Artists in Their Gardens [Paperback]

Valerie Easton (Author), David Laskin (Author), Allan Mandell (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Artists do it differently. Make gardens, that is. This lusciously photographed book showcases ten creative, unconventional, sometimes outrageous gardens made by painters, glassblowers, collage artists, and sculptors. Their uncommon approaches provide fresh ideas and inspiration for all gardeners who are all tired of the same old beds, borders, and lawns.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who has ever yearned for a garden more expressive than the usual beds, borders, and lawns should look no further than the nearest visual artist's home garden for inspiration. That's just what Valerie Easton and David Laskin do in Artists in Their Gardens. The authors profile 12 artists--glass blowers, ceramicists, painters, sculptors, and architects--and show that artists don't just break all the traditional rules, they approach the act of gardening as if there were no rules to begin with. Their stories and ideas provide multitudes of inspiration for the rest of us.

The artists featured have come up with decidedly different ways of doing things. For instance, painter Robert Bateman--famous for his paintings of wild animals in their environments--has created a garden so "natural" that it feels almost ancient. What is surprising is that he has done so using painstakingly fabricated fake rocks to create cliffs and a meandering stream that provide the backbone for this stunning space. Ceramicist Anne Hirondelle uses every horizontal space--indoors and out--as an opportunity for display. A stone bench, for example, holds a series of vessels that collect rainwater, reflect the sky, and provide a shimmering surface for floating blossoms. Glass artist Ginny Ruffner, not satisfied with an unadorned 4-foot stone head that rises out of the center of her garden, devised a canopy of bright pink blossoms that suggests a colorful bonnet or a cascade of flower hair.

The authors provide lovingly intimate portraits of the artists and their gardens. Stunning photographs by Allan Mandell show off these gardens for the works of art that they are, while a section in each chapter called "The Artist's Eye" shares tips and inspirations that readers will surely want to use in their own home gardens. After reading this book, you'll come away with not just inspiration and a few new ideas, but a whole new way of looking at the act of gardening. --Robin Donovan

From Library Journal

Easton (horticultural librarian, Univ. of Washington), author of the "Plant Life" column in the Seattle Times, and journalist Laskin team up with prize-winning garden photographer Mandell to portray the gardens of ten Northwest artists. While these working artists are less well known than those included in Bill Laws's Artists' Gardens (LJ 2/1/00), they are more intimately involved with the creation of their own gardens. The authors also offer more analysis of their subjects' art and how the artists' aesthetic senses influence their garden design. Each chapter concludes with a one-page summary called "the artist's eye," highlighting what makes each artist's vision unique. The gardens are all inspirational in the way they use color and design, the integration of art objects and plants, and an approach to using ornaments that is whimsical, to say the least. The glorious photography, which makes it seem as if the sun always shines in the Northwest, highlights a common urge for brightness and helps the reader visualize the artists' individualistic approach to gardening. This book offers a refreshing approach to what a garden can be and what it can contain. Recommended for all gardening collections. Daniel Starr, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570612447
• ISBN-13: 978-1570612442
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Valerie Easton is a weekly garden columnist for Pacific Northwest Magazine of The Seattle Times. Her own low-maintenance garden, the muse for this book, has been published in The New York Times, This Old House, and Horticulture. She has contributed articles on gardens, homes, and the people who make them to a variety of magazines, including Metropolitan Home, Fine Gardening, and Gardens Illustrated. Valerie trained as a Master Gardener and was for eighteen years the horticultural librarian at the University of Washington in Seattle. She gardens, teaches yoga, and blogs (www.valeaston.com) in the village of Langley, on Whidbey Island, Washington. Her previous book is A Pattern Garden (www.apatterngarden.com).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the gardener as artist, July 3, 2001

By 

Nancy A (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Artists in Their Gardens (Paperback)

Artists in Their Gardens is a book for the gardener who loves the garden as a means of self-expression. In the ten gardens described, each of us will find things we love, and perhaps things which disturb us. I love the austerity of potter Ann HIrondelle's garden, the zaniness of Lewis and Little's work, the majesty of Lee Kelly's monuments. I could never live with the kitsch of Leter and Barton, yet it is fascinating to see their artistic vision as developed in plants and plastic. The sections on The Artist's Eye helped me see how to translate these visions to my own garden. After all, in my own garden, I am the artist! This book encourages me to be daring in shaping my own garden vision.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DREAM GARDENS WITH REALTY, May 17, 2007

By 

tradess2006 "tradess2004" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Artists in Their Gardens (Paperback)

Absolutely fantastic garden book with a totally different twist. Already incorporated several ideas in my backyard with great results.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, but..., December 11, 2007

By 

A. Runefelt "gardener" (Jamaica Plain, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Artists in Their Gardens (Paperback)

The book is fantastic, inspiring and beautiful, but it literally fell apart after one (1) reading. How disappointing! The quality of the writing and the images did not extend all through the project, unfortunately.