Interview with Avery Lucas

Do you think that jewelry is being standardized? What is there of local and universal in your artistic work?
I was taught to make by people who pushed me to open my eyes. I was drawn to jewelry because it could be made of anything and about anything. There are many avenues of making from corporate bling to trashcan art. For me, each piece opens another door, asks another question, and gives me the yearning to explore avenues not yet satisfied. Being human is to ask questions about the world I live in and my place in it, but being a maker has helped me define and articulate a space within which to operate.

What do you expect when exposing your work to the public (for example with an exhibition)?
My relationship to my work is always that of a lover. The exposure of each piece is like revealing something intimate to the world. Sometimes it is voyeuristic, sometimes benign, but each time my heart thumps along and I fear revealing too much. Like standing back while someone snickers over your diary.

Are other areas besides the jewelry, present in your work?
I consider myself a metalsmith who uses scale, composition, design, and material choice as tools to properly portray a thought or idea within a piece of work. Sometimes I work big or small, depending on what the piece wants to say.

The last work, book, film, that has moved me was...
Patti Smith’s “Just Kids”

A place, space, country whose creativity surprises me...
I long to travel more, but I have most often been surprised what happens in my workspace, in my studio, and between my mind and hands.

is there any designer, jeweller, artist, you appreciate a lot?
Myra Mimslitch-Gray and Hoss Haley as makers/metalworkers,
John Copland’s self portrait photography,
Frida Kahlo

What piece or work has given you the most satisfaction?
Any piece that I have been able to hold in my own hands is pure satisfaction. In this age of the Internet, most of craftwork is seen and lives within an image. However through the windshield of our computer screens, we loose the aesthetic pleasure of physical experience. No doubt the physical nature of objects, sensuality of jewelry, and the lushness of manipulating our materials is what enticed us craftspeople to indulge in making.