Meet Carrie, the creative hand behind Pearly Gates Designs. We had the pleasure of working with the talented pattern designer on our limited edition Holiday Robe Collection. A few of the styles have already sold out, but we are still drooling over the collection! Keep reading to hear more about Carrie and the process behind the pattern.
Tell us a little about yourself, Carrie!
I have loved art and creating since I can remember. I grew up with a mom who always had her hands in a new art form- clay, glass, paint, who knows what else! I went to the University of Texas where I fell in love with design. While working in mobile app design, I began to miss the tactile side of art and started painting on the side. Eventually my passion for painting grew into a full time business, Pearly Gates Designs. I now live in the desert of Midland, Texas with my husband and two little girls. I am grateful to get to paint everyday for many amazing clients. It is so much fun to get to work in a variety of areas I love from pattern design in fashion to wallpaper design in interiors to wedding invitations for events. No matter what I am working on, I like to see each day as a new opportunity and challenge to add a little bit more joy and beauty into the world.
You were the artist behind our holiday print this year! What was the process behind this beautiful star print?
I LOVED getting to work on this print! Patterns are a lot like music with rhythm, tone and finding that perfect melody!
For the holiday robe, we wanted a fresh modern take on a holiday print. Once I got the mood boards from the amazing gals at Weezie, I started working by hand-painting different star shapes, playing with negative space and seeing how they jived together. Once I scanned the paintings, I played with the rhythm– trying different repeats, scale and patterns. One of my favorite parts is photoshopping the finalized renditions into the robe to determine the best scale and color combination for the design.
Here is the original sketch!
What other artists, designers, creatives and fun brands are you crushing on these days?
Oh my goodness there are soooo many!
- I have loved finding so many inspiring women from @emilylanders podcast, “How’d she do that?” (@howdshedothat). I just listened to an episode with Ceramic Artist, Caroline Boykin and her work is amazing!
- Donald Robertson (@drawbertson) He can paint on an old tire and I would absolutely love it!
- Bridget Beth Collins (@flora.forager) Her playful floral designs are amazing.
- @thrillsofthehunt She shares some beautiful nostalgic vintage inspiration.
- Cleere Reeves (@cleerleystated) She is an amazing writer with such encouraging words!
Who are you gifting our Holiday Robe to this year?
My sweet grandma will definitely be unwrapping the Weezie holiday robe! We spend Christmas at her house where my grandparents live. She is going to love it.
How do you slow down and #enjoythestay?
My favorite mornings are when my kids have slept all night (we are dreaming right?) and I go for a run, shower, put on my robe (and a good face mask!), turn on an audiobook and paint! A great perk of having my art studio at home is not having to put on real clothes!
Thank you, Carrie! You can follow along with Carrie and her work here, and shop our limited edition Holiday Robes here!
