Gauri Chhabra
If such be Nature’s holy plan
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
William Wordsworth
This immortal verse of Wordsworth not only lament the degeneration of the bounties of Nature but also makes a clarion call to mankind to rejuvenate and revive the green belts somehow lost in the extreme urbanization.Nowadays it is difficult to find houses with open gardens in front. Most of the houses have been either converted to boxed apartments that seldom give us the space to breathe. And if you happen to live in such an apartment and you pine for a greenery right in the middle of the balcony on the fourteenth floor, you just need a landscape artist! Looking at landscaping as just planting trees in the garden and constructing walkways is taking a myopic view of it. It has much more scope and more potential than it used to have just a decade back. A spurt in the amount of real estate, and consequently, the reduction of green cover has led many environment conscious people to create a green cover on their balcony, in the backyard and even in the middle of their living rooms.
Landscaping as a nomenclature refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of a land, that is, flora, fauna, structures, man-made structures, lighting, and the like. And even though landscaping has become somewhat synonymous with gardening and anything to do with renovating a garden, making elevations, walkways, erecting lightposts and planting showy trees, landscaping is really about anything that alters the landscape in any way. Today landscaping has become a lifestyle art, hence landscaping as a job has become especially lucrative. To learn the job, most young people enter the landscaping business as an apprentice to an already established landscape artist, and only then they can speared their own wings in this exciting field.
Who is a Landscape Designer?
Landscape designer is one who is mainly involved into designing services like residential townships landscaping services, horticultural landscape design services, commercial landscape designing services. He mainly takes into account the natural environment and maintains a harmonious relation with it .He works in association with surveyors, engineers, environmental scientists and building architects.
Job Profile:
* Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
* Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
* Submit preliminary or finished artwork or project plans to clients for approval, incorporating changes as necessary.
* Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications in order to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
* Cut, bend, laminate, arrange, and fasten individual or mixed raw and manufactured materials and products to form works of art.
* Create sculptures, statues, and other three-dimensional artwork by using abrasives and tools to shape, carve, and fabricate materials such as clay, stone, wood, or metal.
* Develop project budgets for approval, estimating time lines and material costs.
* Model substances such as clay or wax, using fingers and small hand tools to form objects.
How to Become a Landscape Artist
There are many institutes which provide training in the nuances of the art of landscaping. The best way to ensure a good career in landscaping would be through joining such an institute, and after passing the requirements, doing an apprenticeship under the supervision of an artist, till you are really capable of handling contracts individually. Landscape artists either work independently or through a firm. While there are many advantages of working independently, starting off with a firm would be an intelligent decision as it helps you establish yourself in this field of business among a community of landscapers.
Landscape Artist or Landscape Architect?
Whereas landscape artist and landscape architect are being used interchangeably there is a subtle difference between the two. The former refers to anyone who designs a garden regardless of education, experience, or anything else. That does not mean that a particular garden designer is not a great designer. It simply means that there is no criteria other than that the person designs gardens. The latter is a licensed professional much like an architect, who typically needs to have at least a four year degree in landscape architecture, two years of internship with a licensed landscape architect.
The courses and diplomas in this field are:
* M.Arch, Landscape Architecture, Pune
* PG Diploma in Landscape Architecture Chhattisgarh University
* B. Sc. (Landscape Architecture) Distance Learning, Chhattisgarh University
* Certificate Course in Landscape Designing , Pune( Duration- 3 months)
* Master Of Landscape Architecture, New Delhi ,School of Planning and Architecture
* Bachelor of Architecture:Advanced Landscaping ,Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
No specific training or education is required to become a Landscape Artist. Many Landscape Artists have simply combined natural artistic ability with years of gardening experience and launched a new career working as a consultant in a garden center or opening their own small business. Others may already be employed in landscape maintenance and wish to expand their opportunities by working as a Landscape Artist. For those preferring more formal training, many courses are available through community colleges and online. Membership in a trade organization, such as the Association of Professional Designers, may be helpful in your quest to become a Landscape Artist.
Associated Careers:
Because of the numerous skills involved in landscape architecture, there are many related careers that landscape architects can move into. The most closely related field is, of course, architecture itself, but a career switch to straight architecture will require even more time and education. Many landscape architects find satisfying careers as landscape supervisors, landscape designers or consultants, drafters, environmental planners, or golf course designers. Civil engineering and urban planning are also fields of interest to landscape architects, as is the field of botany.
Therefore, for those of you who have a creative flair and lament what man has made of man, this is the best profession to restore Nature’s glory in its pure and pristine form.
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