Bringing the Forest Indoors
Bringing the Forest Indoors
Robin Frey’s nature-inspired Wonder Moss Art available at Nature’s Remedy
Nature enthusiasts will rejoice with the notion of bringing the outside in, which is what Springville-based artist Robin Frey, owner and founder of Wonder Moss Art, intends to do. A former marketing manager, the lifelong artist and outdoor aficionado discovered moss art three-and-a-half years ago and has turned her passion into a career.
EllicottvilleNOW caught up with Frey to discuss how she got started, what moss art is all about, and for an update on her pieces available at Ellicottville’s own natural market and wellness center, Nature’s Remedy.
“I’ve always been a creative kind of person,” said Frey. “I’ve painted murals, I’ve made furniture - I used to make rustic furniture and sell it at the Ellicottville Fall Festival back when I was in my 20s,” she said. “I’ve always been an avid outdoor person and hiker - I love any reason to be outside, but I’ve always held a full-time job as a marketing manager, so for the last 15 years, that’s been my profession.”
Not a stranger to creative side projects, Frey was introduced to green walls while traveling for work to places like Miami and Los Angeles. “I just loved it so much because you could be indoors and you still get that grounding, peaceful feeling of being in the forest,” she said. “I had always wanted to create a moss wall for myself. The company that I was working for wanted me to source some art for the new office, so I decided to pitch them an idea of a big 4-by-12-foot moss wall, and they loved the idea! So I did it, and that was 3-and-a-half years ago, and it still looks amazing to this day.”
Frey said that she continued to create small moss art pieces for herself and friends before being unexpectedly laid off from her marking position. “The first thing I did was take the day and head to the forest, and it just became really clear to me that this is what I needed to do; I needed to bring the power of the outdoors in for other people to experience,” she said, adding that moss art is low-maintenance because there is no watering required.
Working with the concept of biophilic design and its principles, which Frey explained are ways of bringing the outdoors in, she referred to her recently published blog post on different ways everyday natural materials can be used to create peaceful spaces.
With her passion to help others experience the power of nature experienced through her art, Frey’s love of nature is evident in the pieces she produces.
The artist recently completed two large-scale moss wall commissions for the Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Buffalo/Canalside and is currently working on a piece for a wellness center in Syracuse. One of her largest commissions to date is for the Junior League of Buffalo’s Decorators’ Showhouse happening April 26th through May 18th at The George Urban Mansion in Buffalo, where Frey will be showcasing over 20 pieces.
“I was contacted by two different interior designers to do pieces for the showhouse, and most of my pieces will be in the big cathedral ceiling pool room,” she said, adding that she’ll be working with Heather from Trinity Designs as the interior designer for the room.
As for pieces available at Nature’s Remedy, Frey says her pieces start at $5 and go up from there. Some of her offerings include small Wonder Moss Bears, moss bowls, and topiaries made from tree branches and moss, but that’s not all. “At Nature’s Remedy right now, they have one of my latest pieces, Midnight Mycelium, which was inspired by walking through the forest at night,” she said. “It’s a contrast between the moss and the dark wood against the light-colored tallow berries and the mushrooms. That piece there is actually framed in a vintage barrel ring - it’s from a really old, very large barrel - I found it in the woods, actually, and it makes a really unique frame.”
Frey said that the partnership between Wonder Moss Art and Nature’s Remedy started when she debuted her moss art at the Ellicottville Fall Festival this past fall and it caught the attention, and the eye, of storeowner Gretchen Mendell. The calm, grounding energy of Frey’s moss art complements the many offerings found at the natural market and wellness center.
Wonder Moss Art pieces are available to view and purchase at Nature’s Remedy located at 26 Monroe Street in downtown Ellicottville. For those wishing to view more from the Wonder Moss collection, Frey said you can catch her in her artist’s studio by chance, by appointment, or stop in to view pieces on Saturdays from 10:00am-4:00pm at The Lab shared studio space, located at 67 East Main Street in Springville. For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit www.wondermossart.com, follow @wondermossart on Instagram, or call Robin directly at 716-330-9202.