• Application of the design process to release quick imaginative expression in design
• Use of landscape ecology and ecological hierarchy theory as frameworks for spatial design
• Art and craft of the unique expression of place through material design
• Influences to be found in music, poety, literature, visual art for design of landscapes, developing student depth of 'seeing' to enrich their imaginations and expressive ability

My professional practice and consulting experience includes: Johnson Johnson & Roy, Peter Pollack Associates, and William Johnson/Peter Walker Associates all in Ann Arbor MI as well as Richard Hagg Associates and Lorna Jordan, Artist, in Seattle WA.

My life was immeasurable; enriched by opportunities to explore woodlot, streams, wetlands, ponds, and mountains as a boy.

The study of forest ecology under Professor Burt Barnes, at the University of Michigan, significantly shaped my understanding of the landscape, my approach to design practice and my design teaching.

Important colleagues and friends have left their mark. I am particularly grateful to Professor Daniel Winterbottom, at the University of Washington, for his support, passion, intellect, and his commitment to community and the expression of craft the built environment.

I believe the healthy application of our imagination is the most powerful tool for good we have. Fostering the unleashing of student imagination is a critical goal of good teaching.

The lifelong curiosity to engage creative pursuits (literature, poetry, photography, visual arts, history, music, etc.) is the fuel that feeds design of meaningful places by Landscape Architects.

The most important question for design students to ask themselves is, “What if?”