Question
Dear Jonathan:
I am a trained industrial designer and sculptor with more than 25 years of working expereience here in Venezuela and abroad.Recently I've turned my interest towards landcape design and I am currently taking the short "paisajismo" (landscaping) course we give to the interior design students of the design school I direct  here in the city of Valencia.
However, I inted to take further couses abroad  and reading your range of work, in particular ecolgical lanscaping, etc. that sounded good to me since as you probably now we have an absolutely fantastic and exotic  tropical vegetation and landscapes of all sorts here in Venezuela.
I know Brazil has a tradition in that area and in fact we have here in Caracas a few gardens and parks designed by  the notorious  brazilian lanscape architect Roberto Burle-Marks back in the late 50s and 60s.
Jonathan:
Where can I learn more about integrating sculptures,instalations, ecological landscaping and tropical vegetation into landscaping?
Are there any courses that you know of?
Thank you
carlos qintana

Answer
Hello Carlos, I think that you are making the right move by moving towards nature as a design inspiration- you won't look back.

I am living in Italy and curiously I was in Valencia just last weekend- it's very beautiful! I admire Burle Marx's work, particularly the confidence he has with colurs- lots of South American energy!

Here in Italy there aren't really very many universities that specialise in landscape architecture and I wouldn't reccomend them as a introduction to this art. However, the U.K is way ahead in this field and the scholastic structure is really very good.

I don't have any direct contacts in the UK as I have been away for nearly 15 years but I can reccomend a site that I write for www.gardendesigner.com which has some good info. One look on the net under garden design courses will take you to some interesting sites.

If you do want to come to Italy to study I will give you some more info, gladly. Good luck, stay in touch!!

Jonathan