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When Erica, from Garnish Apparel, and I decided to collaborate, I didn’t know quite what to expect. I have always admired her clothing line and felt a real comradery with her- she is a designer, a mom, a multi-tasker, a go-getter, and juggler of creating, designing, photographing and keeping her business afloat and thriving through all the ups and downs of the past few years.
Inspired by the ceramic ball strands I made for a show at Urbanite, I created beads with similar glaze patterns and combinations, but on a much smaller scale. Once the beads were done, I met Erica in her studio. I poured out the beads and Erica got out her chain and jewelry findings. Her work table was layered with leather, fabric, chain and my beads, and our hands started to fly across all the materials, layering colors and creating combinations.
Ultimately, we created four different combinations of beads and used different chains and leather fixtures to complete the necklaces. The final results are beautiful, simple, and truly highlight both of our styles and skill sets as artists and designers.
What I loved most about doing this collaboration with Erica was the ease with which we worked together. We seamlessly had a similar approach to creating, trying, redoing, adjusting, comparing, and redoing again. We came to design decisions collaboratively, in unison, and while in constant motion. We chatted and created ferociously, quickly, forgetting the time in our whir of creative momentum.
Creative collaboration has always felt expansive to me. And this was no exception. I absolutely loved spending this time in Erica and in Garnish’s world. The jewelry we created together is available online or at her gorgeous shop in downtown: Garnish Apparel, 404 NW 12th Ave, Portland.