Environmental Art Explained

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Environmental art became popular in the late 20th century because of growing concern and awareness for the environment. Environmental art has several overlapping characteristics as land art or earthworks, but comments or establishes an opinion on environmental issues. As artists continue to think about the environment as a cohesive system rather than a living space, the appeal and spread of environmental art continues. Here are the basic elements of environmental art to help gain a better understanding of the term.

Exploring Humans’ Relationship With Nature

Environmental artists try to establish their relationship with the natural world in several ways. One way is through bringing their creative workspaces out of the studio and into the environment. This challenges the static concept of a specific place for creating art and instead allows a more integrated relationship with a variety of settings.

Maintaining Harmony With the Environment

Environmental art is all about working with nature instead of against it. Artists who create environmental art take special care in their processes and material usage in order to minimize damage to the surroundings. The health and wellbeing of the environment takes precedence over the artistic process, which also means environmental art is vulnerable to the same changes (such as erosion, flooding and decay).

Using Natural Materials

Besides natural settings, environmental artists use natural materials in creating art. Common examples include sticks and branches, stone, gravel, sand, flowers and leaves. The goal of environmental art is to encourage the viewer to look at the natural environment differently through art. Ultimately, the idea is to create a greater awareness of small but important details of the natural world and our effect on them.

Rethinking Exhibition Space

Taking its cue from land art, environmental art exists outside of the commercialized art world. While you may find environmental art in urban areas, you won’t find it in a museum or art gallery. This creates an enhanced accessibility for viewers and allows them to participate in art even if they have never considered or been able to visit an established institution before. A lot of environmental art means to send a message as activism and this denial of the more traditional art world factors into that by giving ownership of the art to nature rather than gallery owners and other organizations.

As science advances and environmental awareness grows, so does the power and popularity of environmental art. Artists who want to send a message about the importance of humanity’s relationship with the natural world can do so in a variety of ways through art. While environmental art exists in many facets and forms, these key elements are the most important in understanding the term.

Create a Rustic Walkway with Native Stones

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Image by Nancy Buron from Pixabay

If you’re like many homeowners who prefer a natural landscape plan, your outdoor living space undoubtedly features lush vegetation and bright, blooming flowers. However, you might also have the sense that something is missing but can’t quite put your finger on what it might be. If this describes you, the missing element is probably hardscaping. Hardscaping refers to elements of landscaping that aren’t plants, such as water features, statuary, gazebos and garden paths.

At its best, hardscaping brings functionality to the table as well as enhances aesthetics. Few things do this better than a rustic stone walkway meandering over the property. Here’s how to make it happen yourself over the course of an average weekend.

Select Your Stones

Stones used for walkways should be flat, wide and thick enough to withstand foot traffic. Choosing stone that is found naturally in your area cuts down on retail and delivery costs. Avoid using polished stones because these present potential slip-and-fall issues due to their slick surfaces. Stones that are between two and three inches thick offer better stability than their thinner counterparts and often come with a more attractive price tag as well.

Lay Out Your Walkway

The first step is to determine your walkway. Avoid straight lines — stone walkaways are meant to meander. Garden hoses are ideal for marking garden paths that curve. Use a sod cutter and a flat spade to cut and remove the grass, and dig out the soil where you want to place the stones to about a depth of five inches and make sure it’s firmly tamped down before placing landscape fabric and adding a two-inch layer of sand over it.

After smoothing down the sand so it provides a flat surface, it’s time to lay down the stones. This part is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, so take your time to figure out the placement. Be sure to use a carpenter’s level to make certain that the stones are at the same height, and add or remove sand as needed. However, if you live in an area that receives significant amounts of precipitation, slightly sloping the larger stones toward the outside of your walkaway helps prevent standing water issues.

Landscape the Walkway

Some people prefer the clean, austere aesthetic of pebble or oyster shell mulch in the gaps between the stones, while others like the rustic, tousled look provided by low-growing herbaceous plants. Corsican mint is an excellent choice because it has a bright green color all year round and releases a divine, minty aroma. Other choices include creeping thyme, rock cress, artemisia and sedum. You can also mix it up with a variety of ground covers for a classic, cottage garden look.

Home Building Pros and Cons

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How do you know if it’s better to buy or to build? There are many factors to take into consideration when trying to decide which direction to take. The most popular reasons to build a house are the freedom of customization and the lower ongoing maintenance costs, but these benefits can also have drawbacks. Buying a home is almost always quicker and more convenient and sometimes less expensive. So how do you choose? To help you decide which is best for you, we’ll go over these key benefits and disadvantages.

Building Pro: Customization and Control

When you build a home, you literally begin with a blank canvas. You can make all the decisions and get exactly what you want. You can decide on the size, location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, layout and architectural style of the home. You can also opt for specific features that might be hard to find in pre-existing homes in your area, like bay windows or a daylight basement. Everything down to the drawer-pulls and counter tops is up to you. While this can be incredibly overwhelming for some, others thrive with complete creative freedom.

Building a home also gives you control over every part of the process. You have your choice of architects, builders, real estate agents and other professionals to help you build your dream home. Building a home allows you to be involved in every stage and decision and make changes or requests at the right time. While the builder will serve as the official project manager for the build, you still get a front-row seat and can give input anytime.

Building Con: It’s a Long Process

Downside to customization and control of the process is that the process is long. Even if you go for a more hands-off approach to your home build, you’re still starting literally from the ground up. There are contracts and permits and financial processes to complete before you break ground. Once the work actually begins you will need to wait at least several months before your home is move-in ready. Delays can and often happen, whether they be due to weather, materials or labor issues. Even outside of the construction, the freedom to make all the decisions also means taking the time to make those decisions carefully. Careful planning is essential if you choose to build a home, as is flexibility and patience.

Building Pro: New = Less Maintenance

From the concrete in the foundation to the countertops in the kitchen, every piece of the home you build will be brand new. The latest and greatest materials, construction methods and system design all combine to give you peace of mind regarding maintenance. It’s common for homeowners to save thousands of dollars in maintenance costs in the first several years and beyond. Major components like roofing and HVAC systems will remain in great condition for a decade or more. Brand-new appliances and features like windows or countertops often come with warranties that last years as well. Most builders also provide their own warranties or even insurance to cover the possibility of problems or defects with the structure of the house. Overall, building a new home means you don’t have to worry about things like outdated plumbing or cracking foundations, saving you money and stress.

Building Con: New = More Expensive

Building a new house is frequently more expensive than buying an existing home. All the reasons above can factor into this cost: builder fees, custom material choices, brand-new appliances and more. The larger and more custom your home design is, the higher the price, especially if you request specific non-standard components and materials. Labor also accounts for a significant amount of the cost, as your builder will hire out an entire team of individuals to do the best work possible. Getting a construction loan will help you finance the project, but most require large down payments that will cost you more up front. You being involved in every part of the process also means your money being involved in every part of the process and that includes any unexpected expenses that may arise.

There are exceptions to all the above. Not every home building project takes an extremely long time and not all pre-existing homes are immediately move-in ready. There are plenty of ways to save money on a custom home build just as there are plenty of ways to pay unexpectedly large amounts for an existing home. Creating a detailed breakdown of your wants and needs and building a well-informed budget will help you decide which option is best for you.