BY SIMMONS ANDREWS

Newsroom Intern

Earlier this summer, furniture designer Taylor Haynes found himself sitting near his high-maintenance raised vegetable garden in Southern Pines, debating what to do with the space.

"It just wasn't producing," he says. "It was nearly $200 for a plate of vegetables."

With his finger, he began to trace an illustration in the sand. An idea was born.

Haynes' idea has now become a reality. What looks at first to be an unassuming, 16-foot-wide mound in his backyard is actually a piece of art with many purposes - a raised sculpture consisting of brick, sand, recycled bottles and succulent plants.

The sculpture begins with sand and brick. The packed-in sand is raised and surrounded by various bricks. The sand continues in a spiral shape as it rises to a height of 6 feet, with a walkable path to the top, where wire grass grows.

Recycled green glass bottles are embedded at random among the bricks. Haynes also formed his initials, HTH, with bottles on one side. He chose succulent plants, also placed at random, because they require little water and care. The plants add variety and color to the sculpture.

The creation has easily impressed Haynes' friends and family.

"You just need to see this," girlfriend Terry Long said in alerting The Pilot to the work. "He's way too modest to ever think of calling himself."

Haynes is a man of many talents. First and foremost, he is a freelance furniture designer/builder who owns his own workshop in Robbins. His pieces have an old-fashioned comfort to them, along with modern accommodations.

In addition, Haynes is a skilled potter. His work has been shown in various art shows. He has traveled to more than 60 countries, documenting his sights along the way via photographs.

Haynes was born in Virginia, then lived in Charlotte for 25 years. He relocated to Moore County in 1996, when local potter Ben Owen III urged him to make the move. He is happy with the change of scenery, along with meeting Terry, whom he calls "the love of his life."

Haynes creates multiple wooden sculptures from recycled wood for family members or for sale.

"He can do everything but paint," Long says with a chuckle. "We figured that out the hard way."

Surprisingly, Haynes began his sculpture project as recently as June. He was ardently devoted to it, frequently slaving away on it in the heat of day.

The bricks for the sculpture came from the old Robbins Mill that burned down in 2008. Haynes' first thought was that he could use the bricks for something greater with his art. He loaded up precisely 200 of them at a time in his truck to take home, making five trips. Then he laid out all 1,000 by hand.

Haynes got in touch with his eco-friendly side for the next part. His love for making old things new again is illustrated by his strategic placement of recycled bottles among the bricks. He got the empty bottles from restaurants and bars; they would have otherwise been discarded.

Even Haynes' next-door neighbor contributed by throwing bottles over the fence.

The succulent plants are another sustainable addition. They need little water, and the wide variety of shapes, colors and textures makes the sculpture unique.

"I like to call it a green project," Haynes says, due to the amount of recycled materials and water-conserving plants. "The whole idea is that it's low-maintenance."

The garden resembles something of a meditation labyrinth Its "a good thinking spot," Haynes says. He often goes out there just to sit and ponder.

His Maine coon cat, Gracie, also likes the space. She believes he built it specifically for her and spends time sunning herself in the wire grass at the top, often observing Haynes working on his many projects.

"If I'm not busy, I'm not happy," Haynes admits.

Although he has a great many projects, Haynes' work illustrates his commitment to completing tasks to his full artistic vision.

He finds joy in deriving satisfaction from a hard day's work.

So why would he take the time to create such an unusual sculpture for no profit, one that only friends and family are likely to view?

"I like to do what makes me happy," he says. "I'm just grateful for God's grace of talent because I can do a number of different things. I try to use some of it every day."

Simmons Andrews has been serving as an intern at The Pilot.