Petra Monaco

Hey there, I'm 52 today, and apparently my way of celebrating another trip around the sun is to make more things. Instead of doing a birthday sale or sending you a discount code, I wanted to make something that felt a little more special, and a lot more like where Wild Ridge Studio is right now. So I made 52 Trips Around the Sun. It's a small birthday collection filled with the things I've been loving making lately: watercolor, pyrography, wildflowers, mountains, nature studies, and a few...

Hey there, I'm turning 52 on Tuesday, and apparently I've decided the appropriate way to head into another trip around the sun is to commit myself to making a watercolor every day for the rest of the year. Because obviously I needed another project. There are 100 days between September 23 and the end of the year, and I've decided to use them to get more comfortable with watercolor. I'm following along with watercolor tutorials rather than trying to invent 100 brilliant paintings from scratch,...

Hey there, Some adventures begin at the trailhead. Mine usually begin with coffee. September’s Wild Mug Club design, Adventure Starts After Coffee, brings those two things together: the morning ritual and the promise of whatever comes after it. A hike, a drive into the mountains, a day in the studio, or just finally convincing yourself to put on pants and leave the house. The Wild Mug Club has become my way of creating one new collectible mug each month, with each design available for a...

Hey there, Nothing particularly eventful happened around here this week, which, after the last few weeks, is something I am perfectly happy to report. I did, however, decide to start trail running with Zina. I use the word "running" somewhat generously at this point because we're very much figuring this out together, but I wanted something that gets us outside, gives her a job to do, and challenges me a little differently than our usual walks and hikes. So that's where we are right now. A...

Hey there, Trail Side Post Edition No. 005 has been hanging around the studio this month, and this one feels especially connected to the trail. Old Rag Mountain had been sitting on my hiking list for a long time before I finally made my way up there. It’s rocky, demanding, a little ridiculous in places, and absolutely worth the effort. Naturally, it eventually made its way from the trail into my sketchbook and became the inspiration for September’s Trail Side Post. Edition No. 005 includes...

Hey there, I spent a few days around Asheville this past week, camping at Lake Powhatan. And apparently the campground decided to provide a little extra entertainment in the form of a black bear. There's something very different about seeing a bear when you're actually just hanging out compared with spotting one from a car or watching one wander through the property. You become very aware that you're standing in their space. We made a bunch of noise, and eventually, the bear decided to move...

Hey there, October’s Trail Side Post is taking us somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a long time: Old Rag Mountain. Old Rag had been sitting on my hiking list for years, and when I finally made it there, it felt like exactly the kind of place Trail Side Post was created to capture. Not just the summit, but the rocks, plants, views, textures, and little details collected along the way. For Edition No. 005, I’ve been turning that experience into a small collection of art and paper goods that will...

Hey there, This week has mostly been about settling back into some kind of routine after the unexpected hospital stay and everything that came with it. There are still things we're figuring out, but mornings are starting to look a little more familiar again. For me, that means coffee, getting outside, and walking with my dog before the rest of the day gets going. There’s something about returning to those ordinary routines after life gets turned upside down that makes them feel a little less...

Hey there, September is here, which means there’s a new Wild Mug Club design, and this one comes directly from the trail. Meet Adventure Starts After Coffee, September’s Wild Mug Club mug, inspired by my hike on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Old Rag had been sitting on my hiking list for a long time. It’s one of those trails you hear about again and again, mostly because of the views and the infamous rock scramble. And after finally hiking it, I can confirm that the reputation...