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Originally Published September 9, 2014 | Updated March 13, 2022
Some places are just places. They’re dots on a map to which you can drive, fly or walk. Other places are experiences. Rich and vibrant, they are filled with the essence of souls who came before you. The old souls whose wisdom and skill – whose life – was responsible for the very walls which mark the spot.
In a small converted garage, roughly six miles southwest of Friday Harbor, you’ll often find Paula West covered in clay.
A Connecticut native, she came to San Juan Island in 1990 (by way of New Hampshire, California, Oregon, and Canada). It was here that she met her husband, Joe Cooper. And it was here she set up her studio in 1993.
Walking into Studio 45 Glass on Lopez Island is like falling down the rabbit hole with Alice. It’s a world of color, where possibilities are only the beginning and art feels like it is created from thin air.
After traveling the world working and studying glass art in Italy, New York and Germany, owner and master glassblower Rahman Anderson returned home to Lopez Island, where he grew up. He wanted to put down roots and settle on his family land where he has now built his own home and grows a garden.
Near the center of San Juan Island, in an area known to some as ‘Hippy Heights,’ Dave Ber hand-crafts knives in his 200-square-foot shop.
The self-taught knife artisan began honing his craft in 1986. He outfitted his first blade with a simple wood handle. Crude in comparison to his work today, Dave never sold the knife. It wasn’t up to his standards. But the three-incher foreshadowed the elegant designs and exceptionally well-balanced blades he makes today.
Dave’s shop is one of three rustic wood structures on the 2.5-acre perch overlooking San Juan Channel where he lives with his wife, Lina Vander Houwen. It sits at the center of the three buildings, flanked by Linda’s cozy get-away and their home — a beautiful cabin originally constructed in 1988 before they bought the property. “It was just one room when we moved in,” Linda told me as we sat in their toasty living room. “Dave added the loft. The bathroom. This room where we are now. The deck. We just kept expanding as need be.”
What makes a farmer trade her pitchfork for a soldering torch? One word: passion. That’s what fuels everything minimalist jewelry artist Jessie Morrow does. And it shows in her work.
But jewelry wasn’t the original plan. An advocate for sustainable agriculture, Jessie moved to Orcas Island in 2006 to work at the Olga Farm. Somewhere between the carrots and the peas, she started envisioning earrings and necklaces.
Initially, she fashioned pieces from hardware parts, wearing them during her island comings and goings. Friends, family, and fellow islanders took notice. “People wanted what I was making, and eventually the business just grew from there,” Jessie told me.
Kara Navradszky was just three-years-old when she made her first piece of living jewelry. Little did she know her passion for daisy chain necklaces would transform into a boutique floral design and jewelry business.
Home-based in Friday Harbor, Kara specializes in ‘wearables’ — elegant jewelry featuring living florals. Her first formal foray into floral jewelry was during high school art class. She learned to make haku hair wreaths — a Hawaiian flower crown.
After earning her Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the University of Washington, Kara continued her floral education. While teaching English in Japan, she also studied Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
But the path from flower class to floral jewelry designer wasn’t a direct one. Kara first sailed the Pacific Coast from Seattle to Mexico, became a surf instructor, fell in love, got married, moved to Friday Harbor, and had her first baby. (She and her husband, Emmet Sherwood, are now the proud parents of two adorable toddlers.)
But her artistic enthusiasm for flowers never ceased. In 2015, Kara began making flower crowns for little girls at Roche Harbor. “The problem was, the flowers were so perishable. So, I started researching opportunities for something that was less perishable. That’s when I found succulents,” said Kara.
The succulents were a game changer. Using a non-toxic glue, Kara mounts the plants in a moss bed attached to a piece of jewelry. Her ornate bracelets, necklaces, and crowns are fitted with flowers from Kara’s own garden.
Through word-of-mouth and her Instagram account (@apothecadesign), pieces are generally commissioned to recognize a milestone, such as a graduation, marriage or new baby. “I love that each piece I create is designed to celebrate an individual. I spend a lot of time thinking about who’s giving the gift and who’s receiving the gift,” Kara explained.
As the name suggests, living jewelry continues to grow. Pieces remain photo ready for roughly two weeks, but can often be worn for up to two months. By that time, the plants outgrow their platform. The jewelry can then become an elegant bedside arrangement. Sections of the succulent can be broken off and replanted. Or the wearable art can be reassembled to create a new piece.
That’s one of the things Kara loves most about her work — it’s lack of permanence. “Flower Art has a fleeting beauty, much like a Buddhist Sand Mandala. It’s meant to be enjoyed in the moment. But what sets living jewelry apart is that each piece has a life of its own,” Kara said.
For a commissioned piece, Kara will spend an hour or so selecting flowers — often from her own garden. “I’ll wander through the garden with a big basket, looking at what’s fresh and what speaks to me,” says Kara.
Depending on who is giving and who is getting one of her pieces, Kara may use succulents, fresh flowers or greenery. Or some a combination of all three!
The plants are mounted on a piece of jewelry that serves as a wearable foundation. Sometimes this is a dipped silver or brushed brass cuff. Other times it may be a headband or delicate string.
To the jewelry, Kara attaches a boss base. Using a non-toxic glue, she attaches the flowers — carefully nestling the living plants beside one another.
It’s always a celebration to give one of her pieces. This summer, MacKenzie Lommel requested several pieces for a photoshoot to celebrate her final trimester.
Kara joined the beautiful mom-to-be and her family for the shoot, helping to ensure the necklace, flower wreath, and moon-inspired flower arrangement were perfectly placed. San Juan Island-based photographer, Cere Demuth captured MacKenzie and her family on the beach — where they shared intimate moments wading in the water and walking along the shore.
This August, you can find Kara and samplings of her work at the 2018 San Juan Summer Arts Festival. Held at Brickworks Brickworks Plaza in Friday Harbor August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st.
Check Out Kara’s Work in Person
A practicing psychotherapist and published author, Cere occasionally photographs clients on San Juan Island and Orcas Island. Her work captures the intimate moments and highlight the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Her recently published memoir, The Way We Stay, is an exquisitely told story of heartbreaking love, vulnerability, faith, and healing.
If you’re San Juan bound, don’t miss your chance to snap a selfie by these epic lookouts, historic sites, and cute creatures!
247 average days with sunshine, a reputation for wholesome fun, and more than 6 places to get freshly made pastries all make Friday Harbor is the ultimate kid-friendly getaway destination that the whole family will love.
With the sun on your face and two wheels at your command, San Juan Island is yours to explore – as fast or as slow as one of Susie’s Mopeds will take you.
Windswept grasslands and breathtaking views make the southernmost tip of San Juan Island the perfect location for a day hike.
