Ma(i)sonry and Llisa Demetrios

Just a taste of the fabulous collection at Ma(i)sonry

A couple of weekends ago, I hopped in the car and headed to Napa where I picked up my aunt and mom, then headed up to Yountville for a girls' day at Ma(i)sonry. There was a very special event that we all were looking forward to, and Ma(i)sonry was just the place to enjoy it all. For those of you unfamiliar, Ma(i)sonry is the brainchild of Michael Polenske, a man dedicated to the "business of leisure". He has an interest in preserving one of the original stone structures in historic Yountville. He set out to "preserve the historic integrity and modernize a stylized backdrop for 'a life aesthetic' ". Michael has had his hand in high finance, where he realized that investments are best when they involve the things you love. So, he has invested in the wine industry, art and design with great style bringing us Ma(i)sonry, Blackbird Vineyards wine and the I. Wolk Gallery in St. Helena.  

The reason for visiting Ma(i)onry on the day in question was an invitation from Diane Dorrans Saeks, doyenne of design, prolific author, and popular blog editor of The Style Saloniste. Diane invited us to join her in a conversation with Llisa Demetrios, sculptress and granddaughter of Charles and Rae Eames. 

The party was hopping when we arrived.

As soon as we arrived, we hopped upstairs and sampled the delicious wines of Blackbird Vineyards, and took in the sights.  Art and antiques met us at every turn. It was hard to stay focused on any one thing for very long before some new fantastic thing caught my attention. We took our time wandering, finally making our way out to the beautiful garden.

Llisa Demetrios shows her work in the garden at Ma(i)sonry, and we had a chance to see her work throughout the garden.

Llisa Demetrios with one of her sculptures

The garden at Ma(i)sonry

Then we sat down and relaxed while sipping our wine and listening to Diane and Llisa's conversation which was centered around Llisa's beautiful work as well as her involvement with the Eames Foundation and their many upcoming events. 

Llisa Demetrios, Diane Dorrans Saeks and Michael Polenske

Diane led the conversation into the lives of Charles and Rae Eames, and what it was like to follow in such well renowned footsteps.

Some of the attendees....Myra Hoefer was there.

It was a beautiful day filled with creative people, wonderful wine, art and antiques. A better way to spend a day? Can't think of one.

Had to share the stuff of Ma(i)sonry......

Art by Adam Shaw

My favorite photo of the day        

Art by Andreas Reimann

Art by Lizabeth Rossof

Sculpture by Damon Hyldreth

For more information about any of the items at Ma(i)sonry, AND to find out why Ma(i)sonry is spelled the way it is.... click HERE.

For more information about how to get involved or attend upcoming events by the Eames Foundation click HERE.

P.S......I just read HERE that Ma(i)sonry has been selected to do a room at the San Francisco Designer Showcase. Bravo! And if you hop on over, you will see a sketch of the space they have presented for the Showcase.....you might see something familiar. ;)