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Pondspectives with Mike

A Review of 'The R.I.S.E. Method' Water Feature Design Book

By Mike Garcia

I recently came across a new book by fellow veteran pond builder extraordinaire Rick Bartel. Rick is an accomplished pond builder who developed his method of pond building into word form. Rick calls it the R.I.S.E. method.

R.I.S.E. stands for Random, Irregular, Spontaneous and Erratic. This year, Rick released his book, "The R.I.S.E. Method: A How-To Guide for Designing and Installing Natural Appearing Ponds, Streams and Waterfalls." The book already has reached bestseller status in its category.

The long-awaited book gives an in-depth look at how to build a pond and achieve a truly naturalistic appearance in pond design. R.I.S.E techniques in pond building emulate nature in a precise way. It is easy to follow the process, and even veteran pond builders can learn something new.

The 132-page book features glossy pages and 24 chapters with more than 100 photos to show pond builders of any experience level how to master the art of aesthetics in a very short time. I have read nearly all the books available on pond building (there are not many), and what I like about this book is the use of graphics in many instances, instead of photographs, to remove all the unnecessary clutter that does not accurately describe the technique being discussed.

The graphics make this book a usable installation manual for contractors. The graphics and text simplify a very complex subject of pond building as an art, which includes all of the complex elements, attributes and characteristics that make a water feature look natural. Only a true master can take the complex and break it down to its most basic form.

When all the basic forms come together in the R.I.S.E. method, an amazing thing happens ... art is made and a masterpiece is created. You can get Rick’s book through Rival Publications as well as on Amazon.com. This is a must for all pond builder libraries.

Have you seen this book or used this method? What are your thoughts on it?

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A Review of 'The R.I.S.E. Method' Water Feature Design Book

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Hey Rick, I received a copy of your book and I devoured it back in March. I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks for the nice work in disecting the complex attributes of naturalistic design so that contractors such as mtse4lf can increase our level of proficiency in quality water feature design and installation. Michael Gannon Full Service Aquatics Michael Gannon, New York, NY Posted: 5/20/2011 10:46:07 AM My Christmas present from my crew was a copy of this awesome book! It is about time that someone in this industry produced some valued and beneficial information and resources that can be used for the growth of our industry. Congratulations to Rick on a job well done. Tim, Freeport, IL Posted: 1/1/2011 6:08:37 PM I enjoyed this book almost as much as I enjoy the seminars that Rick teaches! Great information that any water feature contractor or designer would want to have access to! Are there any other books by Rick? Toby, Minneapolis, MN Posted: 1/1/2011 2:35:01 PM I have been waiting patiently for this information to come out in book form and I was not disappointed. Tons of great reference material all in one convenient location. The book is great and the information is exactly what I need to step up my level of proficiency. Andrew, Akron, OH Posted: 1/1/2011 1:56:01 PM