Artistic Inspiration - Avery Lucas

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; it will always be home in my heart; and I actively seek reasons to visit.  Last year, on one such occasion, I participated in a weekend of making in a class lead by Bob Ebendorf at The Society For Contemporary Craft.

During our time together, Bob enthused about the annual Metals Symposium hosted at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina.  I left him knowing without a doubt that January would find me there.  As expected, I attended with my friend and fellow artist, Penny Arrowood. 

My time at ECU was a catalyst in a shift in the way that I'm thinking about my creative pursuits, my career as an artist, and this time in my life.  I was overstimulated in the best possible way, and one of the highlights for me was an a demonstration by Avery Lucas.



This life-sized piece is smaller than Envelop.
Each of Avery's creations is constructed from
one piece of copper.  And yes, this "Hand Made Tray" 
actually features her hands.

I'd read about Avery's work in the promotional materials for the conference.  Her piece, Envelop, featuring a pair of hands in glorious detail, was featured in several blog posts, and I was instantly drawn to them.  Then on opening night of the symposium during the art walk, I saw them for the first time in person.  They were even better than I'd imagined, and their sheer size blew me away.  Based on the photos, I was expecting a jewelry sized piece, and I was stunned by their larger-than-life reality.

Avery is humble and overflowing with talent.  She opened my eyes to the possibility of working larger with the same skill set and the same tools that I currently use in the creation of my jewelry.  She also provided me with the opportunity to witness the real life process of chasing and repousse for the first time.

From here, I'll let the photos tell the story... 



From her initial sketches to the finished pieces,
this body of work cohesively represents the artist's vision. 



 

"Pressure"





Avery's work area.  As soon as I returned, I ordered
my first block of pitch.  I'm not sure exactly where
it will take me; but I'm looking forward to the process.





I was thrilled to add this brooch, Ameba, to my collection.
It's a miniature version of all that I love about Avery's work.