Rick Eckersley Launches Rogue Art Of A Garden
Located on the Mornington Peninsula, Musk is the culmination of decades of experimentation in Australian landscape garden making. It is also an emphatic expression of the loose, almost painterly approach to landscape design that Rick is renowned for.
“Rogue is the story of an artist, his love of nature, and the expression of that love in an extraordinary garden. The book gives us an insight into the design mastery of Rick Eckersley and the deep connection to place of his own rural garden, Musk”, Andrew Laidlaw, landscape architect at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne.
Rogue: Art of a Garden documents and explores this remarkable Australian and the sensibility that produced it. Much like the garden itself, the publication is far from orthodox.
“For years, I’ve resisted mounting pressure to write another ‘how-to’ guide to garden design”, explains Rick. “In part, I’m reluctant to add yet another to the many that already crowd our bookshelves. Mostly though, I’m simply no longer interested in the ‘how-to’ of garden making.”
While evocative photography by Will Salter takes the reader on a journey through the garden’s plantings, textures, spaces and cycles, the book foregoes the typical series of accompanying explanatory essays. Instead, a selection of artworks by Australian artists, created in response to the garden, form richly subjective layers of interpretation.
Short reflections by Rick of his work on the garden and his learnings from a lifetime spent working within the Australian landscape, round out a publication that strives to capture the spirit of a landscape that has transcended the dogma and conventions of Australian gardening, to become an immersive, total work of art.
“While you, the reader, might not have had the opportunity to visit Musk, my hope is that this book works to take you there, that you’re able to lose yourself in the garden’s shifting textures, colours and moods, as captured by the photographs and artworks within these pages”, writes Rick. “I hope it allows you to experience a few contemplative moments of refuge.”
Rogue: Art of a Garden is available to purchase from selected stores Australia-wide, including Eco Outdoor. You can purchase Rick Eckersley’s book online here.
