one of a pair. The other is our Web Winged Dragon Weathervane. They were to be installed on either end of a large commercial building in Solvang, CA. What fun, as they turn in the wind, to see the knight chase the dragon and vice versa. The copper and brass sculpture piece works well as a well-bodied, high-definition weathervane. The mane and tail are brass, which, as the weather vane patinas, will darken and become a beautiful complement to the somewhat different darkened copper. Optional gold leaf was requested for other details. These areas will remain bright and eye-catching for many years.
Every weather vane we make is, in essence, a custom order, because we don’t begin fabrication until we have worked with our customer on the details. We have three Knight on Steed Weathervanes in our catalog. All of them can be customized to create exactly the look you want.
*All of our return customers receive a 10% discount on subsequent orders, but in the case of a first order that is more than one weather vane, the entire order receives a 10% discount! the full discount for both is applied to the payment for the second weather vane.
Our Koi Weather Vane designs, Cyprinus carpio, are popular with our customers, in both Version 1 and Version 2. Because this design is so lovely mounted near the water in a koi pond, this sculpture piece is priced for the fish only. Please contact us for pricing if you want to add an arrow or waves. Each adds extra hours for our artisans, the waves more than the arrow.
All of our weathervanes are custom made to order so the choice of metals can be modified at the time an order is placed. The eyes are made from handcrafted colored glass and have black pupils. People who order this weather vane get to choose the eye color they want for their weather vane.
In customization, the tail, fin shapes, length, and distinctive markings can all be added or modified, if desired. When placed in a garden setting near a koi pond, optional gold and or palladium leafed Koi weathervanes look lovely, especially when reflecting on the dark surface of the water. And we can create a portrait for you, as we did with the koi pictured above, by recreating the distinct markings of a particular fish in gold, palladium and copper. They serve to complement the flashes of brilliant color from the fish moving just below the pond’s surface.
Koi or more specifically nishikigoi, literally “brocaded carp”, are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream. The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.
This Brittany Spaniel Weathervane is a portrait of Sam. We love the active, in motion, feel of this design. Sam’s people provided us with wonderful photos to help perfect the portrait, and our amazing artisans worked their magic with copper, special hammers and hammering techniques to achieve this beautiful, swell bodied result. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested to replicate Sam’s markings. He looks so alert running through the grass! As the copper of this sculpture piece weathers and darkens these gold marking will be bright and eye catching from up on the cupola where he is mounted.
We spent time working with this customer on sizing. There are so many elements that factor in. In this case the weathervane would be quite high, and the background is a visually active woodland. We are happy to work with you to determine size. You can get a basic feel for the considerations here.
Sam has brown glass eyes, and his name is inscribed on the horizontal bar with the grasses. This vane will be mounted in stormy Florida, and it was decided to opt for the addition of a Security Device for added protection in keeping the sculpture attached to its mounting pole and directionals.
Dog weather vanes are very popular. They are an emotional bond full with family memories. We are honored to create portraits from any of the dog designs in our catalog or create a new design, as we did here.
This graceful Pintail Ducks Weathervane was first commissioned by one of our customers who had purchased a Black Labrador Weathervane years before and marveled at how much they enjoyed it. On this occasion they ordered the new design for the Pintail Ducks in an extra large, to be mounted on a quite tall two story building. They chose extra large because they wanted the viewing to have the feel of when you see Pintails in flight.
They also ordered a Wood Duck Weathervane at the same time for another building on their property. With these orders they took advantage our lifetime discount to existing customers of 10% on successive orders.
The copper sculpture pieces here are of swell bodied style. They have brown glass eyes. For stability the copper rods the pair of birds are mounted on extend through the birds. The copper grasses below are out of heavy gauge copper and the brass cat tails are on on rod. All making for a sturdy weather vane that at the same time looks light and delicate. Optional gold and palladium leaf gilding was requested to detail the yellow and grey markings of the the male and female pintails. As these elements weather, darken and patina, these varying metals will present with subtle differences and the gilding of their distinct patterns will become increasingly evident.
This family chose to have ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates in their lives affixed to the strengthening gusset on the mounting rod. Their family name is inscribed on the horizontal tube from which the grasses grow.
Pintail Ducks are sometimes referred to as ‘The Greyhound of the Air’ because their lithe shape and long narrow wings enable impressive speed in flight. We love the sleek look of this design, and think it captures their nature.
We collaborated with our customer on this Moon and Comet Weathervane design. He came to us with some great ideas, and between us we translated them into a beautiful and beautifully functioning weather vane. It was fun.
The copper sculpture piece was crafted in Swell Bodied Style. It is a mirror image design, meaning the vane looks the same from both sides.
Because it was being mounted high atop what the owner calls his ‘Zen Barn’, we decided a large size would have the visual effect desired. Sizing your weather vane is a factor of a various viewing elements. We are happy to discuss this with you, and you can find many of the details here.
Optional Gold and Palladium leaf was chosen to make this celestial piece even brighter in the skies. We really like the way it turned out, especially the details of the comet’s tail, with the alternating gold, copper, and palladium. As the copper weathers and darkens this detail will be increasingly distinct.
The little ‘ears’ below the moon and above the copper globe are a Security Device. This optional addition was chosen because of the wind conditions in the area.
With so many Celestial Weathervanes to choose from, you might find one to personalize, making it unique to you. Or you can commission another wonderful design.
Here is a wonderful Galapagos Tortoise Weathervane. It was designed for customers in Texas who have extended their horse ranch to include exotic animals they are protecting and, in turn, through education and donations, supporting the protection of these species’ in the wild. It is a portrait of the Tortoise they took over the care of from the San Diego, CA zoo. He is thought to be in excess of 100 years old! They also have ordered two Giraffe Weathervanes from us for the cupolas on two of their barns.
This is a copper weather vane. It is a mirror image, fabricated in Detailed Swell Bodied Style. By mirror image we mean that it is exactly the same from both sides. There is optional gold leafing on the intersections of the plates of his shell. As this vane weathers and patinas these gold details will be increasingly distinct and eye catching. His glass eyes are brown. You might notice in the photos a little metal ‘ear’ below the copper bar. This is a Security Device that some customers option if they are mounting their weather vane in a high wind area.
Many of our weather vanes are used to identify a business. We have made them for pre-schools, dentists and distilleries, among the many. Customers love it and it is in keeping with the tradition of weather vanes. In history only royalty had weather vanes to identify their coat of arms. But when metal working became more common, and while literacy was all but forbidden, businesses would identify their trade with a weather vane. For instance, a blacksmith would have and anvil weather vane, a dairy would have a cow, and quite commonly a butcher would have a pig.
This Crossed Skis Weathervane design pleases the skiers in our workshop. To us it represents the end of a long and satisfying day on the slopes. We also like this design technically, because it is well suited to high wind ski areas with its open design, and just enough surface to keep the vane spinning properly
The basic concept of this design would adapt well to different skis or show shoes, if your love is snow shoeing, or cross country skiing.
As pictured here, the sculpture piece is all copper with optional gold leaf gilding on the bindings, and optional platinum leafing on the snow. These added touches of gilding in gold and platinum will make this vane very eye catching as the copper weathers and darkens.
Because all of our vanes are made to order, every weather vane in our catalog is actually ‘custom’. This design could be personalized by changes in the ski shapes, the bindings, or adding gloves and a hat.
And there is the added appeal of being #1 in our limited series of 50 of each of our designs in each size. At 50 the design is retired. This is a plus in the realm of family heirlooms, and collectability.
This Loon with Shooting Star Weathervane was a delightful collaboration. The customer is a french artist, and she did the preliminary design. From there our challenge was to design the weather vane capturing the lightness the artist envisioned while incorporating the strength needed for functionality. The weather vane was to be installed on a cupola in very high wind conditions, necessitating a number of strategic design elements. For stability no single element could be unattached from the rest, or, in our shop lingo, ‘loose’. For example, the arc of the shooting star has strengthening rods on its face, one of which extends through the duck and into the horizontal water.
The swell bodied sculpture piece was crafted in copper with black glass eyes. Optional gold leaf gilding was requested on the stars and on the loon to display its distinctive feather markings. As the copper darkens with weathering these markings and bright stars will have a magical effect.
You will also see from the pictures that the directionals are not the usual North South East West. This customer chose to further personalize their weather vane by ordering custom directionals that noted their initials. A ‘Lucky Penny‘ from the year of the vane’s completion seals the end of the horizontal tube denoting the water.
As you can see, working with our customers to create their vision for their perfect weather vane is what we do. With this design the loon could be changed to a duck, or other water bird, perhaps even an otter. Let us know if this design is one that could work for you. We’d love to discuss it.
This Olson Acoustic Guitar Weathervane is based on our customer’s personal, custom made, Olson Guitar! It was commissioned in Extra Large, to be mounted at our customer’s Beatles Themed Golf Course. You can read about all of that, including a Yellow Submarine, here. What fun.
The guitar was fabricated in copper by Thomas, one of our amazing artisans. The details and scaling are so perfect. Optional gold and palladium leafing were requested to replicate the details of this beautiful instrument. Study the picture and you will see little special detailing throughout, including the frets, the posts and half of the tuners. These gilded details will remain bright and eye catching for many years as the copper weathers.
Because of winter storm issues on the location, and the broad, flat face of the guitar, the addition of a Security Device was requested to further strengthen the connection of the sculpture piece to the spire. Though the Beatles would have enjoyed writing a song about a flying guitar, best not to have this beauty take flight!
You can also see that some ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates in our customers life have been affixed inside the guitars sounding hole. ‘Lucky Pennies’ is an extension of the old tradition of putting a penny from the year of completion inside each weathervane, establish provenance.
There are other musical designs in our catalog, and we would love to make more, if you are interested. Here are a few.
This Coxed 4 Rowing Weathervane was ordered as a Christmas Surprise….but there was a problem, this thoughtful wife wanted her husband to be a part in deciding all of the exacting details of this special gift representing so much of what he had done in his life and the joy it brought him. But we had a solution: We would send out all of our gift literature with a preliminary drawing in time for the holiday and then the happy husband could jump in with important details to be included in his weather vane. And that is exactly what happened, and he did have some very specific touches he wanted, including some corrections in oar shape (it turns out there are different shaped oars that are popular). Here is a quote from one of his notes…
“If I could really put a wish list it would be that each of the four oars has a different pattern for each of the different rowing clubs I rowed for.”
…and that is exactly what we did! On each oar optional gold leaf was used to replicate the distinct oar markings of each club, and the large horizontal oar below the boat also denotes a particular rowing club. These 23 karat gold markings will remain bright visuals for many years as the copper of this sculpture piece weathers, darkens and patinas. Making weather vanes personal is so important to us. We love helping create such memories!
This is an all copper weather vane. The boat is fabricated in swell bodied style, while the rowers are silhouette. There are special gussets inside the boat to stabilize the silhouette oarsmen, and there is a stabilizing gusset on the large horizontal oar that has ‘Lucky Pennies’ affixed from important years in the recipient’s life. The inscription on the horizontal bar was chosen by the wife, and it is the best!
Catch the wind in your sails, Explore, Dream, Discover
This Steam Shovel Weathervane was a family project, commissioned to be mounted atop the new offices of their family business, founded in 1904. This business continues on, being run as always, by fathers, brothers and sons. Such a great story! The Steam Shovel is one they have used in the past and is still on the premises. Weather vanes make wonderful family heirlooms, and this one definitely ties the history into that concept.
Because of the scale of the new offices an extra extra large (custom) size was requested. That made for some interesting logistics at every stage of production. For instance, we added the dirt pile for structural support, to stabilize the extended bucket and cables.
The Steam Shovel in this sculpture piece is fabricated in 3D, while the brass dirt pile on the arrow is is swell bodied. The cab of the steam shovel is brass, while the rest of the mechanisms are copper. These two metals will weather and patina in complimentary ways, with subtle differences in their colorings.
They requested a ‘Lucky Penny’ from the year of their founding cap one end of the horizontal copper tube, and the traditional penny from the year of the vanes completion capping the other end. They also requested the business name and founding year be inscribed on the tube.
Historically, weathervanes of metal first entered the mainstream populace as business indicators in the days of widespread illiteracy. How else to find the blacksmith, unless you saw the anvil weather vane? We love that they continue being used in that way, just because they are so lovely. We have made a tooth weathervane for a dental clinic, a golf pennant for a golf club, beer steins with foam for a brewery, and many many more. They are always a fun project!
Our Nittany Lion Weathervane was first commissioned by alums of Penn State. It is the more stylized of our cougar designs, and we quite like it. We also have an impressive Prowling Cougar Weathervane in our catalog, if a more natural look is what you are looking for. Wild animals are popular subjects for weather vanes, and why not, it’s pleasant knowing that everything around us is not tamed.
As seen here, this is an all copper weathervane. It is fabricated in detailed swell-bodied style, and has custom taxidermy eyes. There are inscriptions on both sides of the horizontal bar, and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ sealed inside the body of the cougar.
These are the sorts of choices you have when placing your order. First the subject decision, and from there we can decide whether we will be personalizing an existing design or creating a new one. You might say all of our weather vanes are essentially custom made, because our amazing vane makers do not begin fabrication by cutting into the flat sheet of metal until every unique detail is delineated. Metals can be copper, brass, and nickle silver. Glass eyes also have numerous possibilities. Next, the optional choices are made as to whether you want bright gilding anywhere on the sculpture piece, or maybe an enameled detail like the school colors color on this vane, or the red heads on our Sand Cranes Weathervane. We enjoy getting the details just right for you to have a weather vane that will be so personally satisfying you will be delighting in it for many years, and even into future generations.
This Sunset Over the Rockies Weathervane design was first commissioned by a family moving to a beautiful location in the Rockies. The vane will be mounted on the barn, where they will live until the house is built. In determining what size to make the sculpture piece a primary consideration was the 150 foot viewing distance they will have when viewing their weather vane from their new home. Sizing, proportions, and background visual distractions all factor in to selecting the best weather vane size.
This is a swell-bodied sculpture piece, created as a mirror image, meaning it looks the same from both sides. The sun is fabricated from brass, and the mountains are copper. As the metals weather and then patina, the difference in their tones will become subtle. For the snow capped mountain peaks optional palladium leaf gilding was requested. This is a lovely visual decision, creating a bright, silvery element between the copper and the brass.
‘Lucky Pennies’ cap each end of the copper tube on which there is a personal inscription. The traditional penny from the year of the vane’s completion is sealed in the sun.
Because the Colorado Rockies can experience powerful weather and very high winds, a Security Device (the little ‘ears’ above the directionals) was requested. Wind considerations were also a factor in deciding to make the sun’s rays in openwork and out of a heavier gauge of brass sheet. We think the openwork rays turned out to be visually brilliant!
The design for our Fairy on Moon with Shooting Star and Lollipops Weathervane is a variation of a number of our design elements. This lovely client had perused our website with the goal of creating a magical weather vane to be mounted on a two story barn, the second floor of which is a kids playroom for her grandchildren. She wanted the dangling stars to represent her children, and the six lollipops to represent her six grand babies. Such a proud gramma.
This is a detailed swell-bodied weathervane, fabricated in copper. The colors of the six balloons are enamel, which works well in smaller areas. The Fairy and the Moon each have colored glass eyes. Also included are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates in the family: each balloon has a penny from the year of a grandchild’s birth sealed inside. The dangling stars have pennies from the year of the children’s births, which our customer enjoyed proposing she would be doubling the Luck by wishing on a star. This is truly a family heirloom!
Optional Gold Leaf gilding was requested for the fairy’s skin and wing details, as well as on all of the stars and the comet stripes. This design would also look good with the Moon gilded in Palladium Leaf. Gilding creates bright pleasing elements as the copper of the the weather vane weathers and will last for many years.
You will also see that a Security Device (the little ‘ears’ above the directionals) was requested to prevent the sculpture piece from being separated from the rod in severe storms.
We loved this project for so many reasons. The design is at once complex and sweet. It was a great project for our master artisans. And the end result is just a delight. As the requested Inscription in the comet’s tail says,
This Toy Poodle Weathervane is a portrait of Coco. Working with Coco’s mistress, and photos of Coco, we devised a design that would illustrate Coco’s love of running and leaping on the beach. It took some careful crafting and inventiveness to create a design in which all four of Coco’s feet are off the ground, yet the weather vane is sturdy and can withstand a windy location. We really love how it turned out and the artist who crafted the pup enjoyed the challenge and the level of detailing that included creating the fur texture, and capturing Coco’s distinctively round eyes.
There are some interesting elements here. Coco and the beach are fabricated of copper in Swell Bodied style, while the textured beach grasses are of Silhouette construction. For Coco, our client requested optional gold leaf be applied to the teeth, pink enamel on the tongue and collar, and optional palladium leaf on the tag engraved with Coco. There is also a personal inscription on the horizontal copper tube, and there are ‘Lucky Pennies’ capping the horizontal tube and within, in addition to the traditional penny sealed within the sculpture piece from year of its completion. You will also see that a Security Device was an option this customer requested (the U shaped bracket below the vane).
As this weathervane weathers and patinas the gold and palladium will continue to shine brightly for many years. Combined with the pink collar and tongue, this is a very eye catching piece.
Portrait Weathervanes are a great pleasure to the people who have them, and wonderful family heirlooms.
This Arrow and Disc Weathervane is a great example of how our customers come to us with a vision and we do our best to make that vision a reality. These customers surprised us by requesting two elements spinning separately in this visually striking design. Such a fun and creative idea.
These vane design elements are all crafted in copper and they are mounted on a brass tube. These two metals will gradually weather and patina to display a subtle, elegant difference. This design would also look striking with some of the elements gilded in gold or palladium leaf. The outer, separately ‘orbiting’ ball, for instance, would add a bright, moon-like element if gilded in palladium.
If you have a design in mind for a weather vane, we would be happy to discuss it with you.
This North Star with Starburst Weathervane is a new design commissioned for a farm in Connecticut. It was fabricated in a custom size to perfectly suit the location and the desired appearance our customers wanted to create. Selecting a size for your weather vane is a blend of science, art, instinct and experience. Here are links for the pages on our website that help in that decision, and we are more than pleased to assist.
As pictured, this visually effective copper weather vane is crafted in swell bodied style. The customer requested optional gold leaf be applied to one side of the rays and in a detail on the center disc. Gold and/or Palladium gilding add a bright and distinctive effect always. With this alternating pattern it is quite mesmerizing as the vane spins in the wind.
The Arrow and Fletching were also personalized, to create the desired look. Because we make every weather vane to order, these details that make the weathervane so distinctly yours are, for the most part, easily accomplished and a pleasure for our artists and artisans to enact.
Our Fighting Gobbler Turkey Weathervane was first commissioned by a school, representing their mascot. It is so cute and visually effective! It is a copper sculpture piece fabricated in Detailed Swell Bodied Style. This client selected optional gold leaf accents around the beak, feet, head, wing and tail, to enhance the silhouette. As the vane weathers and then patinas, these gold accents will remain bright and eye catching for man decades.
This Soaring Snowy Owl Weathervane was ordered by a multi-generational family living on the New England Seashore. Everyone in the family loved owls, and the kids loved Harry Potter, so they agreed they wanted a 3Dimensional, soaring snowy owl with yellow glass taxidermy eyes. The vane was to be mounted atop a cupola on the younger family’s section of the compound, where it would be seen easily when walking on the beach.
Optional gold leaf was requested for the beak and talons on this all copper sculpture piece, creating bright detail that accents the yellow eyes. All of our flying designs come with a security device included, which was especially needed here, on a windy seashore. We wouldn’t want this snowy owl to literally take flight! In addition, because of the windy location, we added little strengthening gussets under the wings, where they join the body, giving additional points of attachment (seen clearly in the face-on close up).
‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important family dates were secured inside the owl body in addition to the traditional penny from the year the weather vane was completed.
Here is a lovely excerpt from an appreciative note we received from these clients. It made our day!
“We are so delighted with our sweet snowy white owl, named Willow!! She soars above my daughter’s family unit above the 3 car garage. Walking along the ocean you can see her moving and looking regal!! Thank you so much for this fine piece of art and legacy!”
Our Labrador Retriever, Sitting and Standing Weathervane is a portrait of Bob and Ripple. Their owners brought them to our studio for a tour and a photo shoot. That was a fun meeting!
As we progressed with the design process these customers wanted to add an element that captured their pup’s playful spirits. They decided to have us create a tennis ball and a bone to be attached to the North and South directionals, and to have us apply optional gold leaf to them, creating an eye catching element. Its cute thinking of them spinning in the wind chasing their toys.
This copper weather vane is crafted in swell bodied style. It is also a ‘mirror image’ design with the exception of Ripple’s tail, which means the sculpture piece looks the same from both sides. The dogs glass eyes are dark brown. Their collars, dog tags and teeth are also gilded in optional gold leaf. A personal inscription was engraved on the horizontal tube the dogs stand on and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from the years of their births were affixed to each one’s end of the tube.
Because this vane was to be mounted in a windy area, a security device was requested (that’s the little ears above the upper globe.)
We enjoy working with our customers on their weather vane details, personalizing each. If you a a Labrador Retriever lover, we have numerous in our catalog and would happily create a portrait for you.
Our Double Vizsla Dog Weathervane design was originally commissioned by a couple who wanted to memorialize their beloved companions, Dexter and Indy. They provided many great photos of the pair doing what they loved to do most: running outdoors, scenting and tracking. While this portrait vane was a new design, we can also personalize many of our designs, animal and human, to become portraits, with the aid of your pictures. Our fabulous vane makers have even created portraits of boats and a tractor!
This is an all copper weather vane sculpture piece. It is fabricated in swell-bodied style, and optional gold leaf was requested for the collars, creating an eye catching detail. The collars have bone shaped tags engraved with the dog’s names. They have brown glass eyes. There are ‘lucky pennies‘ from important years sealed inside the dog’s bodies. This customer also wanted to have some larger memorabilia sealed into the ground at the dog’s feet. Whenever possible, allowing for the physical constraints of size and weight, we try to include such personal items. The ultimate criteria in these instances is that the weather vane function, and be strong and sturdy with the additional weight.
Every one of our weather vanes is made to order. Please don’t hesitate to call if there is an existing design in our catalog that captures what you are looking for. We are happy to discuss any modifications that would make it exactly yours.
This Vizsla on Point Weathervane is one of two vanes ordered by a new customer who breeds Vizlas and was just completing construction on two barns, one for the horses, and one for the dogs, affectionately referred to as the dog room/apartment. The Vizsla was ordered in medium size, and for the horse barn a Large Running Stallion Weathervane was ordered. Because they ordered two weather vanes at once they were able to take advantage of our repeat customer credit of 10% off their order, plus the added bonus of receiving this discount on both vanes!*
This is an all copper weather vane fabricated in swell-bodied style. The goal (and challenge) here was for smoothness of line and finish, to capture the essence of this beautiful breed. Because the vane was going to be mounted in a region that gets hurricanes we took extra care with the attachment of the ears and tail, as well as including the security device requested by our customer. (The security device is the little ‘ears’ you see in the photos below the sculpture piece and above the top globe. It is an added strength of attachment that helps prevent the weathervane itself from breaking loose in huge winds and ‘flying away’.)
Brown was selected for the glass eye color. There is a personal inscription on both sides of the horizontal tube of the arrow and fletching and ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important family dates and the traditional penny from the year of the weather vane’s completion are affixed inside the body of the dog.
Dog weather vanes are consistently popular, and we enjoyed adding this Vizsla to our catalogue. Our customers were lovely to work on this as we developed the design together, detailing the perfect conformation. With the help of your photos this sculpture piece could be further personalized to create a portrait of a specific dog. Because all of our weathervanes are made to order, we would be happy to discuss any little personal touches you would want to make to this or any other of our designs.
*The discount for both weather vanes is applied to the final payment on the second vane.
Our Warthog Weathervane, Phacochoerus africanus, was originally ordered by a couple whose daughter had recently purchased her first home, and this weather vane was their housewarming gift to her. The entire family had a sweet affection for the warthog and it carried over into all manner of endearing and amusing private referrals among them.
Weather vanes are wonderful gifts, be it birthday, marriage, retirement, housewarming, or just any memorable occasion, really. Their longevity, and the personal relevance of the chosen design, makes for true family heirlooms.
This copper vane was created in the swell-bodied style. Optional gold leaf was requested to gild the tusks. The glass eyes are brown. There is a personal family inscription on the the tube of the arrow and fletching. ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important family dates are sealed into the body of the warthog, in addition to the traditional penny from the year of the sculpture’s completion which, in this case, caps the fletching end of the arrow.
This was a fun project and our customers were fun to work with. We like the active stance they chose for the warthog. We all became quite fond of the ‘little gal’ as the project progressed. The gold gilded tusks will become increasingly prominent as the copper weathers and darkens.
This design would also look cute with the hooves gilded. All of our weathervanes are made to order, giving you the opportunity to customize the finishing to match your vision.
This George Washington Weathervane was commissioned by a family who happen to live in the heart of the Capitol, which inspired their choice of design. Washington’s history with and love of the Potomac River district are well known.
They added a cupola to their two-car garage to properly display the United States’ first President for all to see and, importantly, in a location where they would see it regularly.
The copper sculpture piece is fabricated in highly detailed swell-bodied style. Gold and palladium leafing were requested additions to give the piece more visual interest and impact. These bright non-ferrous metal elements will highlight the deep detail of this sculpture piece for many decades as the copper darkens and eventually begins to patinate. GW has blue glass eyes, while the horse brown taxidermy glass eyes. The family name is inscribed on the horizontal tube at the horse’s hooves.
This was such a fun project, and our customers were great to work out the details with. Each of our amazing master artisans wanted this project on their workbench! The details, the complexities – all great challenges for these artists!
And a little side note on George Washington: Even before the Revolution, he became obsessed with the idea of opening the west to trade and navigation. His dream was to link his beloved Potomac River through a series of canals and roads to the mighty Ohio River. The challenge was to skirt the several falls of the Potomac River, the most violent and unpassable being Great Falls about 10 miles above the port city of Georgetown, now in the District of Columbia. Eventually, under Washington’s leadership, the Potomac Company was chartered by both the legislatures of Virginia and Maryland, for the purpose of building a system of canals around the falls.
This Tractor Weathervane is a 3D version of a customer’s customized CASE tractor, affectionately named ‘Last Chance’. If you hunt around on tractor pulling competition* sites, you will find the sporting Last Chance!
Last Chance, V1, Silhouette
It was ordered by the driver’s wife as a surprise gift. 10 years prior they had ordered a portrait of the tractor in silhouette style. They loved it, but always wanted a weather vane of ‘Last Chance’ in full detail. What a great gift!
To replicate this tractor in full detail our customer took many many photos from every angle and closeups of all the individual details. This was a huge help because some parts were customized. We also worked from the make and model # official schematics.
Our master artisans replicated the tractor in copper, in full detail 3D. The paintings on the body are in optional gold leaf, and various parts of the tractor body are gilded in optional palladium leaf.
Many of our weathervane designs represent cherised moments, and capture the memory of good times spent in sport, and adventure. What a special family heirloom!
*As the tractor replaced the horse across the farm fields of North America, Europe, and Australia, tractor pulls (also called power pulling) developed into a rural pastime.Pulling has deep roots in small-town America. The concept of harnessing modern horsepower to move a giant, weighted sled down a track continues to attract significant audiences both in person and on television.
This Dragon with Books Weathervane design was created for a customer putting a library on his property. He decided to have us make a lion weather vane for his library….but we like this dragon book design, modeled after our vision of Smaug and his gems, so much we want to offer it. The customer who buys it will be getting #1 in the series without the design fees!
As designed it would be a copper dragon in detailed swell-bodied style, and brass books. There is optional gold leaf on the dragon and the book pages, and the dragon has blue glass eyes. But these details are all decided when we take the order. Each of our weather vanes is essentially a custom piece because you choose the metal combinations, the optional gilding, the eye color, the inscriptions, if any, and any other personalizations that will make this the weather vane you want on or in your home.
The design for Surfer Weathervane – In The Curl, was a collaboration with our client’s vision, his daughter’s artistic creativity, and our stellar design crew, making it all come together beautifully and functionally. We love the way the surfer seems to be in air, while the design has him ‘anchored’ in three places for stability. Weather vane designs that are close in width and height have a novel presence, and pose some interesting design challenges. And this vane was going to an east coast beach house, subject to some powerful nor’easters! Though the home it would be mounted on is quite tall, we all agreed that a large size would be perfect. It would have less wind resistance than and Extra Large, and the tall roundness (sic) of the design gives it a larger visual presence than a lower, flatter design, i.e. a dachshund.
The copper sculpture piece has been worked in swell bodied detail. The wave foam is accented with hand hammered chasing and optional palladium leaf gilding. The surfer’s skin has been optionally gilded in gold leaf, and his glass eyes are blue. The very specific application of gilding will further enhance the visual impact of the ocean elements as the copper weathers and darkens. Because of the winds in the location, a security device was also requested.
The design was commissioned by a family with three generations of surfers. They asked to have ‘Lucky Pennies’ from the birth years of all of them, in addition to the traditional penny from the year the weathervane was completed, mounted inside the wave.
This Goldendoodle in Playbow with a Champagne Cork Weathervane was first commissioned by a couple of Pinot wine grape growers, who wanted portrait weather vanes of their two dogs who have ‘overseen’ operations on the vineyard through the years. This one is Lucca, a white Goldendoodle. The copper sculpture piece has been gilded with optional gold leaf to convey the white coat of Lucca. The other is Datca, a black Goldendoodle. His is also a copper sculpture piece but left natural to darken as it weathers over time.
All of our past customers enjoy a 10% discount on subsequent weather vane orders. But in this case, both weather vanes were included in the first order, qualifying for a 10% discount on both! This discount is applied with full payment on both vanes.
Lucca is crafted in detailed swell-bodied style. His glass eyes are brown. His copper collar has a heart-shaped tag inscribed with his name. On the horizontal tube is an inscription that captures his nature, ‘I’ll go wherever you will go’. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates to the family affixed inside the weather vane and on the ends of the copper tube, there is one from the year of his birth on one end and one from the year of his passing on the other end with an infinity symbol.
*The optional custom directionals are dog paws, and so cute. It was such a fun idea and our artisans enjoyed creating them. Handcrafting custom directionals can take time, sometimes almost as long as the weathervane itself! Call us for a quote.
Because all of our weathervanes are made to order, we can personalize this design or any other to become a weather vane distinctly yours.
This Great Dane with Natural Ears Weathervane was created because of multiple requests from customers who wanted a weathervane sculpture piece with ears like their dog’s. We also offer this design with upright ears.
Saige
Pictured above are portraits of Nero and of Saige. The distinctive markings on each dog were requested in optional gold leaf by their owners. We accomplish this detail with the help of our customers. They take detailed photos for us, and our artisans take extra care with this to get it just right.
And here’s a nice note we received from our customers who ordered the portrait of Saige:
“Thank you for what truly is the most gorgeous Saige Weathervane…It has been a great pleasure working with you and being a very proud recipient of your unique and precious art.”
This vane is a swell bodied design, crafted in copper as a ‘mirror image’. Mirror image means it looks the same from both sides. Nero’s name is engraved on the collar, and Saige’s name is engraved on the collar’s tag. there are ‘Lucky Pennies’ affixed to the arrows fletching of Nero’s vane. Saige’s ‘Lucky Pennies’ are capping the horizontal tube and inside the body. The glass eyes are brown.
Perhaps because of their large stature, most of the Great Dane weather vanes we have made have been ordered in large and extra large size for display on homes. We have also crafted a few small versions for use inside the home. Another desirable location for this ‘man’s best friend’ wind sculpture is in a garden, where you can see and enjoy your weathervane from inside the house.
When a customer orders a weathervane from West Coast Weather Vanes they are given the opportunity to select the metal combinations, eye color if applicable, Lucky Pennies, and optional gold or palladium leafing to accentuate the features of their dog. Every weathervane coming out of our studio is made to order, from start to finish, by a single artisan who oversees all these details and then signs, dates and numbers the weathervane within its limited edition series.
This Extended Trot Dressage Horse Weathervane, V2, was created as a result of customer requests. They saw our Extended Trot Dressage Horse V1, and requested a variation with a lowered lead leg. Fabricated in swell-bodied style, and with glass eyes, we can easily make this a portrait vane by working from photos of the horse. Personalizations, such as creating a portrait, are commonly done in our studios, because each weather vane is made to order from each customer’s specifications. Here’s what she had to say when we asked to use her photo from the installed weather vane:
I would be so happy and flattered if you posted it to your website and you can put my farm (The Silos Farm) name and/or Newnan, Ga or whatever you want on your picture! It doesn’t matter to me! It is SOOOO GORGEOUS I love that others will get to experience its beauty! Thank you so much! Nadia
In the photos above you can see that customer requested optional gold leaf gilding for the tail and mane on their copper vane. This extra adds a wonderful, eye-catching detail, that will remain bright for many years as the copper weathers and darkens. The decision to go all copper, copper and brass, or copper with gold leaf depends on how prominent you want your weathervane to appear in its setting.
Our Quarter Horse and Donkey Weathervane was commissioned by a couple who had rescued a donkey they named Casanova, to put to pasture on their Michigan ranch. To their pleasure, their Quarter Horse, Rowan, became pals with Casanova. Naturally, when it came time to choose a subject for the weather vane that would top the new stable they were building, a portrait vane displaying this friendship seemed a likely subject.
We decided together that a large vane would be the proper sizing because there are two detailed figures being viewed at a distance on the stable’s cupola. The option of gold gilding was also selected, to bring out the details of the two animals’ markings and to create a bright, eye-catching element on the copper sculpture pieces. This gold will remain bright for many decades, as the copper weathers, darkens, and patinas.
This weathervane is fabricated in the detailed swell-bodied style. The names of the animals are inscribed at their feet on one side of the arrow’s shaft, and the name and founding date of the farm are inscribed on the other side. Both Rowan and Casanova have brown glass eyes. Because the mounting location takes some strong storms the addition of an optional security device helps insure the sculpture piece remains atop its perch.
Their are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important family dates attached in various locations on and in the weather vane, per this customer’s request. In the pictures, you can see two of them soldered to the strengthening gussets where the spire meets the arrow.
We recently received this note from this couple:
I’m totally thrilled with the weatherwane. I absolutely love it. Thank you so much for all the hard work and details that went into it. It exceeded my expectations. What a fantastic finishing touch for our new barn. Thank you again.
If this weather vane inspires you, we can personalize it to suit your specific design ideas. Every weathervane is made to order here at West Coast Weather Vanes, and we’re happy to discuss the details of your vision.
This Goldendoodle in Playbow with Squirrel Weathervane was first commissioned by a couple of Pinot wine grape growers, who wanted portrait weather vanes of their two dogs who have ‘overseen’ operations on the vineyard through the years. This one is Datka, a black Goldendoodle. The copper sculpture piece has been left natural to darken as it weathers over time. The other is Lucca, a yellow Goldendoodle. Optional gold leaf has been applied to convey the white coat of Lucca.
All of our past customers enjoy a 10% discount on subsequent weather vane orders. But in this case, both weather vanes were included in the first order, qualifying for a 10% discount on both! This discount is applied with full payment on both vanes.
Datka is crafted in detailed swell-bodied style. His glass eyes are brown. His copper collar has a heart-shaped tag inscribed with his name. On the horizontal tube is an inscription that captures his nature, ‘I’ll stay with you for all of time’. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates to the family affixed inside the weather vane and on the ends of the copper tube, there is one from the year of his birth on one end and on the other end an infinity symbol.
You might notice little metal ‘ears’ above the directionals. These are security devices. Because these vanes were to be mounted in a very windy location their addition seemed prudent.
*The optional custom directionals are dog paws, and so cute. It was such a fun idea and our artisans enjoyed creating them. Handcrafting custom directionals can take time, sometimes almost as long as the weathervane itself! Call us for a quote.
Because all of our weathervanes are made to order, we can personalize this design or any other to become a weather vane distinctly yours.
Our Schussing Female Skier Weathervane has been modified into a portrait piece here. Our customers sent us a number of cute pictures, with their daughter holding the pose while standing in the kitchen, enabling close-ups in clear focus (not the blur they would get as she shoots by on the slopes!)
We really like the action of this design with the bottom bar on a slant, representing the hillside terrain. And the aerodynamics work well with the body’s crouched position being mostly on the ‘uphill’ side of the supporting spire, assuring that the vane spins perfectly in the breezes.
The addition of a Security Device was requested because the weathervane was to be mounted in an area with high winds.
This copper and brass sculpture piece is fabricated in highly detailed swell-bodied style. Many advanced techniques of repoussé were used by our fine artisans to create the hair, the skin, the pompom hat, and the puffer jacket. This metal combination, as it weathers, will have a slight but lovely difference in tone. The figure has blue glass eyes. The family name and the year are inscribed on the copper tube, and there are ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates for this family attached to the tops of the skis.
Most of our human and animal weather vanes can be personalized to be portraits….and possibly others we haven’t thought of (we have done ‘portraits’ of boats and cars). If you have a subject you’d like a portrait of, be it person or turtle and beyond, we’d be happy to discuss it with you.
This Llama, Standing Weathervane with Sun and Moon, Yin Yang was commissioned by a couple who wanted to incorporate their business logo with their llama weather vane. Incorporating a business logo as an element of the arrow’s fletching is such a great idea we are amazed we never thought of it previously!
The very first commissioned weather vane made here at West Coast Weather Vanes was for a Llama in 1989. A neighbor knew we were starting this new business venture and placed the order. Our knowledge and skills have improved exponentially through the ensuing decades. Many Llama Weathervanes later, our Llamas are now fabricated with fewer seams, wonderfully textured fur, and greater overall technique. We really are quite proud. The artists who have been with us for so many years, have honed their skills with exceptional specificity, and it shows in every weather vane.
For this sculpture piece the copper llama and the logo are fabricated in swell bodied style. It is also what we refer to as ‘Mirror Image’, meaning it looks exactly the same from both sides. The llamas brown eyes are glass. These customers requested the option of having the sun of the logo be gilded in gold leaf, and the moon gilded in silvery palladium leaf. These two elements will be bright and eye catching through the years as the coppers weathers, darkens, and patinas.
The pricing shown here is for the llama only. If you want to include an additional element, as has been done here with the circular logo, we’d be happy to discuss the details and pricing.
This Lobster Weathervane was first commissioned for a family compound off the coast of Maine that has been in the family since the 1700’s. We can just imagine how integral the prized Maine lobsters have been to their gatherings! The property is sheltered by some further offshore islands, breaking the winds a bit, but they can still be very strong, so a security device was selected as a precaution (that’s the little ‘ears’ you see above the upper globe).
As with many of the oceanic designs in our catalog, the customers who want them usually live in a coastal environment, with all that includes: high winds, salt air, big storms, etc. Because of those atmospheric elements it was quite an engineering challenge, designing a functioning sculpture piece that included the intricate detail of the lobster’s many fine legs, while making it sturdy enough to take the weather in a hurricane. Phew. We strengthened the leg sections by having each attached to the next at their claw tips. We also added some very inventive gusseting within to prevent warping. Thanks to our master artisans for figuring all of that out with us!
The copper sculpture is crafted in detailed swell-bodied technique. The name of the compound and date of establishment is inscribed on the copper spire. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ affixed inside the lobster’s body from important dates for the family. A custom stainless steel bracket was made to architect’s specifications to mount on an existing cupola.
For a property that has been in a family for 250 years, adding a classic weather vane will be an enduring part of that legacy into the future as a beautiful example of American Folk Art!
Our Porsche 911 Hardtop Weathervane was first commissioned as a gift. The couple was building a new barn, and the wife thought her husband would love to have a weather vane of his classic Porsche spinning at the crest of the roof line. She selected a large size because of the viewing distance from the ground to the top of the barn. The car is crafted in copper in swell-bodied style. It is a ‘mirror image’ meaning it looks exactly the same from both sides. She requested optional palladium gilding on the windows, bumpers, headlights and tires. This will create a nifty visual as the copper weathers, darkens and patinas. And because of hurricane risk in the area she opted for the addition of a Security Device. The gift was a big success!
The ‘Lucky Pennies‘ for this piece are capping the copper tube the car is ‘riding on’, and there is also a personal message inscribed on the bar.
If you are a Porsche fan, we also have a design for a 911 Carrera and a Porsche 356 in silhouette. While being simpler for us to create, silhouette weather vanes give you a lot of visual impact while coming in at a lower cost.
This Exclusive H5 Logo Weathervane is a lovely example of the creative ways our customers choose to express themselves with their weathervane. This is not an advertising logo, because nothing is being sold or advertised. It is more of a branding, or family crest. It demarcates the home place of a family. What a wonderful keepsake in addition to qualifying as American Folk Art.
The sculpture pieces were fabricated from copper sheet. The H is a box assembly, and the antlers are swell bodied. Optional gold leafing has been applied within the H and its cozy looking roof-line with the number 5 revealed in copper. This application will accent the number 5 and create a bright, eye-catching element as the vane weathers, darkens, and patinas.
Notice the size of the fletching on the arrow. Because this design is close to being equilateral (not exactly by close), we added some extra dimension to the fletching, assuring that the design will function correctly in the wind.
Notice also the little ‘ears’ below the vane and above the globe. That is a Security Device. This weather vane was going to a high altitude location with significant winter storms, so that option was requested.
‘Always Home’ is inscribed on the horizontal tube of the arrow, and ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important life events for this family have been sealed in the H5.
In the distant past, before general literacy in society, weather vanes were often used as pictographs, helping to identify specific locations. In this case our customers are identifying home.
This Version Two Leaping Trout Weathervane has a very active look. As pictured it has been fabricated from copper in Swell-Bodied style. It has glass fish eyes. Our customers selected brass for the water splash. Brass is 70% copper, and weathers with a slight color variation from the copper. It is a nice touch. The Directionals are brass, so this water splash will also tie in nicely with them as they patina together. Another option chosen was to have the fins, tail and back speckles in gold leaf. These bright details will be a great accent as the copper and brass darken.
The family’s name and the date are inscribed on the copper tube. ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from meaningful years have been sealed in the trout’s tail, definitively creating a family heirloom as well as a collectible piece of American Folk Art.
Because of viewing distances for this customer’s mounting location and their chosen design elements, in the end a custom size was decided upon. We enjoy working with our customers to enable the best possible result when designing their vision, while maintaining the critical structural elements that create a strong, functioning weather vane.
This Double Brittany Spaniels Weathervane was commissioned by a wife as a birthday to her husband. It is a portrait piece of their two dogs, Riley (seated) and Rosie. Many photos of the two dogs were sent to us, assuring our accuracy in portraying the dog’s configurations and markings. The dogs have been hammered from copper sheet in swell-bodied style and assembled by our master artisans. For the dog’s markings their white fur has been delineated with optional gold leaf with the copper representing the dark red brown of their coats.This bright gold will make a wonderful contrast to the weathered dark brown of the copper as the piece ages in the outdoors.
Their glass eyes are brown and they each sport a palladium gilded collar with their names inscribed on their tags. ‘A Man’s Best Friends’ is inscribed on the copper tube of the arrow and fletching. There are ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from dates important to this family capping the ends of the copper tube, and inside the dogs, in addition to the traditional penny from the year the sculpture piece was soldered shut.
Because this weathervane was being mounted in an area with serious storms these customers requested an optional Security Device (that’s the little ‘ears’ just above the globe above the directionals.)
It is always fun for us to work with our customers creating a heartwarming family heirloom. Here’s this customer’s response to their weather vane’s arrival:
hello! just wanted to let you know the weathervane arrived safe and sound and we just LOVE it so much! thanks again!! it’s beautiful.
Our OM Weathervane will be crafted in copper. It is pictured here with optional gold leaf applied to the swell-bodied symbol. If this Om Weathervane is just right for you, then without design fees you could own #1 in our limited series for this design.
We love this design and the idea of it. It is a Buddhist and Hindu symbol that is traditionally thought to contain every living thing and every material inside it. In other words, it represents everything that exists in the universe. It is believed by many to protect against mistakes and help in remembering what is most important.
It is also said the Om symbol can express your wish to enter the state of absolute harmony and inner peace, like a guideline for your life, a reminder that your life is short, and you have to live it right. Its fun taking the meanings of this symbol and incorporating them into a weather vane; pretty much covering all the aspects of ‘knowing which way the wind blows’.
Our Fisherfolk and Dory Weathervane was commissioned by a couple celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary. They decided to give themselves a gift of something they’ve always wanted—a handcrafted weather vane! They were remodeling their home and putting a cupola on the roof line to mount their weather vane. Deciding on a design was not difficult for them because they live near many recreational boating areas and love spending a day floating and fishing. We began the design with our Fisherman and Dory Weathervane, and customized it by adding the woman in the boat, probably bundled up to keep away the cold in the mornings and the mosquitoes later in the day.
This is a mirror image design, fabricated in copper, in Swell Bodied Style. These customers requested optional gold leaf gilding on the oar paddles and the skin. The woman has glass eyes. There is an engraved plaque inside the hull with their names and the date they were wed. The name of the boat is in palladium leaf, and on the stern of the boat they had us engrave the phrase ‘Life is but a Dream’. We also attached to the hull ‘Lucky Pennies’ from the hallmark years for them and their family, in addition to the traditional penny from the year of the weathervane’s completion.
It is a true pleasure to work with our customers to create such valued family heirlooms!
Our Running Mare Weathervane originates from many customer requests. We have Mare and Foal Running Weathervanes in our catalog in both Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred, and they are very popular. But after years of comments on how much the running mare element was liked we decided it is time to create a stand alone design and pattern.
It is a copper sculpture piece fabricated by our master artisans in Detailed, Swell Bodied style. In our Mare and Foal Running some customers have requested optional gold or palladium gilding on the manes and tails. It is not essential to the visual effectiveness of the piece but it does add a lovely, eye catching element that increases the visibility, especially if the vane is mounted quite high on a large building. The brightness of gilded parts of a weathervane is particularly effective as the vane weathers and patinas into the darker browns.
Even with a new design, there can be personalizations, because we never make a weather vane in advance of being certain our customer is getting exactly the design they will love. For instance, with the help of personal photos, this design could be customized to become a portrait.
This Alert Labrador Retriever Weathervane was ordered by a gentleman as a Christmas gift for his wife, who trains dogs for Canine Companions for Independence. At the time she was awaiting her sixth puppy! He went through our existing labrador retriever weather vanes in our catalog and found a dog in the properly attentive pose in our Labrador Retriever with Man Throwing Ball Weathervane. He explained, ‘The eye attention / connection with the lab looking at the man is the connection that all trainers try to create with their dogs.‘
For this weather vane the dog was crafted in copper. Both the little hill at her feet and her collar are brass. As this sculpture piece ages and weathers the color difference of the two metals will become quite subtle and lovely. Her glass eyes are brown.
The Standing Alert Labrador with stick is another customization requested by one of our customers. Customizing is fun and creates a very personal sculpture piece without new design fees. Call for pricing.
Weather vanes are wonderful gifts and can be great family heirlooms. Our hope is that whenever they look up and see their weathervane, it will remind them of the wonderful service they are providing to people striving for independence. Perhaps there is a weather vane in our catalog that you would like to personalize to express something important in your life.
This Exclusive BHR Logo Weathervane was crafted for the beautiful and expansive Blame Her Ranch, in New Mexico (‘Blame Her’ being a family joke and riff on the family name). The copper letters of the logo were fabricated in swell-bodied style. The ellipse is a copper tube, and the two copper balls have been enameled turquoise. Because the western border of the ranch lies on a mesa on the edge of the 1.6 million-acre Santa Fe National Forest there can be high winds, so the option of a security device was selected. That is the two little ‘ears’ you can see above the directionals and globe.
As an exclusive weathervane, it can’t be replicated by anyone other than the owner. We show it here as an example of a Letter-style weathervane and to give you a feeling for pricing if you are interested in something along these lines.
There are personal inscriptions engraved on both sides of the arrow shaft and a ‘Lucky Penny’ from the year of the ranch’s founding in the arrow tip. The traditional penny from the year of the weathervane’s completion caps the arrow end.
Historically, weather vanes were frequently used to identify locations of businesses, and family homes by showing their coats of arms. This is a lovely blending of those two classic applications.
Our Hen and Flock of Six Chicks Weathervane was commissioned by a customer in Panama. He was building a new home and wanted a housewarming gift for his wife. As you might be able to guess from the design, they have six children. In addition to this weathervane, we also made them a Phoenix Rooster Weathervane to stand nearby and keep a protective eye on his family.
They followed the tradition of putting a “lucky” penny inside each chick to represent their children’s birth years. The chicks also have personalized glass eyes in different colors, and the children’s names are inscribed on small plates below each chick. The hen and the rooster were also personalized accordingly.
A number of our customers have mounted several of our weather vanes, telling a story. One customer has an Arabian Horse and a Golden Retriever. Another has fairy tale characters on the dormers over each of their children’s bedrooms. Also, with this second order, they enjoyed our 10% discount for returning customers.
This hen and chicks have a different attitude than our Mother Hen with Chicks Weathervane. In that one, they seem to be on a high stepping stroll. Here ‘Mom’ seems to be purposefully scurrying the chicks along, probably getting them safe in the hen house. This all copper vane is crafted in swell-bodied style. Optional gold leafing was requested for the feet, beaks, comb and waddle. These bright elements will create eye-catching interest as the sculpture pieces weather and darken. They all have glass eyes in sizes that scale with their bodies.
An egg on the top of each of the four directionals is a popular option with our poultry vanes.
Our Yorkshire Terrier Running Weathervane was first commissioned as a portrait of our customer’s beloved companion. We adapted the design from the photos to accommodate the restrictions presented in translating fur to copper and in the technical necessities of a functioning weather vane. For instance, in the photos the hairs flying back from the ears were very wispy. To replicate that exactly would be too fragile to withstand the elements and it would not read from the viewing point. Still, we are happy with the feeling of ears and fur in motion that was accomplished and so is our customer.
It is a detailed, swell-bodied weather vane with glass, taxidermy eyes. The fur has been textured to highlight the running motion. A personal inscription is engraved on the horizontal tube, and the traditional penny from the year of the vane’s completion caps the end of the tube. There is also an optional Security Device mounted between the upper globe and the sculpture piece to provide added insurance that the weather vane will remain mounted in high winds.
In addition to this Yorkie Weathervane, this customer also ordered our Running Golden Retriever, Mouth Open, Weathervane. While all West Coast Weather Vanes customers enjoy a 10% discount on future orders, when ordering two at once a first-time customer enjoys a 10% discount on both vanes, with the discount applied at the time of the final payment.
This Black Swan Weathervane, Cygnus atratus, was commissioned by a couple seeking to have a weathervane inspired by their business logo to mount on their lakefront home. The sculpture piece is fabricated in copper. For the smooth, graceful lines of their logo, simple, swell-bodied style was employed. Our master artisans took extra care to keep the expanse of the swan’s body as smooth as possible, in keeping with this customer’s vision. It can be quite challenging hammering the copper into smooth repoussé, but our artists were definitely up to the task!
As this weather vane ages and darkens to a deep chocolate brown, its appearance against the bright sky will be that of a Black Swan. There are inscriptions imprinted on both sides of the horizontal tube the swan rests upon, and there are ‘Lucky Pennies’ attached inside the body representing important years for the family.
When these customers first contacted us about this weather vane, they were thinking of a silhouette vane in large. But after discussing the mounting location, and the high winds it is subject to, it was determined that the swell-bodied style, with its double layers of copper and soldering, would be much more stable. Silhouette weather vanes are cut from a single sheet of heavier gauge copper, but have less tensile strength and can bend in high winds. At the customer’s request, there is also an optional security device installed between the upper globe and the weathervane, giving additional insurance that the vane will stay attached to its mounting.
This design would work well with other personalizing touches. Glass eyes could be added, for example. Or the body could be textured. All of our weathervanes are made to order, enabling each of our customers to create the effect they want in their weathervane.
This Aviat Husky Weathervane is a 3D replica made for favorite customers in Alberta Canada. They are avid fliers and the wife ordered this weathervane as a surprise for her husband. (they already have one of our airplane weathervanes and the husband loved that one.) For this particular weathervane, at her request, we added skis.
You will also see from the pictures the security device adding extra assurance the plane will not literally take flight in the high winds that occur in their location. Security devices are an included item on all of our designs with spread wings, be it plane, bird, or dragon.
Also, because of the high winds in the area, it was decided to leave the body intact (no cut-out windows) and use palladium leaf gilding to convey the window’s reflective surfaces. This method also prevents water from entering the aircraft.
We had a custom template made to perfect the classic ‘Husky’ emblem gilded on the tail of this copper sculpture piece in gold leaf. These gilded parts will add an increasingly bright contrast as the copper weathers. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ on the top of each wing, one for each of their birth years.
Here’s a cute story; as this order was for a birthday present, it was a surprise. When the husband got the weather vane he was so astonished by the gift and its accuracy in replicating his plane that he immediately took it to the airport to show it off! Hearing that story made our day1
We also have made weathervanes of Beechcrafts and Bonanzas and Grumman AA-1Bs. See our Aircraft Listings for more information.
This Boston Whaler Weathervane is a portrait piece of our customer’s personal boat. When we craft a modified replica of boats in particular, we work from both customer photos and schematics to assure we get the hull correct. The boat in this weathervane is fabricated from copper sheet in simple swell-bodied style, while the couple in the craft are silhouette style. Because this weathervane would be mounted in a windy area in Florida, we cut these figures from a heavier gauge sheet of copper than usual. And a Security Device was ordered as an extra precaution. The sleek profile of this whaler makes it a particularly good choice for areas subject to hurricane force winds.
Optional gold leaf gilding was chosen for the faces and arms of the mirror image couple in the boat. By mirror image we mean that they are seen the same from both sides. For this weathervane that was accomplished by design with careful chasing of the metal, and the application of the gold leaf. Palladium leafing was requested for the boat trim and porthole. The boat is inscribed with its name, Michigan Bankroll, and the horizontal tube it is mounted on is inscribed to say, “Your Heart Will Lead You Home”. There are ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important years in this couple’s lives both in the hull and capping the horizontal tube. These personal touches make for a wonderful family heirloom and increase the weathervane’s value as American Folk Art!
Our Pacific Giant Octopus Weathervane (Enteroctopus dofleini), was first commissioned by a woman in Alaska, to be mounted on her 8′ by 8′ She Shed. A lovely idea, both visible from the house and yet adorning her place of retreat and creativity.
There were some long discussions here with our team of designers and fabricators, because eight long and twisty legs were very tricky to engineer in a handcrafted copper sculpture piece while incorporating the necessary strength and design elements to have a functioning weathervane. Which is all to say it was a fun and challenging project. And we love how it turned out.
It is constructed in high detail, swell-bodied style. The glass eyes are special octopus eyes with their rectangular pupils. There is a loving inscription to her husband on the horizontal rod, and many ‘Lucky Pennies‘ from important dates in their lives attached inside the body of the Octopus.
Octopuses are actually mollusks—Along with their eight arms, they also has three hearts and nine brains! Two of the three hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third circulates blood to the rest of the body. Octopuses use one central brain to control their nervous systems and a small brain in each arm to control movement. Giant Pacific octopuses can grow to 29.5 feet (9 m) wide from the tip of one arm to the tip of another and have 2,140 to 2,240 suction cups on those arms, giving them a powerful grip and sense of taste and smell.
This Magnificent Frigatebird Weathervane (Fregata magnificens), was commissioned as a birthday gift for our customer’s hubby, to be mounted on their oceanside home in the Florida Keys. While all of our spread-winged weather vane designs come with a security device included, to prevent them from ‘taking off’ on windy days, we went further for this design. Because of the location’s exposure to potentially very high winds, and the very long wings of the frigatebird, we also added extra bracing in the wings and gussets attaching them. It may have taken some additional engineering to get this sculpture piece sturdy enough for its location, but does it ever look great against the skyline with those long wings and that long, split tail!
Here’s what our customer had to say about it:
This is absolutely beautiful!!! Exactly what I wanted/envisioned. This will be a showpiece. Thank you all so much!! stephanie
We fabricated this vane in copper. It is a mirror image piece constructed in swell-bodied style. The glass eyes are brown, and the red throat patch is enameled. While we don’t recommend enamel for large surfaces, it seems to work well when applied carefully in smaller areas. We also inscribed the customer’s name and the date on the horizontal rod, and capped it with ‘Lucky Pennies‘.
Frigatebirds are able to soar for weeks on wind currents, and spend most of the day in flight hunting for food, and roost on trees or cliffs at night. Their main prey are fish and squid, caught when chased to the water surface by large predators such as tuna. They are referred to as kleptoparasites as they occasionally rob other seabirds for food, and are known to snatch seabird chicks from the nest. Seasonally monogamous, frigatebirds nest colonially. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care is among the longest of any bird species; frigatebirds are only able to breed every other year.
Three species of frigatebird have been described from fossil deposits in the western United States, two—L. azygosternon and L. hasegawai—from the Green River Formation (48–52 million years old) and one—L. hutchisoni—from the Wasatch Formation (between 53 and 55 million years of age). Fossil material indistinguishable from living species dating to the Pleistocene and Holocene has been recovered from Ascension Island (for F. aquila), Saint Helena Island, both in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and also from various islands in the Pacific Ocean (for F. minor and F. ariel).
This Socata TBM 930 Weathervane was ordered by a family living near the beach in Florida. It is a copper replica, in 3D, of their family plane. Master artisan, Rolando, did the fine work of creating this technically detailed portrait piece. While all of our weather vanes with spread wings, be it a plane, a bird, or a kite, come with a security device, its necessity here was amplified by the beach setting at which it was ‘commissioned’ (that’s aviator speak for put into service). The security device is the two little ‘ears’ you can see between the upper globe and the plane in the picture of it installed on its cupola.
Sometimes it is difficult to decide the size of weathervane that best suits its location. This customer read our tutorial on how to determine the best size and made a correct change based on their discovery. Here’s what they had to say:
We built a small model of the medium size based on the dimensions you gave me. The thought on this end was that your larger size (approx 36 inches if I am reading your website description correctly) might work better. Based on the cupola dimensions, do you agree?
Optional Palladium gilding was chosen for the windows. Because of the possibility of blowing sands, we did this in a double layer to increase durability. Gilding of the N Number in palladium leaf is included in the price of our aircraft designs.
The family name and date of the weathervane’s completion is inscribed on the verticle tube. ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important years for the family are attached inside the tail section along with the traditional penny from the year the weather vane was completed. This is a beautiful piece and will make a fine family heirloom.
Most of the airplane weather vanes we have made are portraits of a current plane or one a family member flew and loved. Let us know if you would like to personalize a plane already in our catalog, or maybe you want something different, such as a jet plane, or commercial aircraft; a military fighter, seaplane or Blimp.
This French Mastiff Weathervane was commissioned as a birthday and anniversary gift from a wife to her husband. She also ordered* (It was two gifting occasions, after all!) our Walking White Tailed Deer Weathervane. Both vanes were to be mounted on the barn/garage. The French Mastiff was to be mounted atop their three-car garage and and the White Tailed Deer atop a cupola mid-way on the ridge of their barn. They kindly sent pictures of the vanes installed (which you can see above), with the note below:
“Hi Liz; We finally got our weathervanes up! They are amazing, thank you so much for the great workmanship!! The mastiff is spot on! And my husband loves the deer! Thank you!”
The dog is also a composite portrait of three of their beloved dogs. These customers sent several excellent pictures for us to work from. Because all of our weather vanes are made to order, we enjoy the added option of personalizing our vanes to be portraits when requested. The customers have had both male and female French Mastiff’s over the years, so we made their dog gender neutral. For this mirror image copper sculpture piece, our master artisans used Swell Bodied techniques, making the fine musculature and skin folds very real looking. Gold leafing was requested for the iconic white chest marking of a French Mastiff. There is an inscription on the horizontal tube and it is capped with ‘Lucky Pennies’ from important dates in the family’s life.
*All of our customers enjoy a 10% discount on future orders, but when your first order is for two weathervanes you enjoy the 10% discount on both! The discount is applied at the time of the final payment.
This Walking Long Haired Dachsund Weathervane is a portrait memorializing Mr. Deeds, a beloved family companion. From the photos they sent to help us ‘capture’ the little guy, we could see his bright, happy spirit. So that was our goal in this design. Because we make each of our weather vanes to order, you could personalize this design to be a portrait of your doxie.
Because this copper sculpture piece is a single figure, a medium size was sufficient for visual clarity and scale for the boathouse where it would be mounted. It is a detailed, swell-bodied construction. The glass eyes are brown. This customer optioned to have the collar, tag, and teeth gilded with gold leaf. The tag is inscribed ‘MR DEEDS’. Pennies were chosen to cap each end of the horizontal bar commemorating his lifespan.
Because the mounting location on the boathouse can get windy, an extra security device was requested. This is the little set of ‘ears’ above the upper globe on the mounting rod.
Portrait weathervanes are very popular. We have made many portraits of dogs, people, horses, and even vehicles. If you can send us photos we will happily make any subject into a portrait weathervane for you.
Our Icarus Weathervane was originally commissioned as a surprise gift, which was a bit tricky, because it is also a portrait piece of the recipient! But, by working carefully with the client, and leaving very very cryptic phone messages the few times actual phone calls were needed, we indeed succeeded in the surprise.
We can personalize any of our weather vanes into portrait pieces, even cars and boats. To do this we need pictures from many angles when possible, but we are happy to work with what you have.
This copper weather vane is constructed in high detailed, swell-bodied style. So highly detailed it is almost 3D! Topaz glass eyes were selected for Icarus. Because it is a winged design there is a Security Device included in the price. This is true for all of our designs with spread wings, thereby preventing them from literally taking flight.
The names of the couple are inscribed one on each wing.
Our Pot Still Weathervane, Version 2 , is a good example of how effective it is to use a weather vane to enhance and publicize a business. These customers, White Hills Distillery, were converting an old barn on their farm into a distillery when they first contacted us. They call it Farm to Flask! It was a great collaboration. We were in on it even before the final logo was decided upon. Being early in the project allowed us to work with builders as they were assembling the cupola the weather vane would be mounted on. This cupola also needed to function as an important piece in the buildings venting system. Together we were able to determine the best mounting hardware for the situation and send it ahead.
This custom sized copper weathervane was fabricated in swell-bodied style. The logo was engraved into the copper and then gilded with palladium leaf. These incised lines increase the visual distinction of the bright, precious metal logo. As this sculpture piece ages and weathers the logo will become increasingly distinct.
The name of the distillery and the year of it’s founding is inscribed on the shaft of the arrow. The arrow and fletching was selected from our designs. Because this barn is in an open area that can occasionally be windy the option of adding a security device was selected. The security device is the two little ‘ears’ you can see pictured above the upper globe.
We’d love to discuss your ideas for enhancing and advertising your business with a weather vane.
Our Flounder Weathervane was commissioned by a family who had previously ordered our Labrador Retriever Running with Duck Weathervane. This commission was for their beach house, and in addition to this new flounder design, which was to be mounted on a gazebo in their yard, they ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Weathervane for the roof of their home. Being existing customers they enjoyed a 10% discount on these orders.
This design is fabricated in copper. It is what we refer to as a mirror image vane, meaning no matter how the wind blows you are seeing the two blue glass eyes of the flounder from its top side. There is optional palladium leaf applied depicting the flounder’s distinctive dot markings.
We like to include Latin names for the subjects of our weather vanes when we can, but flounder got a bit complicated. The name “flounder” is used for several only distantly related species, though all are in the suborder Pleuronectoidei (families Achiropsettidae, Bothidae, Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Samaridae). Every one of these better-known species is a different sub-sub-order!
Western Atlantic
Gulf flounder – Paralichthys albigutta
Southern flounder – Paralichthys lethostigma
Summer flounder (also known as fluke) – Paralichthys dentatus
Our Lucy and the Lamppost Weathervane is indeed iconic. Truly a lovely statement to hope and nature. Because of its complexity and having multiple figures, it was not possible to make it in any size smaller than large and have it be visually effective.
The copper sculpture piece is fabricated in high detail swell-bodied style. Optional gold leaf was requested for the lantern flame, Lucy’s sweater and both Lucy’s and Mr Tumnus’ skin. Palladium leaf was chosen for the lantern cap, the snow on the ground, and on the umbrella. Mr Tumnus’ scarf is enameled in red. Both Lucy and Mr Tumnus have blue glass eyes.
This is the second weather vane these customers have ordered, which entitled them to our 10% discount for return customers. Their first vane was The NeverEnding Story. Another iconic piece.
Our Sun and Finial Weathervane was a lovely commission. Our customer, Thomas Aquinas College, had a very specific vision of what they wanted.
The sun, acting as both the windcatcher and the fletching on the arrow, is fabricated in copper with optional gold leaf gilding applied. The finial is spun copper.
This Flying Jackass Weathervane is an exclusive design for the Flying Jackass Ranch in Texas. It is a swell-bodied sculpture piece fabricated in copper, and has brown glass taxidermy eyes. The rear legs of this design are in mirror image, which was done here to add stability to the attachment to the arrow, while the front legs are separated and visually very active.
The arrow has been inscribed on one side with the name of the ranch, and on the other with the name of the family founders.
While optional gilding in gold or palladium would be eyecatching on the wings & hooves, it is a matter of personal preference whether or not to select this option.
In keeping with traditional uses of weathervanes, we have many customers who use our weather vanes to demarcate their business locations. For instance, a dentist has a Tooth Fairy Weathervane at the entrance to her office, a preschool has a Stork with Baby Weathervane, and a football stadium has a Helmet Weathervane. This is just to name a few. And then there businesses such as this one, that have their logo made into a weathervane as an exclusive, assuring that no one else will be using their valuable business design.
