Tucson Lifestyle Home and Garden August 2012 : Page 30

“ The pioneering modern-day landscape architect Thomas Church said if you keep the man-made simple and direct it makes nature more powerful. The couple worked extensively on their project, spending a year and a half on the house plans alone. But they acknowl-edge that serendipity also played a role in the outcome. Dottie had inherited the property from her mother before she met Michael, but she had sold it. As the couple later looked for a home together, finding nothing that struck them, Dottie expressed her regret about the lot sale. “Michael went out and bought it back as a surprise,” Dottie explains. “It made me so happy. It was a wonderful experi-ence to be able to create something of our own.” Later, the perfect outdoor sculpture presented itself to the couple at a gallery in Santa Fe. “Stepping Off” by Susan Stamm Evans, depicting a woman about to take a step into something unknown, is now poised at the edge of the pool. “Sometimes you don’t know you’re looking for some-thing until you see it,” Dottie comments. There’s another unlikely piece of art in the yard — the back wall. Conceived primarily as a gesture of goodwill toward the neighbor whose view was blocked by the new home, the wall steps forward and backward along the lot line, creating a series of planting pockets. Built of alternat-ing stucco and steel panels, the wall seems flat-but-textured from some vantage points, and almost saw-toothed from oth-ers. One can watch it appear to “open and close” while walking between the master bedroom/dining room patio and the main ” patio, but because of the deep shade, it might be missed entirely at first only to be discovered later. “I just wanted to do something neat,” Michael says. Creating a plant palette for such a shady garden meant forgoing blossoms, and focusing instead on foliage color and texture, and plant shape. Sago palms and palmettos, their leaves variegated with white markings (which show very well in low light) and a purple leaf plum are part of the mix. “I like the idea of a very exuberant com-bination of plants grounded by a simple, strong, geometric, built environment,” Michael says. “The pioneering modern-day landscape architect Thomas Church said if you keep the man-made simple and direct it makes nature more powerful. My thought is always to work to enhance nature, not to mimic it.” HG Judith Ratliff, MLA, is a Tucson land-scape designer. She can be reached at 577-7391 with comments. Sources: WlB Group, www.wlbgroup.com; artist susan stamm evans, www.susanstammevans.com MADARAS AD:Layout 1 6/25/12 4:24 PM Page 1 madaras Originals Prints Gallery “First Light” “Private Space II” 3001 E. Skyline (at Campbell) Tucson, AZ 85718 • 520.615.3001 Open 7 Days (Gallery Row at El Cortijo) Madaras Fine Art Gifts Diana 1535 E. Broadway • Tucson, AZ 85719 520.623.4000 Open Monday -Friday Click on www.madaras.com for over 100 paintings 30 T ucson Lifestyle HOME & GARDEN www .tucsonlifestyle.com

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