Merging Yard work, art, and Japan
About the owner
Yard Work
Working outdoors with plants has always been one of my passions. As a kid, I worked on most yard projects for my family and extended family as a prologue to working as part of a landscaping crew, where I got instruction and practice in the basics of pruning, and eventually studying and taking classes in landscape design and specifically Japanese Pruning.
Art
My family has always had an artistic gene, and while I trail behind several of my siblings in the more traditional arts, I have managed to develop an artist’s eye of my own. Several art classes have helped to give me an appreciation for the elegant forms often found in nature and hone the creativity and imagination needed to prune for a more artistic result.
Japan
My interest in Japan began with the Samurai, but swiftly expanded to their interests and arts, chief among them Japanese Gardening. I have been a long time supporter of the Portland Japanese Garden, but when I finally made it to Japan and got to take in the original gardens in person, there was no comparison. I strive to bring the level of precision and care so evidence in those gardens home.
Japanese Maple pruning truly is the culmination of several different passions of mine. Done properly, it is an artistic process and hence as individual as any artist’s personal style. I prune to draw out the inherent beauty in these wonderful trees and bring a piece of traditional Japan the limelight.