2014/3.1, March 5 — Dynamic Rockwork, Burnished Waterfalls, National Treasures and more

March 5, 2014 www.watershapes.com

ESSENTIAL

Living Art

The process of creating watershapes and landscapes is more than a simple exercise in orchestrating aesthetics, say rock designer Philip di Giacomo and watershaper Mark Holden. To these like-minded professionals, the purpose of their art is to conjure overt and subliminal perceptions in the hearts and minds of those who move through the spaces they establish — an ambition that lets their work influence not only individuals, but society at large.

This article, originally published in October 2004, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.

VIDEO GALLERY

Right to the Finish

Deciding on their pool’s interior finish has always been a big call for homeowners, notesLew Akins. But as he notes in thetext introducing his video on the subject, it’s a hard one to make these days because there are just so many options when it comes to materials, colors and textures. [more]

PONDCRAFT 101

Spillway Finesse

On the long list of tasks to be performed during a quality pond installation project, Eric Triplettknows how important it is to get the details of the waterfall’s spillway just right. That’s why he covers all the ins and outs of this process in such great detail in this crucial video. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

National Wonders

As is true of many watershapers, Rick Driemeyer is an avid explorer of nature. For years, in fact, he’s made a practice of regularly visiting national parks and wilderness areas for professional inspiration — and urges other designers to get out and do the same by sharing some favorites here.

TECHNICAL BRIEFING

Bad Benchmarks

All too often, observes Ron Lacher, pool builders experience failures of steps and benches in their concrete watershapes. It’s a pattern that led him to investigate the causes — and share what he’s learned about a crucial workmanship error that seems to be to blame. [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Speaking the Language

Five years ago, Dave Peterson stepped up as a strong, early advocate for watershaping’s involvement with a key set of standards. Click here to see what he was after — and size up how far the industry has come.

After a Fiasco in London . . .

Aussie Competitive Swimming:
Will It Get Its Groove Back?

[more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Artful Engagement

The appearance in this newsletter of a classic article by Philip di Giacomo and Mark Holden brought all sorts of memories back to Jim McCloskey, who writes here about a man he considers to be a mud-manipulating magician as well as the poet laureate of concrete. [more]

Now at WaterShapes.com . . .

While supplies last, you can purchase one of 6 available complete, mint-condition, 131-issue sets of WaterShapes, a print publication that set the tone for development of the art and craft of watershaping from February 1999 until July 2011. For a special offer, click here!

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

$175K for Video about Swimming
Habits of Fish in the Northern Rockies

Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below.

1. The tidy sum of $175,000 is about to be spent on producing a video showing the swimming abilities of fish in the Northern Rockies, washingtontimes.com reports. Where will funding for the video come from?

a. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation b. The state of Montana
c. The state of Idaho d. The U.S. federal government

2. Firefighters in one U.S. state rescued a bull that escaped from a ranch and fell into a homeowner’s backyard pool, according to British Web site telegraph.co.uk. Where did this happen?

a. Texas b. Arizona c. North Dakota d. South Dakota

3. The Web site stuff.co.nz says that a community pool in New Zealand has been forced to close unexpectedly several times. Why?

a. A family of kiwi birds — which are protected by law — was in the pool.
b. A large number of “poo” deposits were found floating in the water.
c. A series of small earthquakes rattled the area.
d. Cracks in the pool caused the water to leak out.

To find out how many you got right, click here.