MARBLEHEAD — Cate Oranchak of Arlington is an artist who paints and sculpts, only not in the usual way. She paints the land, in the greens and browns of grass and soil and in flowering plants of every color. And she sculpts it, constructing roads and pathways, moving boulders and stones and the earth itself until the form suits her.
She does it on a big scale on projects like the Cincinnati Riverfront Park, a derelict parking lot between that city's football and baseball stadiums, an area perched at the edge of the Ohio River.
Working for Boston- and San Francisco-based designer Sasaki Associates, Oranchak, 47, will fill that space with trees and grass, fountains and restrooms. Moreover, everything will be done in a manner designed to absorb the Ohio's periodic floods.
"It's a fairly new approach," she says. "Working with nature rather than trying to tame it."
Oranchak works on a smaller scale, too — as small as the backyard, fighting the brown spot on her lawn. "My yard is nothing to write home about," she says. Or growing vegetables in her garden. Landscaping is something she's been doing for 20 years.
This Sunday at 3 p.m., Oranchak brings her expertise to the Marblehead Arts Association for a lecture called "Stick and Stones: The Sculptural Landscape." Admission is $10 for nonmembers.
It's a timely visit, director Deb Greel said, at a time when North Shore residents are peeking out their doors and venturing forth to put their yards back into shape after a hard winter.
Oranchak began as a more conventional artist but found her talents meshed wonderfully in landscaping. Her drawing skills are put to good use helping to envision how a project — a park or the exterior of a building — should look. The models she constructs further the vision.
Choosing the right materials, stones, mulch, soil, plants and roadway surfaces is essential in any project, even in the backyard. And it's not so very different from choosing the right color paint.
On the other hand, there is a difference. Most conventional artwork is by and large static. But nature plays a role in landscaping. So do the clients and even the gardeners who will care for Oranchak's work. Change is a given, and Oranchak tries to anticipate how her projects might evolve over the years.
"A lot of thought goes into what happens. ... It's one of the hardest things about our job — a lot of the work I do ends up being for the public to enjoy." And the most she can do is try "to keep an eye on it," or offer advice to her former clients.
This recalls the nation's pioneering landscaper, Frederick Law Olmstead, who fashioned New York's Central Park and Boston's Emerald Necklace. They've changed a lot over the years, too. Olmstead probably wouldn't be too happy with some of the changes, Oranchak said.
But much of what landscapers do will endure. And if Olmstead could come back, Oranchak said, "He'd be happy the Necklace is still there." Just as Cincinnati Riverfront Park will be there for many years to come.
Her advice for backyard landscapers
Do
r Seek out plants native to New England, plants that will thrive in this climate.
r Some residents need salt-resistant grass. "Marblehead has salt spray from the water." Even those much farther inland can get sprinkled by salt trucks each winter.
r Give compacted earth some help. "The soil needs water and air."
Don't
r Ignore where the water is going to go. Neglected drainage can leave backyard gardeners with flooded basements and big puddles in the yard.
r Overdo with certain plants. "People fall in love with plants, but they don't understand their needs." Study the environment where a plant is proposed to go. Will it need more shade? Will it get enough water?
r Forget to anticipate how big your tiny plant is likely to grow. Be the boss and cut them back when necessary. "You can get rough with your plant. You can make them conform to your clippers."
