GALA grows

SUPER!Market on the 11th

Nicole — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:22:22 +0000

So, I and a number of my terraria, will be at SUPER!Market on Saturday the 11th. It’s a really cool little weekly market of indie designers of clothes, jewelry, house decor, and more. Reasonable prices, new designers, what more could you want!

So, stop by!

SUPER!Market
Saturday 11am – 7pm
268 Mulberry St, New York NY

~ Nicole

The Bone Follies

Nicole — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:58:24 +0000

fol·ly [fol-ee] 1. the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense. 2. a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity: the folly of performing without a rehearsal. 3. a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure. 4. Architecture . a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend interest to a view, commemorate a person or event, etc.: found especially in England in the 18th century. 5. follies, a theatrical revue. – Dictionary.com

The Folly lies at the intersection between architecture, landscape, and art. The 18th Century follies were sometimes tiny but carefully placed, tricking the eye into thinking that it was seeing a huge ruin on the edge of a mountain. When approached, the viewer would find himself a giant investigating a Lilliputian ruin, and subject to the vertigo that accompanies that disorienting change in scale, of the body in the landscape suddenly transformed.Lewis Carroll later played with this idea in his seminal work, “Alice in Wonderland” – where the wonderland is the garden, and the follies consist of food, drink, outrageous people and more outrageous structures. As Alice goes through her convolutions, she wonders who she is, if she remains herself. If the body changes, if the relationship of the body to the exterior world is radically altered, who are you? Who are you when all your known references have gone missing?

Anna Mendieta, sometime around 1972

In later parlance, “folly” has become “follies”, a mixed cabaret, a theatrical production. So many early landscape architects were stage designers, not least of all Fredrick Law Olmstead, that the connection is far from tenuous, but rather deliberate.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players: 
They have their exits and their entrances; 
And one man in his time plays many parts, … 
Last scene of all, 
That ends this strange eventful history, 
Is second childishness and mere oblivion, 
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 
-        Shakespeare, “As You Like It”

The Bone Follies seeks to frame a view inward, rather than outward, to displace the viewer in the landscape from standing on the land, to being part of it. Like the work of Anna Mendieta, the body becomes architecture, the bones of the spine paving stone, the arch of ribs walls, the eyes the home of seedlings. The body is the folly, and inseperable from the landscape it inhabits, the supporter of a teeming array of life, and the structure that we inhabit.

Sketches for the Bone Follies

What are you thinking about?

Comparisons

Nicole — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:02:06 +0000

Recently, I was asked by an interested customer, how my prices compare. So, I thought I’d make a little post just showing the price comparison between my work and the work of other terrarium makers.

The terrarium on the left is one I saw downtown in Soho one day. Very pretty, and it was about 5″ tall and 7″ long. The price tag was $500. The terrarium on the right is one of my terrariums. It stands about 18″ tall, and has a width of about 10″, a tiny tree, 2 kinds of moss, a creeping plant, a sculpture, and a light. It currently retails for $375 in my Etsy Shop.

Soho on the left, GALA on the right.

The next set of pictures show a very nice terrarium I saw at the store at the Museum of Art & Design, and is a terrarium made by one of the artists in the show they had last year, called “Other Worlds”. It was a WONDERFUL show, and I hope to write up some of my views of it at some point. I have the book, fantastic work.

This particular terrarium was priced at about $500. The sphere container is stunning. It stood about 15″ high on it’s base – the stand being about a third of that height. It contains a number of different mosses, and architecture figurines.

The image on the right of the page is a terrarium from my First Contact Series. It stands about 18″ high, 12″ of which is the terrarium chamber itself. It is populated with about 4 different plant species (I’ve added more since this photo was taken), several hand painted figurines, stones, and it’s own light source. It’s available for $450.

The shop at the Museum of Art & Design, and GALA.

The pieces with their own light source are the most expensive I have, currently. My work tends to fall in the range between $25 to about $150. For example, Rivers of Pearl (First Contact Series) is $125 for both jars, and I have some new pieces in 5″ glass spheres, that I’m about to debut that run about $35.

None of these prices include delivery of course. If you are local to me, I’m more than happy to drop off work, or arrange for it to be picked up by you, at little to no cost. Shipping costs are sadly out of my hands. The two comissions I did over Christmas cost about $50 each – one went overnight, and one went 2 day. I don’t want to ship anything ground for fear of killing off the plants – though I think I could ship a moss-only project by ground and it would probably be less then.

So, that’s my comparison. I hope you’ll sign up for the next workshop – it’s a great deal! You get to make 4 small terrariums for $40 – that’s $10 per terrarium!

Have you Registered?

Nicole — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:29:44 +0000

Have you registered yet for the Winter Gifts Terrarium Workshop? We still have plenty of spaces left. $100 gets you a up to a DOZEN terrariums, and a personal lesson in how they work, and how to make them, from yours truly! We’ll have all sorts of gorgeous containers for you to choose from, and everything else you’ll need as well. It’s a 3 hour workshop, this coming Sunday: 12/11/11 at 10 a.m.

http://www.facebook.com/events/150635138370299/

Workshops to Come

Nicole — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:29:00 +0000

The first terrarium workshop I’ll be hosting (on 11/19) is going to be a general terrarium workshop. After that, however, I have a whole series of workshops planned. Exact dates to be determined still, but keep an eye on this space, or follow me on Twitter or FB to get the latest!

DECEMBER: Gifts!

In this workshop, we’ll make a full dozen terrariums, all of which can be used as gifts for your family and friends. The $100 fee will cover the actual containers that the terrariums will be in, as well as plants, gravel, and all your terrarium needs. You’ll leave with 12 beautiful gifts, and the knowledge of how to make terrariums for yourself in the future! I’ll even show you how to pack them for shipping!

These tiny teacup terraria make perfect gifts.

JANUARY: Tiny Temples

The Tiny Temple Terrarium Workshop guides you in making your own shrine terrarium. The focus will be on Buddhist iconography, however all faiths are welcome to participate. We will discuss the mechanics of making terrariums, but also their function as tools for contemplation and the raising of our awareness. Before constructing our terrariums, we will meditate for a bit. The fee will be $75. You will need to provide your own container for this one. If you need a light set, feel free to contact me and I can have some available for purchase at the workshop.

Underneath the Bodhi Tree

FEBRUARY: Kids Terrariums

This one is fun for the whole family. A special kids workshop, for children 6 and up. Everything will be provided, from glassware to plants. A great way to learn about microclimates and environments, while exercising your creativity and imagination. Plus, what could be a better activity on a cold, blustery, February day? Price TBD.

Astronaut Jones discovers Rivers of Pearl in a candy jar!

Hope to see you soon!

Workshop!

Nicole — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:42:33 +0000

Hi Everyone! I am so excited to be announcing this: We finally have a date for our first ever Terrarium Workshop!

First Contact Series: Rivers of Pearl (2011)

WHEN:

Saturday, November 19th, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE:

Five Pointz Studios in Queens. Take the E, G or 7 trains to COURT SQUARE. You can see the building from the exit. It’s across the street from PS 1 – there is a short flight of stairs to the doorway. We will meet outside the building. The studio is on the 3rd floor, and there is no elevator, I’m sorry to say.

HOW MUCH:

The cost is $75. This cost includes your lesson, as well as materials (plants, mosses, grasses, etc.) You will bring your own container(s) to become terrariums, as well as any meaningful or decorative items such as focal rocks, figurines, etc.) Know that you can always add these later as well – most important is that you bring at least ONE container for your terrarium.

HOW MANY:

The workshop is limited to 10 (TEN) people.

WHAT YOU NEED:

An open mind, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and at least one terrarium container. If you choose to do only one, go big! Get something that’s at least 12″x12″x12″. If you prefer to do several small ones, I recommend three or four mason jars in a pint or quart size! Places to look for containers: thrift stores, home goods stores, places like TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Pottery Barn (pricey, but beautiful!), and others.

If you have a question or concern about a possible terrarium, feel free to email me at nicole@gala.ws with your question. Pictures are great too if that’s doable for you.

HOW TO PAY:

We accept paypal, cheques, and credit cards. You may choose to pay upfront, or you may reserve a spot with a $25 downpayment, the rest to be paid the day of the workshop. You can paypal GALA directly: paypal@gala.ws. Our paypal account accepts credit cards. Please feel free to contact me if you need to pay another way.

Questions? Comments? Comment here or email me: nicole@gala.ws

Hope to see you there!

Autmn Travels

Nicole — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:27:52 +0000

It’s been a whirlwind 6 weeks, let me tell you!

Playing with shells on Peaks Island, ME.

So many exciting things have been happening. First of all, I’ve moved GALA into an actual *workspace*! This is very exciting as I’ve been working out of our 1 bedroom apartment, and it’s been a little crowded. Perhaps that’s an understatement.
My husband just moved his photography business to a new studio, and he and his studiomate are kindly subletting some space to me as well! This has not only quadrupled my storage/production space, it also means that I now have space to hold workshops.

Working space, works.

I’m figuring out when the first workshop will be – I’m aiming for mid-November, with more workshops in January, February and every month after that! Even better, the studio is very easy to get to – right accross the street from P.S. 1, in Five Points Studios. It’s not even a full block from the 7 train. Marvelous.

After a couple of requests, I’m now offering gift certficates. These can be used towards garden coaching, workshops, terraria, or whatever you like that GALA offers. For example, on of my clients bought four hours of garden coaching as a gift for a family member, to be redeemed at any time, and in whole or in multiple visits as needed. Pretty exciting stuff!

But on to the really fun stuff: Travel! I just got back from two major trips. The first was in late September, to see my in-laws in Florida. We explored gardens and spent a day at the beach, and had a lot of family time. Very excellent.

Then, two weeks later, we left for our NorthEast whirlwind tour. First we hit up Burlington VT to see the leaves change, and visit Lake Champlain and family friends.

This studio makes the MOST BEAUTIFUL lamps out of old glass and metal that I've ever seen. Just gorgeous!

That was followed up with a visit to Boston to see old friends and their new babies. Lastly, we headed to Peaks Island where we saw our old friends Cat & Dima. They’ve moved from the house where we set up their old garden, to a bigger, more beautiful house, with a more challenging landscape! I can’t wait to help them get it growing! It has a ton of potential for semi-wild edibles, as well as a small kitchen garden.

We saw some wonderful things on our trip! Peaks Island is so marvelous. I’m glad we have friends to show us it’s wonderful secrets.

Seabirds in the shingles of a cottage on Peaks Island, ME.

We wandered the island without our guides, but we never would have entered the flooded out WWII fort without their knowledge – or their flashlights. It was dark, but beautiful. I hope we go back!

Light, dark, water, graffiti.

Little Updates

Nicole — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:56:23 +0000

Just a quick update – updated the page of terraria on my website. I’m hard at work finding a space to do some much requested workshops for making and maintaining terraria!

More soon!

Busier Than a Bee

Nicole — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:55:36 +0000

My first Saturday at DeKalb Market was lovely. It was a slow day, being the day-before-September 11. I think the city was feeling pretty somber and it was an odd time to start something new – and yet strangely appropriate too.

Rivers of Pearl (close up), First Contact Series

This past week has been filled with catching up on other things – I am catching up on the last stray ends of my yoga certification from the Zenyasa Yoga Studio where I have been studying the past year. It’s a lot of philosophy homework right now, and I try and do a little every day.

I’ve been organizing the pictures that House of Indulgence took of the terraria, a huge job in itself. And then, yesterday, my second plant order came in! They are beautiful and inspiring, but I’m running out of room to put them anywhere. It’s almost funny. We live in a pretty small apartment (like most New Yorkers) and I have plants and terraria crammed into bookshelves and desks, and teetering on top of furniture. It’s funny, slightly dangerous, and beautiful to have so much green growing in so many places where it “shouldn’t”.

New plants, adjusting to home life on top of my desk.

I’ve been chatting with House of Indulgence, and that studio has just moved to a larger studio. They’ve agreed to sublease a bit of workspace and window to me. I’ll be quadrupling my capacity to store terraria, and plants – and I’ll have a better work space than the 2′ wide slab of floor between the bookcase and the couch! I’m also excited to get a few square feet of floor back into circulation, as all the stones and various accoutrement that go into making a terrarium won’t be stored in that particular corner anymore! We can’t move anything until the 22nd, but I’m very excited by all this!

I’ll be back at DeKalb Market this Saturday, September 17, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. I’m bringing some new terraria with me – a number of terraria in laboratory glassware that I think you will all love.

See you soon!

Peeking in the mouth of an Earlenmeyer flask terrarium.

Heading out to DeKalb

Nicole — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:09:40 +0000

We’ll be heading out to DeKalb for the first time in just a couple of hours. Last night we did a photoshoot with the House of Indulgence to document some of these before they find new homes.

I’m probably going to post them slowly. I’m still going through them, tagging them, deciding which ones I like and which ones are only OK. It’s so hard to distill the essence of something that lives and breathes into a still 2 dimensional image. I think the House did a great job.

Tea, anybody?