The Walker Rock Garden | |
 | A Folk Art Masterpiece of Seattle |
Map of Garden
The Walker Rock Garden is a showpiece of inspired whimsy, and a terrific illustration of the principle that anyone can become an artist. It was built by Milton Walker and his wife Florence in the back yard of their West Seattle home during off-hours between 1958 and 1980. A machinist at Boeing, Milton Walker was fascinated by rocks collected on hikes with his family; his earliest stonework dates from 1943. Creating the garden gradually became an obsession with Milton, an untutored genius whose baroque and colorful creations soon filled most of his property, sited on a green hillside overlooking Puget Sound.
Milton Walker cut and fitted virtually all these stones himself. He loved the textures and colors of rock, and devoted his spare time to presenting them in novel and contrasting ways. The garden grew like topsy, with never a plan committed to paper; its unifying theme was the beautiful patterns revealed in the stones, and the playful arrangement of building materials into intricate patterns. These materials--many-hued agate, rough cobblestones, big chunks of translucent rose quartz, eroded sandstone, rough bubbly magma, glossy black obsidian, fragments of colored glass and tile--are handsomely set off. Lush plantings, a shady patio, and the plashing fountain in the center, together orchestrate a restful mood in the midst of busy and complex layers of stonework.
The garden, located in the back yard of thee Walkers' private home, was maintained to a high standard. The garden is no longer open to the public.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All pictures shown on this web page are copyright © 1999, 2009 by Larry S. Neilson unless otherwise noted. Reproduction, sale, or use of any images shown herein without prior written permission of the artist is expressly prohibited. Individual works' priorcopyright information is separately noted. To discuss terms for picture usage, call (206) 498-5725 or enquire by e-mail.
Delivery Truck
Decorated by Larry Steiner
