Posted in drawings, landscape design, renderings, sketchbook, stone, tagged benches, outdoor seating on July 25, 2008 | No Comments »
Here’s a real oldie from one of the older sketchbooks, I don’t see a date but I bet it’s the early 90’s
Posted in conceptual drawing, design principles, hardscape design, sketchbook, stone, waterfalls, waterfeatures, tagged moleskine, paintnet on July 24, 2008 | No Comments »
This was from the sketchbook(moleskine), and was done on-site so I could show the contractor what I was thinking about in reference to the space.
The idea for the space was to add a waterfall and a small body of water right up near the pool’s edge. The drawing in black and white was good for [...]
Posted in Associations, nature, stone on June 26, 2008 | No Comments »
I found this block of fieldstone near Lyon Falls in the Mohican State Park, close to Loudonville, Ohio.
[ Now that's a strange wear pattern. ]
So are those cuts/markings from the WPA*(Here’s a great article about Ohio’s “Tree Army” 
guys back in the 20’s? 1920’s that is . . . But they would not have [...]
Posted in stone, tagged architecture, stone mason, stone masonry on June 15, 2008 | No Comments »
This is another example of great craftsmanship, skill, and pride in one’s work.
[ Just spectacular handwork. ]
Here’s another example from the same castle/residence.
[ Stone work, it doesn't get any better than this. ]
Everyone should have a front door like this . . . shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t we?
Texturing, the hand work, attention to detail, the [...]
Posted in stone, tagged stone mason, stone masonry, stone texture on June 1, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Take some good stone and add in a client who desires the best and looks to make a statement at his entry with a real craftsmen and what do you get?
Art . . . real art and show-stopping texture work.
[ Look at the amount of texturing, and the different textures. ]
I was told this house [...]
Posted in design principles, drawings, plan-vew drawing, stone on May 21, 2008 | 2 Comments »
For those of you in the profession that’s all I would have to write:
It’s May
Is it ever, things are alway like this(thankfully) in the Northern climates this time of year. That great sense of “May” urgency. The average client procrastinates calling the contractor as do many, many others-everyone calls all at once. Screaming.
“Me, me, pick [...]
Posted in nature, stone, streams, waterfalls on May 11, 2008 | No Comments »
It’s been awhile since we posted on one of my most favorite subjects-stone.
I thought I would remedy that with this image of a waterfall and stream bed of one of my former design projects. The job was installed in 2006 and I snapped the picture early last week.
[ Edge stone buried in help sell realism. [...]
Posted in Ascension, stone, tagged 100 ton crane, boulders, landscape boulders on April 22, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Here’s one from the “old file” showing a 100 ton crane after a days work of setting some large stone boulders. Uh, of course they’re stone-they’re boulders.
This was back in Columbia, SC in the late 1990’s built into an embankment, the idea was too look like a tumbling waterfall cascading down this hillside.
The shelfs have [...]
Posted in Associations, design principles, stone, tagged fireplace, fireplaces, rumford-fireplace on April 9, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Okay, after some back and forth, looking at this design, then taking a look at another design, or four-we have come to a consensus. And a very good consensus it is.
Here it is.
[ The winner, after much discussion, I hope this will be a Rumford designed fireplace.]
The Particulars:
The rustic angles at the edges the arched [...]
Posted in plant material, stone on April 6, 2008 | 1 Comment »
[ Somewhere in SE Ohio. ]
Posted in drawings, renderings, sketchbook, stone, tagged fireplace, landscape-rendering, outdoor-fireplace on March 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Back in the last post we(actually it’s just “I” were trying to pull all the previous post together about this custom designed outdoor fireplace with wood storage as part of the focal point this fireplace is to become . . . a confusing sentence I think.
What I am trying to say is that it’s more [...]
Posted in conceptual drawing, design principles, stone, tagged fireplace, fireplace-design on March 13, 2008 | 1 Comment »
After some lengthy deliberation by the clients we are now closer to a final design for the large patio fireplace discussed in previous post. This was the last post where I posted a rendering showing large storage and a more conventional firebox and stone surround.
Before that I posted the below shot:
[Let's focus on [...]
Posted in stone, tagged barnstone, foundation stone, granite pavers, salvage yard, sandstone on February 25, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Sandstone and Granite pavers stacked at a salvage yard.
Great Stuff
[Granite in the foreground, some old foundation stone in back.]
Here’s another look at the yard. There’s some great stuff here, and some not-so great stuff here. Do you know which is which?
[Looking for a home.]
Posted in stone, waterfeatures, tagged backyard streams on February 3, 2008 | No Comments »
[The interplay of stone and water.]
Posted in stone on December 9, 2007 | 2 Comments »
A double set of Briar Hill sandstone walls, before the planting(s) occurred.
[Briar Hill: 7 and 3/4 inch ht. plus 1 and 3/4 ht sections. ]
This wall stone usually ships out at those heights and the length is 34 to 36 inches. I do all the “rock-facing” to create those edges and that awesome [...]
Posted in stone, tagged Bethlehem Steel, iron oe ships, merchant marine, Oglebay-Norton on December 2, 2007 | 2 Comments »
A little different thought and image for my appreciation this week. There is stone involved, trust me-you just can’t see it.
This is an image of a iron ore ship called Buckeye, and it’s owned by the Oglebay-Norton company. Back in the day(my day) this ship was called the Sparrows Point and was owned by the [...]
My hope is to use this site to spread some info about the art and practice of Landscape Design. It is a very misunderstood profession; I do not cut grass like the next door neighbor's cousin who carries 3 mowers and a blower in the back of his truck.
I will also pass along comments on industry happenings, events, etc., and any maybe a few other adventures going on in my world-after all this is "my" blog. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Questions? Drop me an e-mail.
rick (at) whisperingcraneinstitute (dot) com
