artistry

An All-Tile Adventure
This was one of those cases where a project that offers all the indications of a direct path to success took a couple of weird turns that complicated things in unusual ways. The pool and spa are located high up in Trousdale Estates, a canyon-hugging neighborhood above Beverly Hills, Calif. The views are magnificent all the way to downtown Los Angeles in one direction and to the Pacific Ocean in another - and the spaces in which the pool and separate spa had been placed took the fullest possible advantage of those prospects. Our client was a multifaceted home-design/build company that had a distinguished track record with this sort of all-concrete
Watergardens as Art
It's 1889.   You're at the World's Fair in Paris, what the locals call l'Exposition Universelle du 1889, and you've joined them in marking the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.  The world is changing:  Paris is at the center of those transitions and you want to see for yourself what's going on. You know that the fair has attracted exhibitors from around the world, but you're drawn to France because
Defined by Details
Even after years of operation in the tile-application business, we still find fresh challenges and new sources of pride in what we do.  I think it's primarily because we spend so much of our time focusing on fine details - the little touches that turn routine work into creative exercises and repetitive tasks into ongoing sparks of inspiration. A case in point is the huge job on display in this article:  The three watershapes encompass vast square footage that includes fields of
Wanted: Water Artists
'The way I see it,' wrote Brian Van Bower to start his Aqua Culture column in August 2000, 'we watershapers can look at ourselves in one of two ways:  as diggers of holes in the ground that hold water, or as artists working with one of the most exciting mediums on the planet.  For a lot of reasons, I like the second of those options, because the first is passive - the sole goal being to contain the water - while the second gets me more
Joy and Glory
Just a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending the day with a long-time WaterShapes contributor – and my good friend – Dr. William N. Rowley.  Just a year ago this month, Bill was one of the first recipients of the McCloskey Prize, and as we noted at the time, he has from the start of the magazine been a tireless supporter of our efforts to build pride and professionalism
Beneath the Surface
One of the perks of my job as Editor of WaterShapes is that from time to time I get to go on the road to see truly great work in person, often in stunning locations.  Occasionally, however, when I walk on site my best expectations are blasted to
Walls of Stone
As a landscape designer and installer, I have an abiding fascination with stone.   I love the feel of it and its myriad colors, veins, streaks, shapes and textures, and I particularly admire its strength and flexibility.  We pave with it, sculpt it and run water over, under and through it.  It doesn't need painting or much care, looks great with plant material and has, as those who work with stone will point out, a timeless quality that cannot be reproduced with artificial materials. The best thing about stone is that when you use even one piece in an aesthetically meaningful way, you've
Contrasting the Arts
If you've been reading WaterShapes for any length of time, you've probably noticed that we take more than a bit of pride in presenting the arts and crafts of watershaping in the broadest possible ways.  From modest and subtle to bold and elaborate, the work
Recipes for Fun
I love the fact that more and more people I talk to are referring to the bodies of water they create as works of art.  At their best, watershapes do indeed possess all the aesthetic potential of
Value by Design
Consider this scenario:  You call up an interior designer.  In the course of the conversation, you ask him or her to come to your home, walk around, take measurements and listen to your ideas about a new look for your home.  That done, you want this design professional to go back to the office, draw up a plan, select materials and price the job. Would you be expected to pay for this service?  If you know anything about interior designers, you know the answer is a loud (and not inexpensive) "Yes!"  It's a trade where nobody works for free:  Whether you buy 100 yards of carpet, a gallon of paint or nothing at all, you have to