Gary Smith's new book 'From Art to Landscape'

W. Gary Smith has authored an inspiring and personal account of his life creating art in the garden. In addition to being a personal account of his journey, this luminous story, published by Timber Press, makes the process almost seem easy. If not easy, it is always fun if Gary Smith is involved. Walking alongside Gary through the design process in his book ‘From Art to Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Landscape Design’ is very similar to walking alongside him in an actual garden - eye opening at every step.

The Southern Highlands Reserve was fortunate to have Gary join our design and planning efforts in 2002. He created our master plan and all the beautiful destination gardens such as the Woodland Glade, Wildflower Labyrinth and Azalea Walk. He was instrumental in guiding the development of the Maple Entrance and the Vaseyi Creek Walk and Pond. Throughout all these efforts, Gary was careful to continually respect the nature of the existing landscape and to honor this sensitive ecosystem in his planning. "The design process is about more than making beautiful gardens, it's also about cultivating a meaningful relationship to place — and to your inner self," writes Smith.

 In ‘From Art To Landscape’ Gary Smith explores the various means that artists use — including drawing, painting, sculpture, meditation, poetry, and dance — to create personal connections with the landscape that enrich and inform garden design. Part 1 focuses on simple techniques that anyone can use to nurture creativity, unleash the imagination, and get ideas down on paper. Part 2 shows how these techniques have shaped actual design projects.

 Throughout, Gary’s friendly and encouraging voice removes the shroud of mystery surrounding the creative process and shows how even the least artistically inclined can tap into inner resources they never knew they had. Smith’s own exuberant sketches and bold paintings illuminate the path from art to landscape. Infectiously engaging and unfailingly inspiring, this eye-opening book deserves to be read and reread by anyone who aspires to master the rich and demanding art of garden design.

 "Interesting things happen when you follow natural patterns and let go of your controlling ego," writes Smith. He encourages imagination, emotion, stories and ecological themes as starting points for landscape design. From shapes, patterns and forms to inspirations as unlikely as bundled grasses and magical symbols, Smith encourages gardeners to think like artists. He exhorts us to practice the art of seeing and to generate far more ideas than we'll ever use.

 For more on Gary Smith’s work at the Southern Highlands Reserve, Click Here.