Recently in “Outsider style”

Stacking slabs of stone and marble.......accenting with rocks; a divine Chinese porcelain figurine; a stunning swan; and anything else that catches Ellen Nora Goldstein's eye, results in this extraordinary fountain that is the centerpiece of her garden!!! Ellen Nora takes whatever materials she finds and begins to "create." She makes no drawings or diagrams prior to beginning her work. Her eyes are both pencil and paper.... and the results are a variety of site specific, environmentally correct, and very elegant creations!!! This fountain, as well as Burning Bertha, and the mosaic grounds of her garden are exceptional pieces of sculpture. Giving a second life to "left overs" or scrap materials to create her art is not only interesting to the eye, but a great statement about protecting our environment from waste!!!!

After meeting the Goldstein's, Swiss-born artist Ellen Nora and her American jazz musician husband Gil, in front of their house and explaining to them how enchanted I was by what I was seeing.......they invited me to visit their magical "mosaic garden." The first thing to catch my eye was this gorgeous creature.....standing very tall and colorful in the garden, she is one of the most statuesque women on the North Fork!!!! Burning Bertha, as she is aptly named, was created by artist Ellen Nora from found remnants of tile and broken pieces of porcelain. She stands about 10 feet tall, with "boobs" that were formerly pot covers and are now attached to a moveable screen, hiding her "belly," which is the grill/fireplace!!! When lite, smoke rises through her head and out of her crown, while her tummy is full of hamburgers and hot dogs!!! Ellen has utilized every part of her including the space between her legs which houses various scraps of wood for cooking or an evening around the "camp" fire!!!! 

The garden surrounding Bertha marries a landscape of mosaic tiles and stones, with exotic greenery and flowers. There are fabulous mosaic encrusted benches in the garden, as well as a grotto nearby that houses a mosaic dinning table, surrounded by an assortment of chairs. A series of unusual outdoor showers complete the whimsical environment. 

Visitors to the shop included collectors, dealers, interior designers, stylists, and museum curators....and me!!  As both looker and buyer, spending  countless hours among their incredible "stuff", I felt like I was privileged to have had a private viewing of the world's most fascinating museum. And being able to take something home and "own" it....that was over the top!  It could be a blue & white spongeware vessel, a vintage western blanket or a robot made from nuts & bolts......everything was amazing!! 

Spending time with them this weekend at the EH Antique show was an incredible history lesson about a world that is greatly changing.  Hearing them talk lovingly of objects that had moved on to other homes and those that still live with them was inspiring. And again, I fell madly in love with another inanimate object...... this alien-like chair!! Made from a single root, she called to me for three days. She is the most divine creature, an alien from another planet. How could all of our heart's not be captured by her!!!

Today Jolie, Michael, and my chair can be found at 2466 Main Street, Bridgehampton (tel. 631 537-3838.  Kelter Malce, join antique/folk art dealers Barbara Trujillo and Brian Ramaekers in the most magical shop in the Hampton's!!!  A feast for the eye, the most magical objects that can be found anywhere, these four dealers have a design sensabiity that is beyond unique.....DO NOT MISS IT!!!!