Aquatic Culture | Watershapes

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Photo courtesy Questar Pools & Spas, Escondido, Calif.
Photo courtesy H2Oarts, Santa Paula, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hess Landscape Architects, Lansdale, Pa.
Photo courtesy Design Ecology, Austin, Texas
Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Photo courtesy Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.
Photo courtesy Rock Solid Tile, Calabasas, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hughes Water Gardens, Wilsonville, Ore.

Garden Tea

With equal doses of patience and understanding, observes garden artist Rick Driemeyer, great watershapes and gardens can emerge from extended periods of close interaction between designers and their clients. A case in point is the project shared here, where long acquaintance with his clients’ wants and needs enabled him to transform a compact teahouse/pond/waterfall composition into a finely decorated, highly personalized sanctuary.

Specific Efficiency

Designing watershapes in locations where electricity and water are scarce and expensive has taught Shane LeBlanc the value, wherever he's working, of focusing on conservation. A case in point is this project -- one in which the client started out as an efficiency skeptic.

Safely Elegant

The interview with Alison Terry, Dave Penton and Jimmy Reed that began in our last edition concludes here with their discussion of an amazing spa and the high-wire act they performed to complete it while finishing the renovation of what was once an oddly inadequate backyard.

Nature Enhanced

Working with pondless waterfall systems can be tricky, notes Mike Gannon. But if you focus on the setting and weave the new system into its surroundings, the chances for aesthetic success are much improved.

The Magic Carpet

Brought in on what was originally a simple resurfacing job, Jimmy Reed, Alison Terry and Dave Penton ended up completely reworking this backyard. In Part 1, we look at what it took to convert a sad, old pool into a vibrant, highly textured work of art fully suited to a great setting.

Urban Renewal

Long neglected, the man-made pond and stream located just a few miles from downtown Philadelphia needed help, big time. As Scott Christie reports, doing so meant carefully digging into the site's history -- and aligning every detail with the client's childhood memories.

Creative Linkage

Faced with a blank slate and a design-oriented, home-builder client, Juliet Wood listened closely and created just the sort of backyard fun zone the homeowner wanted for active children -- not to mention a place to entertain friends, work with clients and find herself some relaxation.

Eyes on the Skies

It’s not his daily practice to install watershapes in conjunction with computer-controlled telescopes, but that’s just what Jim Wilder had to do in creating a reflecting pool to surround a towering pyramid atop which an observatory now sits. Through close collaboration with what can best be described as a ‘stellar’ project team, he and his colleagues developed a design solution that stands among the most unusual Wilder has ever seen for a residential project.

Swimming with Nature

For years, pond/stream specialist Bob Dews has sought perfection in the art of creating naturalistic bodies of water. Just last year, however, a client challenged him to reconsider his usual approach to pond design and develop one expressly for swimming. The result seen here is a composition in rock, plants and water that, rather than serving as a home for fish and aquatic life, is instead a safe environment for people – and lots of aquatic fun.

Pools of Light

As a lighting designer, Mike Gambino came out strongly in November 2009 with his thoughts on the power of a particular combination of design elements to create visually spectacular projects.

A Supple Vision

While rambling through New York's Central Park many years ago, Jim McCloskey crossed paths with three fair maidens -- a wonderful fountain composition well worth seeing for yourself the next time work or pleasure carries you near the heart of the Big Apple.

The Courage to Create Art

Mike Farley notes the following about the book Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland: 'This slim, 122-page volume…is so provocative and insightful that I think I could fill a year’s worth of columns with my observations of how what they say ties into what we do as watershapers.'

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

CMP Introduces Line of Copper Scuppers

Fountain Systems & Equipment
Product information from CMP on its new line of copper scuppers for pools, spas, water walls and other waterfeatures.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Westminster Teak on its stackable Horizon double chaises for resort and spa applications.

Aquatic Technologies Offers Epoxy Pool Surface

Construction Systems & Materials
Product information from Aquatic Technologies Group on AquaGuard 5000, an epoxy coating for pool and spa inetriors.

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Waterway on its Power Defender 270 dual-voltage, variable-speed pump for watershape applications.

Rico Rock Launches Poolside Climbing Wall

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Rico Rock on its new, cast-concrete climbing wall/waterfalls features for poolside applications.

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Fiber Creations on Pool Stars Kits to add twinkling lights to the walls and floor of pools and spas.

Changing Times

WaterShapes World (blog)
It's not often that Jim McCloskey is overcome by joy, but there's nothing he's ever experienced quite like the elation he feels in transferring the assets of WaterShapes.com to the folks behind Watershape University. If only they'd included an 's' in the most important word . . .