Nina. Charlotte Cat Murphy, Susan Sertain and Trollbinde Jewelry, artists. Model, Devon Le Fae. Makeup by Sydney Blair. Photo by Kristen Marie Greene
By Emma Castleberry
Three local artists—Charlotte Cat Murphy, Susan Sertain of Studio Vonceil and Hannah Black of Trollbinde Jewelry—have come together as the collaborative art group The Graces. “Working with other creatives in a collaboration is an artistic and energetic give-and-take to create something beautiful,” says Murphy. “When you’re creating something with other people, it takes ego out.”
Hannah Kali Black, Trollbinde owner, Charlotte Cat Murphy
and Susan Sertain, Studio Vonceil owner
The three women first collaborated under this name in 2018 and their most recent project is Nina, a dress that tells the story of a mountain town set in an urban area that has re-forested. Inspired by jazz musician and activist Nina Simone, the dress is made up of a 4-foot wicker skirt base that lights up to display a scene of trees and a woman holding a bouquet of birds that fly across the sky. “We seem to always have a story emerge as the creative process unfolds,” says Sertain. “As we put together a project, our three different perspectives come together. I find this the most interesting part of working together. All three of us love layering and texture—layering fabric, beads, jewelry. And you can’t really tell from the finished piece who did what. There is a collage of materials merging into a single cohesive design, yet with three clearly distinctive artistic inputs.”
Murphy brings construction skills to the trio, adding structure with corsets and bustles. “She has an engineer’s brain,” says Sertain. “Every project has that element within it.” Sertain works her magic with the fabric, collaging the story together. “We’ve been using her collection and stock of vintage fabric, lace and findings,” says Black. “She is also expert at hand embroidery.” Black’s contribution is through stage-presence jewelry. “Hannah’s jewelry is like the bow,” says Murphy. “It ties everything together.”
In addition to Nina, The Graces have about six finished pieces that they hope will eventually become an installation or gallery exhibit. “We trust each other and give each other creative space,” says Black. “That is what makes our collaborations special. There is always room for newness, spontaneity, problem solving and unification.”
Follow The Graces at @thr3gracesdesign on Instagram.
