- Words by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton
Stop by on Oak Bay Avenue, and you91裸聊视频檒l find a collection of jewellery that you won91裸聊视频檛 see anywhere else. There91裸聊视频檚 finely crocheted or knitted gold and silver wire, woven with iridescent pearls, Swarovski crystals and semi-precious stones that make up necklaces, cuffs and collars. And the collection of drop earrings invokes a sculptural and abstract sense of the natural world.
Veronica Stewart has been a mainstay at the gallery for a decade, and her pieces are unquestionably beautiful, but they also have a striking uniqueness to them that leave no doubt her jewellery belongs within gallery walls.
So often while browsing traditional jewellery stores, trends emerge from season to season91裸聊视频攙ery like the fashion world91裸聊视频攁nd it can be difficult to find something out of the box. But Veronica91裸聊视频檚 jewellery is in a category all its own, in large part because she approaches her designs with an artist91裸聊视频檚 eye for form, texture and colour.
Born and raised in Scotland, Veronica graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art in 1979, and quickly emigrated to Canada, settling in Victoria in 1981.
91裸聊视频淚 grew up in Scotland in a pretty hard time. It was really tough to make a living,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚n those days, Canada was the place to be. [It] was the great free country where there was lots of support for the arts.91裸聊视频�
Opportunity did indeed knock, and by 1989 she was working as a full-time artist while raising her two sons. It was another decade or so before she started seriously exploring jewellery, and then she made a discovery that would shift her career path dramatically.
91裸聊视频淚 was a potter for the first 20 years,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淎nd then I discovered this amazing product, which was precious metal clay.91裸聊视频�
Also known as PMC and something that is growing in popularity in the art world, precious metal clay is essentially gold or fine silver that91裸聊视频檚 been ground into a powder and then mixed with a binding agent.
91裸聊视频淵ou work with it just like a clay,91裸聊视频� explains Veronica. 91裸聊视频淥nce it91裸聊视频檚 fired, everything is burned out except for the silver or gold.91裸聊视频�
The malleability of the product meant she could approach jewellery making with a similar process as she91裸聊视频檇 used in her ceramics, but on a smaller, much finer scale.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of it is trial and error, and I do get a lot of inspiration from nature,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淎 lot of my designs are abstracted, or line drawings of flowers.91裸聊视频�
Veronica makes her own stamps to press into the clay, often creating designs that highlight a microscopic point of focus from something in nature: the innermost workings of a flower, for example. Using PMC, she can even take a piece of the silver or gold clay and press it directly onto a leaf or other object.
91裸聊视频淥nce you91裸聊视频檝e fired it, you91裸聊视频檝e captured that impression,91裸聊视频� she says.
Some of her most impacting pieces are made using another technique she91裸聊视频檚 honed over the years: crocheting and knitting fine gold and silver wire.
91裸聊视频淚 love doing the really extravagant bigger pieces91裸聊视频攖he collars and the cuffs91裸聊视频攂ecause it becomes so much more creative,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 like wearing heavy jewellery, so I try to make things that are delicate but still a statement. That91裸聊视频檚 one of the advantages of using the crocheted wire.91裸聊视频�
The intricate loops and twists are often woven with Swarovski crystals or freshwater pearls, creating a complex yet delicate piece, particularly since Veronica uses 22-karat gold or fine silver for her creations.
As the process is as labour-intensive as it is intricate, Veronica tends to work on a few pieces at a time, with rest periods between to recharge her creativity and get new ideas, often from her garden.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 a manic gardener,91裸聊视频� she says with a laugh. 91裸聊视频淚t kept me sane through lockdown! I can always find things to do in the garden, and it makes me happy, looking at the flowers and trees and trying to figure out how to use them in whatever it is I91裸聊视频檓 working on.91裸聊视频�
From her early career in ceramics to her current work creating elegant jewellery collections, Veronica has been an artist for over 40 years, adapting and improving both her process and the business of her craft.
91裸聊视频淚 think of the whole journey that I91裸聊视频檝e been on since I first started making jewellery91裸聊视频 was doing markets and craft fairs,91裸聊视频� she says, remembering the early days. It wasn91裸聊视频檛 long before her work found its way into art galleries91裸聊视频攂oth in BC and further afield91裸聊视频攂ut it was a chance meeting with Heather Wheeler at an exhibition at Langham Court Theatre that introduced her work to the Oak Bay community. Heather, the founder and owner of The Avenue Gallery, invited Veronica to put her jewellery in the gallery.
91裸聊视频淚 love how The Avenue Gallery really does focus on local artists. It91裸聊视频檚 so important,91裸聊视频� says Veronica.
91裸聊视频淚 have huge respect for gallery owners. Once I became a gallery artist, it definitely increased the visibility of my pieces. And it91裸聊视频檚 really nice for me, especially at this stage, to just do the making. I get to do the fun part.91裸聊视频�
You can find more of Veronica Stewart at the or at her .
