Concrete Sculpture Pizza Oven: A Tree and Boulders in Oregon

Step 1 of 6

The Block Stand & Firebrick Cooking Surface

The oven sits under a covered patio with a curved wood ceiling, so the build started on the patio slab with a concrete block stand and a side prep counter. A hearth slab went on top, framed in wood, and the firebrick cooking surface went down on a mortar bed in a herringbone pattern.

Step 2 of 6

Raising the Firebrick Barrel

Under all that sculpted concrete is a classic BrickWood fire brick barrel. The foam form went on the firebrick cooking surface and the firebrick rings went up over it. Once the mortar set, the foam came out and a plywood form held the front arch opening.

Step 3 of 6

Front Arch, Chimney & a Rebar Skeleton

A firebrick front arch and chimney finished the masonry. The barrel was then wrapped, and a rebar armature went up over it, the skeleton the tree trunk and boulders would be built on.

Step 4 of 6

Carving the Concrete Sculpture

This is where the concrete sculpture begins. The trunk was carved by hand in gray concrete, a technique known as vertical concrete carving, with deep, twisting bark rising from the oven toward the patio roof. Below it, boulders and roots were shaped around the oven opening, all still raw gray at this stage.

Step 5 of 6

Color, Stain & Stacked Stone

Color is what makes a concrete sculpture believable. The bark, roots and boulders were stained in browns, grays and mossy greens, and the side counter was faced in stacked stone veneer to tie the oven into the patio.

Step 6 of 6

The Finished Concrete Sculpture Pizza Oven

The finished oven looks like it grew there: a tree trunk with roots wrapped around a pile of boulders, a brick arch tucked between them, and a custom oven door with scrolled ironwork. Light a fire and the whole tree glows.

BeforeFinished

Drag across the photo (or just move your mouse) to go from a bare block stand to the finished concrete sculpture pizza oven.

Plan Yours

How to Plan a Concrete Sculpture Pizza Oven

Build the oven first. The sculpture is a shell. Underneath is a complete fire brick barrel with its cooking surface, front arch and chimney, built the same way as every other BrickWood oven.

Insulate before you sculpt. Wrap the firebrick barrel in ceramic fiber blanket before any finish goes on. It is the #1 add-on we recommend for any wood-fired oven, and it keeps the heat inside the oven instead of in the sculpture.

Give the sculpture a skeleton. A tree trunk and boulders this size need support. Here a rebar armature went up over the wrapped barrel before any concrete was carved.

Carve gray, color last. The bark, roots and boulders were shaped in plain gray concrete first. Stain and tint came at the end, layered to get the browns, grays and moss greens of real wood and stone.

Keep the working parts clear. Leave room for the oven door, a usable hearth ledge in front of the opening and a clear path for the chimney.

Know when to call an artist. Many builders do the oven themselves and bring in a concrete artist for the sculpting. Planning a custom pizza oven of your own? Every one starts with the same kit. Prefer a real-stone look? See this river rock fireplace with a dome oven on top, or compare all of our pizza oven kits.

Good Questions

Concrete Sculpture Pizza Oven FAQ

How is a concrete sculpture like this made?

Concrete is built up in layers over a rebar armature and carved by hand while it is still workable, a technique called vertical concrete carving. Once it cures, it is stained to look like bark, roots and stone. Concrete carved to look like wood is also known as faux bois, French for "false wood."

Can you build a concrete sculpture around a pizza oven?

Yes. The sculpture is a decorative shell over a fully built, insulated oven. Here the fire brick barrel, front arch and chimney were built first, then the tree trunk, roots and boulders were sculpted in concrete over a rebar armature.

Which oven kit did the Johnson family use?

Mattone Barile · Package 1. It is a fire brick barrel oven built over our foam form, with a 17-inch interior ceiling. Here the firebrick cooking surface was laid in a herringbone pattern.

Does the sculpted concrete get hot?

The fire stays inside the firebrick barrel. Wrapping the barrel in ceramic fiber blanket before any finish goes on keeps the heat in the oven, where you want it, and away from the outer shell.

Do I need to be an artist to build one?

Not for the oven. The firebrick barrel follows our FREE plans step by step. The concrete sculpture is skilled artistic work, so many builders hire a concrete artist for that part.