INSPIRATION, MATERIALS AND PROCESS

Like the Earth creates a gem over millions of years, I hope my jewelry connects you to nature and, over time, grows into a heirloom of sentimental value, connecting you to the natural world and to those you love and cherish.

INSPIRATION

It is impossible to separate my art from anything I do. My inspiration is rooted in my childhood: my father was an artist and educator and my mother was a gardener and lover of all things natural.  I grew up one of five children living in Eugene, Oregon. Both my parents channeled a love of art, whether it was in nature — in the woods, along the river, or in the garden — or in books we read, music we listened to and museums and galleries we visited. My parents taught us the deep and transformative power of art and the infinite beauty of nature. They both encouraged an exploration of the world in different ways.  

One of my earliest art-related memories comes from kindergarten. I was absolutely obsessed with the color orange. I could not get enough of it! I found the color completely stimulating; it affected me physically like nothing else. Choosing the painting corner during free-play over all the other options, I would lose myself in color. It was the beginning, I think, of my fascination with the subtle relationships between things, whether it be how I’m affected by color, or how one color affects another, or brushes to paper, or even in music— as a young musician I enjoyed the careful attention required to tune an instrument to get an exact tone. Subtle adjustments were so important — I felt and reveled in their significance.

 After graduating from Reed College in Portland, Oregon with a degree in French Literature, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and pursued my art while teaching French. I earned an MFA in Drawing and Painting from the California College of the Arts and have gone on to have a full and satisfying career as a working artist. I continue to exhibit my artwork regularly and my paintings are currently held in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Gallery on the East Coast. On the West Coast my work can be found at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the De Young Museum in San Francisco and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

My love of designing with gems and metal has grown from the way I have always seen the act of painting itself, as based in an interaction between the mind of the artist and the material world; just like that young kindergartner who was so affected by color and light and the feel of paint on paper. Once worn, I love the way jewelry has the potential to become an extension of one’s body, affecting not only the wearer but those around her. I vividly remember my mother’s ring — we would lay in bed, reading stories at night and I would touch her ring while she read. I felt it was a link, a powerful conduit between the two of us.

A piece of jewelry can become part of one’s body and one’s life. It is my hope that my jewelry connects you to art and nature and to the people you love. ~ Laurie Frances Reid

MATERIALS

When it comes to materials, I like to think of jewelry as mirroring nature from the bottom up— the ingredients come from the center of the Earth but reflect the light of the Heavens.

GOLD — from deep in the Earth

I love that gold comes from deep within the Earth. The weight of high karat gold holds and steadies the bright play of light in the gems, grounds them and protects them. By extension and association, gold grounds and protects the wearer, their dreams, aspirations and intentions.

I use the depth and solidity of 22 karat gold, like the earth, to hold the beautiful reflecting light of a gem; ethereal light held in a place for the mind to settle so we can contemplate its beauty. I love how high karat gold asserts itself as bright and yet subdued. I also love the relationship between the gold and the skin of the wearer. How it is cold at first to the touch; but when worn, it quickly warms to the body’s temperature.

GEMS — capturing light

Gems capture and reflect light. They are like little stages, providing a place for the light and the mind to settle together.

Choosing gems is like choosing words for a writer or color for an artist. It is one of my favorite parts of designing a piece of jewelry. I am always on the lookout for exceptional color and interesting shapes. I am so excited to receive gems from a supplier! I can hardly wait to open the package and let the magic begin. I take them out and place them on a flat surface in the light to see how the light works in each of them. I sit with them, hold them and study them, watching the reflections and noting the effects, looking for subtlety. Drawn to them, I take this time to get to know them intimately. These moments of observation and intuition supply me with the information I need to eventually start drawing a new piece.

PROCESS

Working with gems and gold together is another way of exploring and manipulating light and color.

In art, I have always enjoyed exploring the boundaries of paint, paper, water, atmosphere, and gravity. To be sure, there is a tremendous freedom in the process of painting. There are relatively few restrictions and endless opportunities for experimentation and innovation.

Making jewelry is a bit different. For me, the piece has to be wearable and comfortable. As in say, cooking, there is a function to be fulfilled. Food needs to taste good in the way that a piece of jewelry needs to be wearable. My process in jewelry making is similar to the way I cook: first I lay out all the ingredients I’m going to work with in front of me. I study them, allow myself to be drawn to them, and let them speak to me. I follow their lead. I tease the jewel out of the stone and metal the way I tease a meal out of an array of fruits, vegetables, and spices. I still enjoy pushing the boundaries of any ingredient or element, to innovate, encouraging chance combinations and embracing that change. If it is a custom piece of jewelry, your story becomes one of the ingredients laid before me as I work.

I hope, in the end, a finished piece of jewelry becomes a new way to feel connected to the elements and allows the combination of golden earth and radiant light to stimulate and inspire you.