A day at Dia Beacon!
Maybe you’ve been or maybe you’ve never even heard about Dia let alone their location in Beacon so let me introduce you. Dia Beacon occupies the former Nabisco box-printing factory on the Hudson River. According to its Wiki page Dia Beaon is one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country for modern and contemporary art - wow! That makes sense because the work exhibited takes up a lot of space like this Richard Serra piece below…
Richard Serra
There are individual galleries fashioned specifically for the creations from individual artists like Richard Serra (scroll down), Michael Heizer, Dan Flavin, Louise Bourgeois and more!
When the Land Art artists began they wanted to remove the white wall gallery space from their work, which is why they went outside. Folks like Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, Agnes Denes, Walter Di Maria, James Turrell explored art in relation to nature and the ephemerality of it all.
A part of me always giggles when I see their work indoors but I’m happy to be walking around it out of the rain.
Dan Flavin (this photo does not do his work justice. A real must see in person)
Robert Smithson Gravel Mirrors with Cracks and Dust, 1968
Mario Merz
Robert Smithson
Dan Flavin
Joan Jonas
Pro-Choice Mug Fundraiser Recap & Transparency
Thank you to everyone who purchased a Pro-Chocie mug and shared our fundraiser!
It was a warm and beautifully sunny day on June 24th 2022. I was driving down a windy road to a meeting that I was very excited for. While stopped to get gas I looked at my news app, which emblazoned in red letters that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. WHAT!? This couldn’t be ethical… There I stood dumb founded… Was this the Twilight Zone? Did I hit my head? No, the decision to dismantle 50 years of legal protection and the ability for women to make a private choice about their health and wellness just gone. This ruling has paved the way for individual states to place strict limits and even outright ban abortion rights. It’s a ridiculous ruling that will hurt many many lives. =(
I was really pissed and luckily we had extra unglazed mugs to spare! So we got to work….
Thank you to The Jealous Curator for highlighting our fundraiser on their daily art newsletter!
Each Pro-Choice ceramic mug was mad using a Laguna speckled tan clay, which was thrown on our Shimpo potter's wheel. Once thrown and trimmed each mug body is joined with a hand crafted handle and allowed to dry. After their first round in the bisque kiln we then hand paint each phrase - My Body My Choice, Abortion is Healthcare, Keep Abortion Legal, Hands off My Body and more.
Using wax resist we painted the selected phrase. Once the wax was dry we then dipped each mug in our glossy lamb's white glaze. Once pulled out of the glaze the wax resist repeals the glaze to reveal the phrase. It’s pretty awesome! Watch a video here. After each piece was glazed we fire it in our kiln and like magic it’s ready to head off to its new home with you!
So let’s break down what funds:
This round we sold 105 mugs, which we pledged $70 to donate from each mug sale. We opened the Pro-Choice mugs to our wholesale clients and sold 30, which we pledged to donate $20.
Finally we hosted an instagram story sale, which raised $50 giving us a grand total of $8000 to be split between Planned Parenthood and Abortion Funds Network!
Below are the receipts.
Artist Nicole Helen Brunner standing in front of 100 Pro-Choice Mugs
My Birthday @ Mass MOCA
Ever try to plan a birthday for a winter baby? I think we can all agree that winter birthdays are really limited in where we can celebrate. Typically it’s too cold to go outside or it’s snowing and most people in the winter just want to stay home and snuggle. While I’m pretty fine doing just that, this year I needed something a bit different. I’ve felt so far removed from seeing art in person so my partner and I decided to take a road trip to Mass MOCA to see James Turrell’s exhibition, Into The Light!
In most areas of the museum we were not allowed to take photos so we snuck what we could and all the rest of our photos are of Mass Moca’s walls… weird, I know but stay with me. Mass Moca is located in downtown North Adams, MA. The building was converted from an old electric factory into the museum in 1986 (the year of my birth!), which as you can imagine has some really beautiful old paint markings. I highly suggest reading about the history of their building here.
I absolutely love old buildings. They hold so much energy and history. And what’s fun about this space is that you can see where old walls and windows used to be - they don’t try to hide it. The building itself is a work of art.
Can taking a Bath be a Hobby? - We sure think so!
For those who enjoy self care by spending hours in a hot bath
Let’ be real…I consider taking a bath a paradise away from all things crazy. The warmth of the water washes away all of my worries, soothes my aches and provides a much needed respite from the daily grind.
With the looming threat of dropping my beloved phone into the hot water, I’m forced to check out. This has been so beneficial to this work-a-holic mostly because running a small business makes it difficult to shut off. I‘m sure that many more non small business owners can also agree!
Every hobby I have picked up in someway or another starts to creep into my business. So I doubled down on my bath time experience and dubbed it my Hobby (capital H because it’s that important). Now trust me that it’s been a much debated hobby in this house but I’m not budging on my stance. So if you’re in a similar position or just simply love baths, here are a few items that have improved my bath time experience.
I would love to know your favorites in the comments!
Dr. Teal’s Foaming Bath with Epson Salt in Lavender
Dr. Teal’s Foaming Bath with Epsom Salt with Lavender
A bath full of bubbles reminds me of being a kid. It feels extravagant to sink into bubble bath but maybe that’s what we’ve been needing.
Epsom Salt is my gateway Bath time addition. I’m not sure why but Epsom Salt feels like the most adult move to pour in a cup or two into a filling bath tub. I’ve been using unscented epsom salt so that I can add other scented items to the mix like the bubble bath mentioned above.
Unless you have a deep soaking bathtub you’re going to need overflow drain cover.
I know I’ve said this for other things but this is also a game changer! When I take a bath I want to be surrounded by as much water as I can get.
Bath Brush from Derm Store
I don’t think I could love a brush like this more. It’s easy to use and really removes all that dead skin all over my body.
So that my skin doesn’t get too sensitive I limit the use of this brush to once or twice a week.
I like to set the mood with a candle or two or three depending on how relaxed I want to get.
EMBERS & OAK, a limited edition soy candle created by Wild bower x Peacesake
Embers & Oak has top notes of sandalwood with a heart of warm and rich aged oak grounded with a woodsy and smoky base of firewood, poured into a hand-thrown marbleized vessel that mimics both earthen rock, wood rings, and mesmerizing smoke trails.
Everlasting Comfort Gray Neck Support Polyester Bath Pillow
This back pillow is my newest addition to the bath and it is a GAME CHANGER! It keeps me in a comfy position so that I can soak without moving around or hurting my neck.
Tomato Caprese Salad
A beautiful cherry tomato caprese salad plated on our ceramic Sun Ray Dinner Plate.
I’ve never been a right off the vine type of tomato eater… until now. The first tomatoes to ripen this year were these adorable orange ones (don’t ask me the name because I have no idea). They are sweet and honestly taste a bit like happiness. Just look at these droplets of sunshine!
There are so many ways to eat tomatoes but my go to has been a simple caprese salad. Now let’s be honest, a Caprese salad might not be one of those things that require a recipe but here we are so I thought I’d share my favorite combo served on one of our newest sun ray textured dinner plates.
This garden has been a labor of love. When we purchased our home, the garden was located deep in the forrest. Last year we tried growing in that area but it was very unsuccessful. Since we love growing our own vegetables we decided that this year we’d have to move the garden closer to the house and into a much sunnier area. Though it was a lot of work building a new fence and getting the soil together, the garden did not disappoint. We’ve had a plethora of delicious treats come out of the garden from kale to squash to peppers and now tomatoes.
Squiggle Oil Cruet handmade by Wild Bower Studio sits along side a variety of textured bowls and beautiful cherry tomatoes
What you’ll need:
Tomatoes - pick your favorite but we recommend fresh cherry tomatoes or beefsteak
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella or Burrata
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cobram Australian Extra Virgin Oil Olive (trust me, it’s the best)
Pick your favorite medium sized Wild Bower bowl. Cut up your tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on size. Chop or ripe your basil and Mozzarella. Add these ingredients to a bowl. Top with salt & pepper to taste. Finally add your EVOO and mix. Sometimes when I’m feeling a little wild, I’ll add a fresh jalapeño, garlic or red pepper flakes. Once fully coated plate your salad on your Wild Bower Studio dinnerware or eat directly from one of our bowls.
When I’m serving this meal to guests I’ll put the herbs & spices on the table in our ceramic catchalls along with the EEVO in one of our oil cruets rather than directly on the salad. It’s a nice addition to any meal and allows guests to really get into the process.
Our bright and beautiful tomato caprese salad is plated on our Sun Ray Dinner Plate along side our Squiggle Oil Curet with a variety of our ceramic bowls in the background.
Morning Coffee & a Rustic Cherry Tart for Breakfast
The best mornings have coffee and dessert. We make a rustic cherry tart served on our handmade ceramic serving platter for breakfast.
When we moved out to the Catskill Mountains, we dreamt of quiet moments in nature feasting on delicious treats like this Rustic Cherry Tart served on one of our White Swirl Speckled Serving Platters. They are match made in heaven.
The spring and summer out here produce some of the most amazing fruits and this week we dove into cherries. Have you ever had a fresh cherry?!? For me, it’s like a dream that transports me back to childhood. There is nothing like a perfect cherry, so we set out to bake something that elevated the sweet and delicious fruit.
My mom recently came out to spend the weekend with us and boy, was it fun to show her around and get some time to cook together. My mom has always been a wonderful cook and baker. Normally, we’re baking Christmas cookies but it’s not quite the season for that so we opted for fresh Cherries that we picked up from local Farm, Barthel’s in Ellenville, NY.
Check out the delicious recipe created by Sheila at Life Love and Good Food
We sipped our morning coffee out of our handmade Flare Mugs and ate the tart for breakfast. It was such bliss!
Once you’re out of coffee, use our ceramic Coffeepot to display all of your happy flowers (I’ve been watching a lot of Boss Ross). This flower arrangement came from local Florist, Little Pebble Flower Farm.
