Hillary Riggs presses a button, and after a few seconds water emerges from a pipe embedded in rocks on the sloped land under one side of her house, where pillars support the structure. The water divides around a group of stones, reunites, and begins its downward course. It tumbles and flows over and around rocks of various sizes and kinds, making its way 65 feet down the slope. Then it gently sinks into an underground tank beneath a flat bed of stones near the lower level of the house.

Standing beside the bubbling, chattering flow, one would swear it was a natural mountain stream. Yet with another touch of a button, the stream subsides and stops. And the only water used is rainwater from rooftop collection, stored in underground tanks and recycled once it reaches the bottom of its fall. Any overflow from the tank continues down the hillside in a natural drainage path, supporting trees and plants along the way.

The falling stream is more than a delightful drought-conscious water feature at Riggs’ home in the foothills southeast of Santa Fe. It also represents the junction of engineering and aesthetics, science and art, the two streams of creative energy constantly at work and play in the homeowner’s life. Riggs is an artist who creates mixed media fine art, custom furniture, and carved and painted architectural elements such as cabinets, doors, window valances, and room divider screens. She also designs and builds outdoor art and decorative features, including pebble mosaics and pond-free waterfalls. Collectively these endeavors fall under the business name Quimera, a Spanish word referring, among other things, to a moment of epiphany emerging from a dream.

 

 

 

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