something in my blood. I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a creator
of gardens. In Junior High School I interviewed a distinguished Landscape
Architect named Lloyd Bond, who had a practice in my home town of Eugene,
Oregon.
I graduated with a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of
Oregon in 1981. After a year of traveling around the U.S. I landed a job in
a firm in Portland, Oregon. I lasted about 20 minutes. I knew immediately
that I wasn’t meant to be sitting at a desk. So I started out doing humble
maintenance and construction of gardens for family and friends. I learned
from experience using my home garden as a guinea pig, the art of stone
masonry, soil conditioning, and plant culture.
As winters are cold and wet in Oregon, I started to travel routinely during
the months of December through April. A trip to Europe, followed by 15
winters in Asia, and 6 in South America have had significant influence on my
work. My own garden has taken on the form of a Maharaja’s harem,
essentially an Earthly paradise of opulent sensuous indulgence.
My aim as a designer is to create gardens for people looking for a
connection to the natural world. The style of these gardens is inextricably
bound to the potential of the site, the architecture of the home, and the
lifestyle and personal history of the client. This can be as simple as a
lovely place to unwind after a week of hard work, or as profound as a
cosmological sanctuary for soul searching.
These gardens are built using organic principals, ensuring a cleaner
environment. I have become known for my work with pebble mosaic, an art
form of unlimited expression and practical application. I am moving away
from the use of wood, as it becomes increasingly scarce, and into the
fantastic potential of steel. Ancient or Modern, I am not limited to any
particular style other than the goal of creating something of great beauty
that fits harmoniously into it’s surroundings.
If you are looking to create a bit of heavenly paradise in your garden, I
may be your man.