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Date: December 19, 2007 Julie O'Farrell's career began with flowers. When she was 17 she got her first job with a neighborhood florist, the now legendary Martha E. Harris. She fell in love with the color, texture and romance of flowers. We asked her how she got from creating fabulous bouquets to creating lavish gardens and landscapes, and a few other questions, so that you can see what makes O'Farrell Landscape Design tick... Q: After Martha who profoundly influenced your work? Denise Celentano and the painter Hans Hoffman. Denise was one of my painting instructors at the University of Washington, and when she saw that my work exuded color she had me research Hoffman. He was an abstract expressionist whose work was created through color and form. Q: What was your path to landscape design? I have a Bachelor of Arts. I studied Art and Horticulture. When I was working on my degree, I "discovered" the Olmsted brothers while taking a History of Landscape Architecture class. The Olmsteds designed extraordinary parks and gardens throughout the United States. I visited the parks that they designed in Seattle and was inspired. So, I signed up to volunteer at the Friends of the Volunteer Park Conservatory, then I took an internship with the Friends of the Parks in Chicago and also worked for a Japanese Garden there. After Chicago I joined the board of Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks, and worked at the Dunn Gardens... |
