Landscape Architect W. Gary Smith of W. Gary Smith Design released a new book this year that lets the reader take part in the garden design.
His book, "Garden Grotesque: Coloring for the Creative Mind," is a coloring gbook filled with Smith's illustrations. You visit each garden and fill in the colors you want to add.
Smith has many years of experience designing gardens in real life, not just illustration. Recently completed projects include The Luci and Ian Family Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, The John C. Wister Rhododendron Garden at Tyler Arboretum, and Lost Hollow: The Kimbrell Children’s Garden at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Projects that are currently in design or construction are The Woodland Garden Revival at the New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, The Ojos y Manos Children’s Garden at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, and a new master plan for the Toronto Botanical Garden.
"This is my first opportunity to work in the realm of total fantasy," Smith says. "With coloring projects ranging from simple to complex, you'll find the perfect creative challenge you desire on any given day. I look forward to bringing you relaxation and relief from the stresses of life."
In addition to receiving numerous project awards over recent years from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, Smith received the Landscape Design Award from the American Horticultural Society. His other book, "From Art to Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Garden Design," received an AHS Garden Book Award. Smith was also named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2013.
Buy his new coloring book here.