Education is the lifeblood of any industry. Education is also the classic example of something which is extremely important, but rarely urgent. Without perceived urgency, education becomes something of a hindrance in a short term view - in that it takes one away from their business. However, this is one reason all should seek out opportunities to learn and step away from the daily tasks within a corporate structure to expand one's capabilities and perspective. Thus, when presented an opportunity to attend Artistic Resources & Training's (ART) inaugural class the weekend before one of the busiest weeks in any Pool Contractor's year - Pools by John Clarkson decided to send a representative.
After arriving on Friday, ART's instructors Mark Holden and David Tisherman organized a trip to tour Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home. He began building this home, studio and architectural campus in 1937; as a place to escape Wisconsin winters with his wife and apprentices. He wintered here until his death in 1959 and some of his apprentices still live at on the campus. Taliesin West is now the main campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Saturday the 18th of May, the classes began at Pebble Technology's home office. The first course was "ART: The Color of Water" taught by Shawn Still of Olympic Pool Plastering and Shawn Hays of Blue Concrete. The class deconstructed swimming pool interior finishes and discussed the process of generating custom plaster formulations, including a conversation on pigments used to create different color blends. During the class, the students participated in labs where experiments were performed on different plaster materials and students were able to create their own custom plaster sample.
On Sunday, the class was provided a site plan and pictures of an existing house, and instructed to create a detailed design. From drainage to materials and placement of critical features with equipment specs - the entire project needed to be considered. Using different mediums, such as hand drawings or CAD drawings; the students presented their concepts to a panel of instructors and in front of their peers to be evaluated. The attendees came away with a better understanding of the importance of every little detail, which needs to be both considered and decided before they present to a prospective client.Pools by John Clarkson views education and training as a critical focus in our business. The more we can learn, the more we can provide for our customers.
