{"id":5306,"date":"2010-02-16T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2010-02-16T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/wordpress\/?p=5306"},"modified":"2011-04-11T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2011-04-11T15:53:49","slug":"tip-of-the-week-dan-pearson-creates-visual-wonderlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2010\/02\/tip-of-the-week\/tip-of-the-week-dan-pearson-creates-visual-wonderlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Tip of the Week: Dan Pearson Creates Visual Wonderlands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nSonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.<\/span><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/a>Just like Beethoven took ordinary musical notes and elevated them through simple and complex melodies into his immortal symphonies, the well-known British landscape designer Dan Pearson (right<\/em>) has the ability to transform space into visual wonderlands.<\/p>\n

Pearson was at the Garden last month for the first of three lectures in the series From the Ground Up: Gardens Re-Imagined<\/em><\/a>. He presented Into the Wild<\/em>, an exploration into his natural landscapes.<\/p>\n

I was prepared for a talk on how a talented designer re-creates the artifact of nature on his project sites\u2014not as nature would herself but as an artist reinterpreting and reconfiguring nature\u2019s portrait. This point was certainly made and beautifully illustrated. <\/p>\n

What I came home with, however, was a much more intimate view into Pearson\u2019s artistic process. His began with his childhood experiences of gardening and his early travels, which helped define his aesthetic sense. Throughout his discussions of sense of place, the audience was invited into his personal vision of how he saw and experienced nature.<\/p>\n

His childhood story was one of discovering an overgrown garden, viewing it as an untamed paradise and then proceeding to reclaim the land while respecting its natural order. This experience informed his subsequent designs, which retained a child\u2019s sense of mystery and wonder and awe.<\/p>\n

In a highly personal and unassuming manner, Pearson then discussed his conceptual process. I was impressed with his involvement in the sites he was designing\u2014how he thought out the use of the space and the experience he wanted to create\u2014and in his amazing ability to transform spaces to actualize his vision.<\/p>\n

He taught me how a designer sees and responds to the spaces that he (or she) is presented with. What happens when you enter a garden? What do you see? How, as a designer, do you engage the visitor\u2019s thoughts and senses? In his discussions of balance, contrast, contour, and space Pearson demonstrated how he acts as the visual, spatial, and artistic director in his garden designs.<\/p>\n

Whether simple or complex, his designs draw you in and invite you to explore, appreciate, and inhabit the space. I was excited to discover that Pearson is a passionate environmentalist and a committed educator. He guided his audience into his natural world so that they could sit with him in these magical spaces, learn from nature, and go on to act as its stewards.<\/p>\n

In my next blog, I\u2019ll share some of the specifics of Pearson\u2019s design process. For those of you hungry for more creative thinkers, next up in the lecture series From the Ground Up<\/em> is Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer<\/em>. She\u2019ll talk about year-round food gardening on February 18th, beginning at 10 a.m. She is a gardening guru\u2014come join us! Register early<\/a> as seating is limited. Fritz Haeg will round out the series on March 25.<\/p>\n

Take a Class<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Just like Beethoven took ordinary musical notes and elevated them through simple and complex melodies into his immortal symphonies, the well-known British landscape designer Dan Pearson (right) has the ability to transform space into visual wonderlands. Pearson was at the Garden last month for the first of three… <\/p>\n

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