Welcome to the world of Ray Baker and Stanley Linder—where nature is art and art is nature. These local artists create dazzling one-of-a kind pieces for homes in Litchfield County and beyond.
Ray Baker and Stanley Linder live the technicolor life of the most enviable landscaping magazine covers. Their sprawling four-plus acre garden in Bethlehem is the work of meticulous masters, spending every waking hour from April through November tending to each leaf and bud by hand. But the magic of the Baker-Linder home extends far beyond the garden – in fact, one might say that everything begins from there.
Retired from wildly successful careers in hotel interior design out of Manhattan, Ray and Stanley are true Renaissance men – artists working in a multitude of media, including piano, paint, needlepoint, the written word, interior design, and more recently, dried plants and rolled cardboard. The latter two forms are what gave yours truly the pleasure of exploring this lush estate one warm spring day.
In Art from the Garden, Ray Baker creates stunning pieces of art and décor using dried leaves, flower stems, cones and more taken from their own exquisite garden. Ferns plucked and dried at an exact moment in time become sunburst wall hangings, hugely popular pieces that he either spray paints or leaves natural. Lamb’s Ear leaves become living spherical sculptures, changing color over time from dusky green to a soft pebble shade as the natural process endures. Pine cones are dried and arranged in intricate table centerpieces. Napkin rings, candle holders, and even jewelry are created from elements in the garden, harvested with scientific precision.
Preparing for the art pieces is a full-time job, with Ray and Stanley caring for the garden for 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week in the spring, summer and fall. Very little art is created during this time, in order to dedicate 100% of their attention to their green haven. It is only after the harvest, when winter arrives, that they turn their full attention to the artistic creations themselves. What makes Ray’s art so special, beyond the beauty of each unique piece, is the scrupulous personal involvement from the very beginning to the very end. The time invested to create each piece is difficult to calculate: how do you take into account 12-hour days tending to the garden, seven months a year, in addition to harvest, drying, and finally creating the art? Ray describes it as the antithesis of going to the store and buying yarn to knit a scarf, which may take hours to complete without considering the process of creating the yarn itself.
“These have to be grown in the garden, they have to be harvested, they have to be dried, they have to then be shaped, and I have to make the selections,” says Ray. “So it’s not like going and buying product [to work with], you’re growing it and drying it.” Art from the Garden is currently sold at Pergola Home in New Preston as well as other venues throughout the year.
On the other end of the studio is Stanley’s whimsical and unique art he has fittingly dubbed Circlesculpts. Utilizing recycled cardboard from local shop owners and others, Stanley rolls cut strips into tight coils, arranging them in intricate patterns on cardboard mount. The finished pieces are beautiful works of natural movement and flow – sometimes complementary, sometimes dissonant, but always pleasing to the eye. There is something about Stanley’s art that you cannot look away from – perhaps it is the abundance of repeated spirals in nature that makes one feel at ease, or perhaps it is simply in awe of the craftsmanship. Stanley’s creative process for Circlesculpts is nothing if not natural – unplanned, coming from whatever inspires and moves him at the given time. As he explains it, “as soon as I sit down in front of the cardboard … I compose as I go.”
The labor of preparing the cardboard for use, including cutting all the strips and occasionally wood staining them, adds to the total time spent on each piece. Stanley and Ray, who more often than not is the muscle behind the cardboard prep, estimate that the total time investment for each piece is approximately one week. Stanley has been creating Circlesculpts for only about a year and a half, but still, in that time has produced over 165 pieces. His work will be on display during July and August at the Artisans Guild in Norfolk, and is also sold at Pergola Home.
Ray Baker and Stanley Linder give a whole new meaning to “living your art.” They live it, they grow it, they harvest it and they very obviously adore it. Both Art from the Garden and Circlesculpts are forces to be reckoned with, and collections that need to be experienced in-person.
For more information, or to make an appointment to visit their studio and garden, contact Ray Baker and Stanley Linder at: 203.266.5659. Their work can also be purchased at Pergola Home in New Preston. Stanley Linder’s work will be on exhibit at the Artisans Guild in Norfolk until the end of August, 2014.
