Artists
Meet the artists on display at the Art Collective gallery!
Singing Dove Candles
Melinda Messenger
Candle artist
Hi, I’m Melinda from Singing Dove Candles. Singing Dove is my camp name, which was given to me twenty years ago at a living history event in Grafton, Illinois. At these events, I learned to appreciate beeswax candles, and in 2022, my husband, Rabbit, and I bought out another reenactor’s candle business in a fortuitous moment. They were ready to retire, and we were looking for our own business! Beeswax is very pleasant to work with and there is always a market for these creations, so we jumped at the chance, and it has worked out well.
Our candles are pure beeswax, sourced exclusively from American hives. The only other thing we add is a cotton wick, which is also made in America by a mill that’s been in the same family for seven generations.
We have a lot of fun with our work and are happy to be a part of Living Lands.
StarFire Weavers
Celeste Prussia
Multi-media Artist
I was raised and educated in southern New England, but I did not start out as an intentional artist. There was little time to devote to art while working toward a BS in Environmental Biology with a minor in chemistry and then a MS in Botany. I made Missouri home to lead the development and operation of the Litzsinger Road Ecology Cener of the Missouri Botanical Garden for 10 years then jumping to Missouri State University (MSU) Biology Department to manage the Bull Shoals Field Station.
I started working with clay in the ceramics lab at MSU in 2011 and enjoyed the community aspect of the creative process among students and faculty until my retirement from the University. I especially enjoyed working in high-fire ceramics and applying my background in chemistry to make sense of the interplay of ingredients in different clay bodies and glazes.
My work at Living Lands Studio is representative of my ceramic sculptures. I also work in fiber art and am a juried artist with Best of Missouri Hands in that medium for my antler baskets and other woven forms. Some of my favorite works are represented by forms that combine fiber and ceramic arts. These pieces are usually large platters or trays of clay into which I have woven a rim or other feature that is composed of fiber. The contrast between rigid clay and flexible fiber presents many opportunities for problem solving and design expressions that I enjoy.
Like most artists who work and live outdoors, nature is my muse. Guidance comes from the varied shapes, colors, textures and vibes that touch my senses while my brain interprets or integrates these inputs with my moods to produce my designs.
Having the time and energy to express my voice in art is a privilege that I hold dear. As I enter my senior years, it is a joy to use my hands and mind to make tangible items that others may enjoy seeing and holding.
Wilde Emporium
Matt & Holly
Mutli-media Artists
At the age of 30, Matt Grabeel decided that he was done with the “rat-race” and quit his decade long career in the restaurant industry. He had always had a dream to dig for crystals and he decided to do just that. After his first successful trip to Mt. Ida, Arkansas, he was hooked. It was then that the dream of having his own crystal shop was born and he created The Wilde Emporium.
Matt, a multimedia artist is very imaginative and creative with his hands. This new adventure gave him an outlet to do and create anything and everything he dreamed of. He has made lawn sculptures and functional pieces made from old car and motorcycle parts, wood carvings, handmade jewelry, driftwood displays, and other creations to go along side of the crystals and other gemstones he has in his shop. It was no surprise that when he took on an apprenticeship at Sweetwater Pottery, he quickly excelled in ceramics as well.
Matt set up The Wilde Emporium booth at music and art festivals across Missouri and Illinois, which is where he met Holly, the love of his life. The two had an instant connection with each other and have been inseparable ever since. Since then, they have joined forces and with their powers combined have created something beautiful and magical at The Wilde Emporium. Whatever they imagine they use their creativity and help from all natural elements to bring it to life. They gain their inspiration from the natural world around them, traveling across the land gathering treasures from the Earth to bring joy and beauty to others.
Matt and Holly rockhound across the U.S. to hand collect the different crystals and minerals they have available at The Wilde Emporium. Matt makes amazing wire wraps with all the different minerals they discover. Holly picks and presses flowers while they are traveling to make beautiful creations with. Together they forage for the different ingredients found in their beauty products, tea blends, sage bundles, jams and jellies, and other products, using only the best that nature has to offer.
The Wilde Emporium truly is where dreams become reality! You can follow their journey on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @thewildeemporium.
Living Lands Studio
Jessi Rieken
Wheel-Thrown, Functional Pottery
I am a local woman from Ava, that has been around the world, and chose to come back home. Our beautiful Ozarks and the creative artists that surround me are the inspiration behind my still growing business and pottery practice. Making art, friends, and memories with our community has been so gratifying. As I continue to explore the beauty of our natural landscape through my art, I am excited to support all the budding and veteran artists around me in continuing to learn and grow together.
Sweetwater Pottery
Susan Minyard
Functional Pottery
A little over forty years ago some friends and I decided to try to save the earth by buying as much of it as we could. We found a wonderful old 500 acre farm that had been abandoned in 1946, before the use of pesticides. We incorporated as Sweetwater Community Land Trust, dedicated to stewardship of the land. I opened the pottery in 1984, wondering if it was possible to make a living doing what I loved.
Imagine my surprise when I was successful!!
I’ve been traveling for years to sell my pottery and have loved the romance of the road but as I get older I want to stay home more and just make pots.
Cat Track Studio
Mara Bosch
Paintings / Sculpture / Jewelry / Functional Fiber Arts
Mara is an artist deeply rooted in her love for our local landscape. Inspired by the rolling hills, deep hollows, and flowing creeks, she creates beauty in many media from her home and studio outside of Mansfield, MO.
Her focus on ecology and spirit reflect in her carefully crafted works you see here. Mara’s hope is that nature speaks to you through her pieces, that you notice and connect with the beauty of the land around you and the heart inside.
Cosmic Web Alchemy
Dez
Pinch Pot
We are dedicated to creating healing, beautiful, and one of a kind products using natural ingredients and elements sourced from the Ozarks that nourish the spirit, body, and mind. We are a community of artisans that deeply value the earth and our relationship in this cosmic world. We come from different backgrounds and have joined together to serve a greater vision, so we specialize in a variety of things. We create handmade ceramic pipes and other hand crafted pottery.
