I can recall vividly all the water features I saw as a child.  In Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, VI, there is an island called Water Island.  My family visited friends there regularly.  They had a beautiful water feature with a small river in which I enjoyed playing with a small plastic frogman toy.  When I was six years old we moved to Miami Beach, FL.  I remember being fascinated by the fire and water display at an oriental restaurant, called the Luau, that was near our home.  A pivotal event that led to the development of Patio Paradise Fountains was a conversation I had with a friend in the early 70’s. His name is John Pick.  Our families were young and we both enjoyed taking our kids to Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL. On one visit, he started a conversation about the natural beauty of the place. He asked if I was aware of the concept of “Visual Lines”. I said “No”. He went on to describe how all the plants in the park grew in the soils to which they were adapted.  Certain trees required dryer soils, and so grew further away from the spring head and river run that led to the St. John’s River. Those requiring more water grew closer to the water’s edge. Smaller plants, liking to get their feet wet, grew right in the water. This created a progression and variety of foliage that you could trace. That is, if your mind’s eye was open, you could trace a visual line from the tallest tree in the distance to the smallest blade of grass at your feet. He helped me to see that to follow this exercise had wonderful effects on the human psyche. If the rangers came along, and for the sake of safety for the canoeists cut down a palm tree that was leaning out over the run, then it would create a disturbing break in the visual line that might take years to fill in. I began to follow this exercise when I viewed the banks of clouds, the shapes of trees, and even aquatic plants lining the edge of rivers and lakes . I liken it to the feelings I get when I hear a musical chord. If one note is out of place, the effects can be jarring to the ear, to the soul.  If the harmony is there, we are moved to joy and our inner self is happier for it.

I get this feeling every time I think of the Coquina rock in the surf at Washington Oaks State Gardens. Take a moment to follow that link if you’re not familiar with Washington Oaks.

More recently, when I undertook a study of Ancient Philosophical Taoism, I was delighted to see how the forces of the element of water and its effects on the world around us were so deeply appreciated by the Ancient Chinese. There is a special moment that I try to recapture in each fountain I create. A moment of inspiration you might say.  It was back in the early seventies when I was collecting real Coquina rock to use to build a fountain.  As I was trying to unearth a particularly stubborn stone, it began to rain.  This stone had a few pockets where soil had collected and small plants were growing.  As I was kneeling down, struggling to free it from the ground, I was getting completely soaked.  But there was a spark of creativity that I captured in that moment:  Coquina rock, plants, the sight and sound of running water.   This experience is used as a basis for my short story: “Gaudi and Whitman, Fountains of My Inspiration”.

I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times my customers have told me about the endless hours of pleasure they derive from my fountains. Some use their fountain as part of their religious or spiritual life.  Just as water and rock are universal, so my fountains have been adorned with universal religious motifs: a Cross, a Buddha, and the Virgin. Several people have told me how they regularly say their Prayers or the Rosary in front of their fountain. Check out photos of some of these fountains and some of those I have built for places of worship.  These are some of the rewards I have received that make my work pleasurable.