Freeland Tanner Designs
Artistic Acknowledgements and Achievements
Freeland Tanner tin work 2016
My approach to landscape and garden design begins with the home or building style and the natural setting it is part of. This design becomes a cohesive extension of the home as well as taking into consideration all the site has to offer. My design layout utilizes existing aspects such as views, hillsides, and natural rock formations. In more open settings, my designs include intimate private garden spaces, with focal point views for clients to enjoy. My garden design style also includes outdoor garden structures, such as arbors, pergolas, gazebos, and outdoor kitchens.
In planting schemes, a tree or plant's shapes and foliage becomes an artistic starting point. Plants may have colored or textured leaves, trees may have wonderful branch structure and bark textures that can be utilized in an visually dynamic manner. "Layering" of these plants in a setting adds an additional point of interest and scale. Plants may also be used to create visual motion and movement in a garden design.
PUBLICITY & RECOGNITION:
1998: Outstanding Garden of the Year award from the California Horticultural Society.
2000-2004: HGTV: Home & Garden Television Series, including shows such as "A Gardener's Diary".
2012: National Garden Tour: "Private Lives: The American Domestic Landscape" sponsored by the Garden Conservancy Foundation of America.
1997 to current year 2018: National and regional magazine publications. Tanner designed gardens are featured in magazines such as SUNSET, TRADITONAL HOME, BETTER HOMES & GARDENS, GARDEN GATE, COUNTRY GARDENS, HORTICULTURE and GARDEN DESIGN.
FEATURES IN BOOK PUBLICATIONS:
1998: Gardens of the Wine Country, by Molly Chappellet.
2011: Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces, by Rebecca Sweet.
2013: Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture and Form, by Rebecca Sweet.
Landscape Design
Garden Sculptures & Repurposed Art
Artistic or whimsical garden sculptures can add an element of surprise in a client's garden.
I have designed and constructed unique art sculptures for private and pubic spaces. Some of these original pieces include repurposed building materials.
I enjoy the creative process of repurposing and recycling materials into artistic forms. In my elaborate birdhouses, I incorporate tree branches, twigs and other discarded wood products in their construction.
I have designed and built unique garden furniture and fence privacy panels out of wine barrel metal strapping sections. Old garden tools, watering cans and vintage metal flower frogs have become highly decorative and functional garden gates and wall art pieces.
2011 to 2012: First large scale garden art sculpture commission for client.
2014 to 2017: First public art sculptures for Yountville Art Walk in Napa Valley, California.
Metal sculpture "Trellis Way to the Sky"
Wood sculpture "A New Spin"
MAGAZINE PUBLICATIONS:
2015: Better Homes & Gardens: Country Gardens " THE ART OF THE GARDEN"
2017: Better Homes & Gardens, Vintage Garden Style: "THE ART OF THE GARDEN".
Art Works
I have developed a unique form of wood sculptures based on my appreciation of antique "Tramp Art", the genre of making hand crafted art pieces from reclaimed wood. My sculpture pieces are elaborate, engaging and highly detailed, containing anywhere from 500 to over 50,000 individual hand cut notches.
My art work designs begin as hand sketches. The inspiration comes from nature, and includes traditional folk art symbols as birds, flora, stars and hearts.
I also look upon historic decorative styles such as Rococo, French Art Nouveau and New Mexican tin work for additional design concepts.
These sketches are then redrawn in a computer using AUTOCAD software. My next steps are cutting out paper patterns from these drawings. These patterns are then ready for the wood working process.
After cutting, sanding and hand notching the wood pieces they are assembled and ready for finishes. Wood stains, vibrant color paints and silver or brass components are then applied to the art pieces.
2009: Book feature "Tramp Art, One Notch at a Time", by Clifford Wallach
2010: MUSEUM EXHIBTION in Napa Valley: California. "Handcrafted in America, Reinterpreting Tradition". Artist display of 16 each highly crafted and notched wooden boxes and frames.
2012: FIRST GALLERY EXHIBITION: The Grand Hand Gallery in Napa, California. Exhibit included "twig & branch" mirrors and tables.
March 2017 to September 2018: MAJOR MUSEUM EXHIBITION: Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This "Tramp Art" museum exhibit features Freeland's creations that are notched and layered pieces, and a few of his new folk art pieces inspired by antique New Mexican tin work art.
2017: book feature "No Idle Hands the myths & meanings of Tramp Art" by Laura Addison