Dan's Papers - June 12, 2009 - Landscape Pleasures: It's all about Color

Color is the focus of the Parrish Art Museum's Landscape Pleasures presentation this coming weekend. The seminar on Saturday morning will feature a series of speakers who will illustrate how color has been used historically in the garden, explain its role in today's trends in gardening and horticulture, and how it relates to fashion and lifestyle. A benefit cocktail party will be held at the home of interior designer Mica Ertegun on Saturday evening, and the Sunday garden tour conveniently takes place entirely in Southampton this year. It is possible to choose a la carte from the three events this coming weekend, but I, like so many others, prefer to immerse myself in the program and attend all three.

As usual, the Parrish has tapped an impressive roster of speakers - that's my favorite part of this annual event. It may be difficult to stay indoors in a darkened auditorium and look at slides when it is so beautiful outside, but this year, like every year, the Parrish has pulled together an avant-garde assortment of professionals that will surely captivate the audience, and provide new perspectives on the historical pursuit of landscape design.

Noted author and landscape historian Judith Tankard will guide us through Gertrude Jekyll, Ellen Shipman and Beatrix Farrand's famous use of color in their designs, and illustrate for us how we got where we are today, based on the work of these masters from the past. Dan Pearson, a UK garden expert and TV show host, will discuss his experiences at Home Farm. He will also explore our modern sensibilities, and how that translates into trends in gardening and landscape design, and how the use of color can create an ambiance or evoke a mood.

Building on this last subject, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and interior designer Charlotte Moss will present an in-depth discussion about how color is a part of our homes, gardens, taste for fashion, and lifestyle.

The garden tour this year will certainly give insight into the personal taste of several beautiful gardens that all show a clear and well-defined sense of style. Color is a personal choice and whether you prefer muted mixed greens, cool color palettes with banks of the quintessential hostas and hydrangeas, or ebulliently mixed colors of rose arbors and cut flower gardens that draw the eye and feet out into the landscape, the tour will present wonderful examples of each.

This is a fantastic way to see the garden style of others, and get a real sense of Southampton's summer lushness. Judith Tankard's discussion of how modern tastes borrow from and revisit the styles of the landscape designers from the past century will also be quite rewarding. The tour visits some marvelous belle époque homes that have been lovingly restored and maintained. Beautiful homes like these highlight why so many have flocked here through the years to relax amidst the beautiful landscapes and enjoy this marvelous seaside resort town.

Landscape Pleasures: Saturday June 13 & Sunday June 14. Symposium starts 9 a.m. on Saturday. Cocktail party 6-9 p.m. Garden Tours on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tickets: Symposium, Garden Tour, and Benefit Committee Cocktail Party at the home of Mica Ertegun tickets range from $300 to $1,000.

Symposium and Garden Tour only: $125 Parrish members; $175 Non-members. Contact the Parrish Art Museum, 631-283-2118 with any questions.