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My mother was a fashion designer — my father and avid naturalist. The combination create in me an artistic interest in the landscape.
Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
My mother was a fashion designer — my father and avid naturalist. The combination create in me an artistic interest in the landscape.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
Gardens such as the Tiger Glen Garden which tell a story.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Stones. In Japan, stones are the essential element of gardens, so much so that the very first expression for "gardening" was "ishi wo taten koto," — the art of setting stones.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Like birthing.
What makes a design successful?
People feel calm and introspective in the garden.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
Inspiration comes from nature.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I live in the USA but my wellspring of ideas in Japan where I lived for 18 years.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
I do sketches with pencil on paper, and move to SketchUp for modeling and then Vectorworks for documentation.
What is your "golden rule" in design?
Express the essence of each material.
Who are some of your clients?
I have designed gardens for private individuals, companies and temples in Kyoto.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
Depends on the project. If I am hired to designed a garden in an existing building, then I work by myself. If the garden is to be part of a new project, then I work as part of the whole design team.
How can people contact you?
http://www.mpkeane.com
