Tricia Oconnell

About Tricia Oconnell

After twenty successful, glorious years of designing physical spaces for film and advertising clients, I went back to my roots- as an artist and activist- to find another stage to effect real change in the world. Discovering the ability of landscape architecture to naturally fuse meaning with place and program- and the having the opportunity to improve not only the environment, but our sense of community and connectedness, was a game changer for me. Originally from Chicago, I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and am thrilled to showcase the natural bounty that California offers and incorporate elements that fuse indoor and outdoor living in the high-end residential projects I design with Sanctuary Landscape Architecture. With my many years of experience as an Art Director and Photostylist, I am able to easily envision transformations of space and have an exceptional eye for detail and sensitivity to surfaces, qualities of light and movement, and overall experience and expression of a particular place. Creating sustainable landscapes and reading the place and the people who use the place with sensitivity is of particular importance to me. I am a Committee Member of the Southern California chapter of ASLA and have been the Liaison to Students for the four universities within our jurisdiction for three years now and oversee the Honor and Merit Awards. I co-founded the Green Team at Aldama Elementary in Highland Park, in 2018 and serve on the Guidance Committee of the Landscape Architecture Program at UCLA Extension, have acted as a guest critic at UCLA Extension and Cal Poly Pomona, and volunteer on various projects to foster growth in the next generation of landscape architects. I do smaller residential and schoolyard greening projects through my firm Terra/ Soma Landscape Architecture, and am a robust champion of California\'s beautiful native flora and fauna.

Experience

1. Senior Landscape Architect

   Ecocentrix Landscape Architecture

   Feb 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Bachelor of Fine Arts - BFA, Painting

• UCLA Extension

  Graduate Certificate, earned with Distinction, Landscape Architecture

Skills

• Film
• Still Life
• Photos
• Commercials
• Photography
• Art Direction
• Portraits
• Art
• Advertising