Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

Good morning!

And, yes, I partied a day early this season.  ;-)

My perspective has become Unusual!

Frank Gehry‘s rather unusual sense of line and structure greets our blog readers, as he pretty much abuses our standard and comforming sense of things.

I wanted to pay notice to those designers, architects and landscapers who take issue with the most standard building practices in design history – the straight line. What we find as a result are any number of alternative design effects which focus more on an anarchistic sense of line – and therefore a more natural one. Some of these effects are merely exterior fluff covering square and rectangular building while others – in particular Mr. Gehry – take a far different tack.

(All the pictures shown here are wantonly mined from architectural blogs and websites where I have submitted requests to post here. Some have told me to “Go for it!”, while others did not reply. Inasmuch as I have no real commercial interests in this blog, the brunt of my delivery is simple – to acquaint us with ideas we may not have encountered as yet. As well, this is a post full of praise at the amazing creativity of these giants who have touched the face of Creation and inspired entire schools of thought and rabid appreciation for their labors. With a few soreheads, of course.)

Of particular interest to me have been Gehry’s fountains.

This one – above – (enlarge it for a great view of his respect for her intense interest in porcelain)  called “A Rose For Lilly” was dedicated to a very dear benefactor of his, Lillian Disney, who undoubtedly played a role in the construction and design of the amazing Disney building below:

So how practical do we make this building below?

This artist’s rendition of the Capital Gate Hotel in Dubai would seem like some otherworldly dream if what we saw in pictures below it were not very real:

Yes, this is a photograph of precisely that building under way:

A better shot. It leans a full 18 degrees, held in place by the straight elevator shaft enclosed in cement which, itself tipped over 17 inches at the top, leaning the other direction:

The Finished Product, just completed in reality:

Other wonders……….

The future is Now, in the end. There is currently an architectural explosion producing stunning work and owing its progression to oil-rich soveriegn nations and a class of emerging cities with money to spend who wish to create their own attractions, somewhat akin to the famous “Bilbao Effect” which Gehry produced by constructing his Guggenheim Museum in Spain, an effect which generates a level of inquiry and interest regarding the architecture itself.

For example, a project with serious intent but currently shelved because of oil prices is this Destination Architecture in Albania, on an island in the Caspian Sea, designed by Danish and New York City Wunderkind Bjarke Ingels, a 7 tower extravaganza:

Of all, I seem to always devolve back to my reliable old favorite guy, landscape architect, furniture designer and fountain man, Isamu Noguchi. Below, at his museum of the same name, we see his structure exemplified with a meandering, quite impractical water trail intersecting a hard surface with no apparent purpose, not that anyone cares:

No straight lines here!

And most definitely none here in this famous – or infamous – Noguchi landmark in Austria:

The term “radical” stems from the original Latin radicalis - “of roots” and from Latin radix ”root”. Whereas, this term ironically resembles “Conservative”, owing to Conservatism’s high valuation of something’s earned past (especially when confronted with “radical change”), I really like the application of “radical” to art as something very nearly opposite of the spirit of its definition. “Radically opposite”, in fact. The term is loosely applied here, but in the overall “sense of things”, it fully meets the spirit of my claims regarding the stunning evolution of a trade which has seen periods of high fashion – from Ancient Times and Babylon’s Hanging Gardens to Frederick Olmstead’s White City and his incredible collection of urban designing accomplishments. Currently, right now, we see regular people create masterpieces of riveting detail and interest in their own fabulous yards, inspiring more public artists and landscaping specialists in a wider realm. I have always said that the best work I ever ran across were productions made by homeowners in the experimental privacy of their own homes. It also is true.

My current usage of the term “Radical Art” indicates an actual and literal departure from “regular” cosmetics of a trade so long defined as an adjunct to buildings and their grounds – the General Field of Landscaping. It is my conviction that landscaping has evolved into its very own architecture, indeed, outgrowing “Dad” –  into it’s own sort of identity and utility – of Architecture, per se, and has subsequently evolved further into real art. Of course, architectural renderings oversee the more vast properties of our urban environments. They must, actually, owing to simple organizational difficulties in their construction and implementation.

Noguchi:

What we now see all around us in growing profusion are swaths of land, of urban and suburban wonders, we can simply no longer take for granted and which rivet our minds and souls in ways by which we find ourselves utterly challenged. Some are larger than others:

This work of art in Australia, known as ‘Mundi Man’ or ‘Eldee Man’ was constructed by noted painter Ando (website here) and is located on Mundi Mundi Plains, NSW. It is the world’s largest art work, covering some 4 million square meters, or 5 million square yards. That’s a lot of “cosmetics”!

Antonio Gaudi may have set the Lunatic Fringe of Radical Art in landscaping with not only his remarkable building designs, but in the incredible complexity and bizarre designs so rife at Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain. His admixture of “primitive” and ultra-modern are well-illustrated in this photo I gathered from this website, dealing with Cruises.

The stunning work of Isamu Noguchi, as offered in the first photograph above, has also offered a primary glimpse of landscaping radicalism for long years prior. Now fully enacted by a fabulously and numerically-rich coterie of building designers, the arresting visual and sensual 360 degrees of 3 dimensionality of landscaping reaches an exemplary peak in his work. Below is his spare, yet incredibly evocative construction of a park erected on the site of a former garbage landfill.

Moerenuma Park, Sapporo, Japan:

My view of these installation includes the packages relative to the advancement of technological breakthroughs in the machinery itself of construction. If Da Vinci could conceive of “lift”, “displacement” and the eventual forms which encourage Mankind to fly, then the wildly impractical new wonders of Drip Irrigation, water pumps and advancements in adhesives have opened an entire realm of gravity-defying work of its own.

Vertical Gardening will produce many Babylons, right before our every eyes:

Even residences will gain from inexpensive-yet colorful profusions of verticality, a technology now just getting underway.

The advent of the Mini-Excavator, in my world of installations, has produced amazing wonders, quickly-accomplished, only requiring an imaginative combination of designers and installers to implement the next wave of the booming field of water features. Note here the incredible handsomeness of the stud at the business end of such a handy little monster of torque:

Fountains, water, radicalism, sound and senses…………………..

(Noguchi again):

Lighting has caused a Mini Sensation and a completely outrageous burst of creativity in the field as well, from simple, well-placed uplights and filters of a smaller but ineffably gorgeous dimension:

To the radical fringe of massive urban production such as this Mall Fountain in Singapore – the world’s largest fountain:

More Radical yet, we have the entire realm of fountains and the myriad new applications of water, beginning, once again, with Noguchi’s completely impractical 9 Floating Fountains at the 1970 Osaka World’s Fair:

My belief is that we are just entering a field which promises a burst of fabulous artwork of increasing meaning and relevance. I honestly believe we are being pushed outdoors, kicking and screaming, as our back yards become “destinations” and extended living rooms, kitchens and dens. Our cities become more vibrant when we supply other “destinations” to please the eyes and senses. The factor of radical art in landscaping may even supply microcosmic pleasure in our very ytensils and those items which we have so long merely taken for granted, such as garden furniture, as Helen Nock (website included)  so brilliantly illustrates:

Walls and fences take on some structural interest when in the hands of Micahel   Eckerman of Santa Cruz, his website here. A surfer and gatherer of native materials, his formations show movement and form which closely resemble the behavior of ocean waves:

The creations we see today raise our vision and stop our wandering eyes so that we can better focus on their message. The “message”, as in all art, is that of celebration of our shared humanity. These spiritual accomplishments encourage us all to be better people, in every way.

I am glad Landscaping enters the realm of art itself. The scope of the trade has no conceivable limit, from the very tiniest of realms to those of massive scale. It is Man tickling Man and the sooner we understand that, the more we can create and enjoy more of the same.

 One can easily see from the number of comments made when this was first published in July of 2010, that Jody’s work is amazing. Since that time, she has not sat on her laurels but has most definitely continued her fabulous work as a fabric artist. I’m inserting few of these newer designs at random intervals to introduce Jody Bare to those who may not have stumbled upon this old and very dear friend and – for those who now see even more of why I regard her as a very serious artist who happens to work in mediums which are surprisingly practical at the same time. I would sincerely invite anyone who regards wearing unique and hand made products to take advantage of her while she’s still as busy as a bee.   Hey – Christmas is just around the corner!

This new one below, Jody calls “Stemmed Rose”:

“Art Clothing”. What a fascinating concept. Mz. Bare designs what to wear, surrounded by the knowledge that sheer unique artistic license is what you’re under. Jody Bare supplies an incredibly delightful, gorgeous and sumptuous feast of color, silk and images in her fabric art and I am – first of all – intrigued so much by her range and the delicate singularity of her products. Of course, the fact that I have known her pretty much forever makes it even more special.

(Left click images to enlarge)

This is another couple of newer ones. In order: “Primal Consciousness” and – following that, “Squid-in-Kelp”:

Biographical Stuff: For example, I can remember her as a college freshman at Western Kentucky University, courted by my very best friend in the world of nearly 50 years, Steve Bare. There are too many tales involving yours truly and this other miscreant – all true, unfortunately or fortunately. Sure, a few involve excess – but who’s counting??   The short version is that Steve and I met at 12 years old, both the “new guys” in a new town. That we were pretty good at sports and that we each had parents who were tolerant and smart as whips gave us something special right off the bat. For years, Steve and I were inseparable and we have maintained contact, through his tour in Viet Nam and my tour in Korea, through my dislocation to Vancouver and, then his, to Santa Cruz. His marriage to Jody not only probably saved his life, he got his Soul Mate in the bargain. This is, in many ways, a romantic story and Jody Bare figures just hugely in the last 90% of the tale.

Did I mention she’s fun and just a great gal? Well, she is. How close are we? ……Well try this – When you have a bed named in your honor: “The Sned Bed“, in this case, you know you’re close!!

Jody has always puttered around with fabrics. She speaks of her development as an artist on her home page, right here:  http://www.jodybare.com/.  As you browse her brand new site, you can find a product list, with photo’s of some of her stuff, some of which can be seen adorning the ladies in my life. These scarves and fabrics have never disappointed anyone, let me assure you. It earned me some great smiles and Thank You’s, so there’s your proof this gal is a pro.

Jody tends to work in Linoleum block printing. She has mastered coloring, arriving at the inks she prefers. She tends to work on silk – real silk – pressing the block gently and firmly in place at her desired spot. She has always done her very own work, without help. She is explicit about rendering unique, hand made products from her own efforts. This is not only a mesmerizing artist – she is a hard-working one as well.

I’ve decided to make this blog post about Jody because she has entered the “Online Community” for the first real time.  In reality, she has featured her products many places, from San Fransisco to Kentucky and during the great ‘Artist Open Studio’ events in Santa Cruz, California. It is my fondest hope that people will visit her site and browse her incredibly beautiful work. Her style and products are completely “stand alone” items. As mentioned, each one is utterly unique and bears her own unique style as well as her own unique hands on efforts.

Elegant, supremely stylish and wearable. What could be better?

Yes, I am inordinately proud of Jody Bare, great Mom, cool listener and occasional playmate on her husband and his friends’ great misadventures, noteworthy fisherwoman and great – I mean the best – pal. That she does World Class artwork surprises me not at all.

I absolutely adore this last new piece, “Divine Lotus”:

Much of my time is spent writing or reading about the things which interest me. No, it’s not always trade-related, although I absolutely can’t leave a newly-discovered favorite. The fact is, I visit all sorts of gardening, landscaping, architectural and artist’s sites, always sniffing for those incredibly fascinating, well-thought-out  factors which seem so Immortally Gorgeous.

I’ve always had garden writers to whom I pay rapt attention on what amounts to very nearly a daily basis.  Faire Garden, a gardening blog by a wonderful lady, Frances,  who updates it daily – and always with such perfect photography and humble words – she is a total favorite. As is Nancy Bond’s Leaping Greenly – to whom I pay more attention than she thinks. Another favorite who covers almost exactly the same weird taste as myself is Alice Joyce @ Alice’s Garden Travel Buzz. She pays the same rapt sort of admiring focus as I do to such people and things as Antonio Gaudi, Glass Art, Vertical Gardening – and exotic, problematic blooms which so thrive where she lives in San Francisco. Another Northern Californian who exchanged his focus on garden design to that of antiques is Philip Bewley – long a favorite of mine whose blog is archived here – Philip’s Garden Blog – and provides what I consider to be among the very best Garden Blogs ever written.

So these are people I would most certainly like to know better. But they are also people with whom I do have that opportunity, already established. We all talk amongst ourselves, in other words.  ;-)

No – this is what I’m talking about:

Michael and Ea Eckerman-  (and “left click” any images to enlarge – highly recommended)

Mr. Eckerman, Senior, is a Santa Cruz, California resident, the home town where my daughter was born and where I lived for many years. His passion for the surfer’s perspective is shown in fabulous detail as he rearranges the forms of his work to match Nature’s own forms such as curling waves and the inability of Nature Herself to reproduce straight lines in any profusion whatsoever.

From their website – http://www.eckermanstudios.com/ – please visit this absolute creative genius as he displays his stone work. You will come away shocked, I promise you. Pay special attention to his fireplaces.

Let’s continue with new and some old wonders:

Needless to say, another absolute wizard, for my money, is Patrick Blanc, the French “Johnny Appleseed” of Vertical Gardening. Here is his site:

http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

Mr. Blanc has developed a virtual world following with absolutely breath-taking accomplishments in “Verticality”. There are classes now being given in Portland, Oregon, specializing in vertical gardening, run out of a restaurant, of all things – Singer Hill Cafe, in Oregon City, a suburb of Portland.

Here is an excerpt from a local newspaper there:  And here the link

“The vertical garden movement – growing plants, herbs and even trees sideways from a building’s wall – has been steadily gaining momentum over the past few years.

There’s only one problem. No one wants to share exactly how it’s done.

Oregon City’s Phil Yates is hoping to change that. Yates first planted a vertical garden against the walls of his Singer Hill Café in 2009 through research and trial-and-error. Since then, he’s gone to France to visit Patrick Blanc – who inspired Yates and is credited with inventing the vertical garden – and has expanded the garden space along the building he owns next to Singer Hill.

Yates was mesmerized by the concept, but discovered that the masters of vertical gardening have largely kept their information proprietary. Portions of Blanc’s work is copyrighted, and there are few examples of vertical gardens in the United States.

Yates response was to start the Vertical Garden Institute, a non-profit organization “dedicated to promoting the technology and beauty of vertical gardens.” The organization is housed in the building next to Singer Hill Café and will hold a grand opening event with workshops on July 18 from noon to 5 p.m. (see box).

“The goal of the Vertical Garden Institute is to educate the public on how to build these things,” Yates said.

So vertical gardening has my attention.

But, then, so does Burning Man, scheduled to blow up tonight, in fact:

Then there are those who are no longer with us. I have found it difficult to find out enough about Antonio Gaudi, for example. I recall reading the life story of Salvador Dali, who mentions Gaudi’s gigantic role in his development as an artist. Both were Catalans, the province of Spain which featured bizarre stone formations and a near-other-worldly overall sensibility stemming from that weirdness – at least, according to Dali. But who could even cinceive of replicationg this man’s accomplishments? Here’s where I want to go – Park Guell, in Barcelona:

Then there is Frank Gehry:

Here’s a building for ya!

Or even this humble set of Extreme eccentricities:

And having said this, I’ve also developed a fondness for the written word. Oh, I adore the standard list of Fiction favorites – Follett, Deaver, Tom Clancy are huge – , James Lee Burke is a monstrous favorite of mine and now he’s gone and killed off poor Dave Robicheaux, a local disaster here. But, as was the case with my former high school baseball coach, jack hicks, I have been lucky enough to meet a local legend as well by the name of Bob Hill. I have featured both Bob and Hidden Hill Nursery in this blog before: right here in fact:

http://www.stevesnedeker.com/category/hidden-hill-gardens-bob-hill

Bob runs Hidden Hill Nursery – a delightful website as well as the premises where he sells his carefully-selected exotics to the general public. At once accessible and prone to conversation, Bob also has made the nursery into a virtual park of horticultural and artistic wonders.

But his continued work in describing the local history of Louisville, in conjunction with the developing and fully wonderful planned massive park system called The Parklands of Floyds Fork, planned for eastern and southeastern Jefferson County (Louisville),  and one of the nation’s largest new metropolitan parks projects.

Well, Bob’s Floyd’s Fork Journal –  http://theparklands.org/category/bob-hills-journal/ – is an absolute gold mine of historical information, told by Louisville’s pre-eminent story-teller and is completely fascinating.

Bob Hill cares to remind us that our past is an interesting as our futures – so we owe the guy one. Or two.

How wonderful can it be – honestly – surrounded by such interesting people in this world, all of whom merely want us to smell some roses?