Drive 63 miles from Vancouver, BC, and you’ll arrive at Chilliwack, on the Fraser River. That’s the home of Phoenix Bermudez, artist, and creator of large fireplaces and other artificial rock formations under his business name, Stonetree Studios.

“Using raw materials such as steel, wood, and concrete,” says Bermudez, “we transform the ordinary world into the fantastic. Our methods are multifaceted, utilizing techniques such as carving, casting, welding, forging, and painting.

“Layers of mortar are built up and hand-carved to create textures and crevices. The final process is faux finishing, where color stains are used to bring out the depth of the finished rockwork.”

According to Bermudez, the fireplace in the photo is 18-ft. high by 10-ft. wide, and weighs in between 2,000 and 3,000 lbs. “It required five sherpas and a donkey named Babu to reach the summit,” he said.

Stonetree Studios specializes in the design and construction of custom architectural features. The entire fireplace shown here weighs in at close to four tons, substantially less than real boulders; only one man did all the work – Phoenix Bermudez.

Stonetree Studios, #103-8022 Evans Parkway, Chilliwack, British Columbia, V2R 5R8; office (604) 823-4443; www.stonetreestudios.com; info@stonetreestudios.com.