By living in nature one is always learning… You are in an environment that is always teaching and are constantly being reminded of Natures Gifts.

I’ve learned that the landscape can contain all one’s activities or fantasies and become places of spiritual contact.

Calculations

I calculated that if I work 2,000 hours a year, spending 60% in design, and averaged 5 'rips' an hour, over the course of my career, including grad school, I have done approximately 204,000 rips totaling 3,672,000 inches of trace.

Tools of the Trade

Bright yellow trace, Pentel Sign pens, back Sharpie extra fine, red, black and blue Flair pens, drafting dots and a black plastic scale - these are the tools of my trade.

Years ago, I stopped needing the parallel ruler, although I still have it attached to my drawing board. No more plastic triangles, occasional use of a circle template, the same one I had in school. I can freehand draw an almost perfect circle and parallel curving lines.

I have perfected the art of ripping a sheet of trace off the roll using my triangle scale without shifting the layers beneath. Each trace layer represents the sequence of my thinking - as I create, I rework what is beneath, a fluid and connected process. The trace layers represent the preservation of the process, saving the design as layers until a final plan has emerged.

Natures Gift...

I live my life with a simple ethic... when you give to Nature, it gives back to you. It is a simple rule and one I hold very close to my everyday practice.

I consider my design work and interaction with clients as a way to teach people about Nature. In a way, I do a small part to help restore beauty to the land and help bring Nature back in balance through the landscapes I design.

Learning from Nature...

A student's commitment to learning signifies how I feel every day at work - Not only am I learning something new with each job, but newness is the hallmark of nature, always evolving, always dynamic.