Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendi Lawlor.
Wendi, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I come from a family of artists. My grandfather was a fine jeweler with a jewelry store outside of NYC. His home was filled with miniatures and jewelry boxes with secret drawers that held tiny treasures. My interest in jewelry and collecting was inspired here, as a toddler, where we’d sit together and crinkle up tiny pieces of tin foil, pretending they were diamonds and hide them in secret places.
In grade school, I was so shy and introverted. The teachers frequently pulled me out of recess to create their bulletin board art. At home, I was always making things. I can remember being obsessed with hand-building ceramic mugs with sculpted old man faces. My first earrings I made were cut and glued together pieces of colored pencils, which I wore to school probably too many times, but it was New Jersey in the late 80s. Loud colors and big hair were in, so they made sense.
In college, I studied design and illustration, but spent late nights in the ceramics and metal smithing studios where I was happiest. While in school, I found work soldering jewelry for a Pennsylvania designer, where 7 of us worked out of a renovated barn making pieces like shoulder dusters and big clip on earring styles too heavy to be supported by posts, worn by celebrities including Madonna and Janet Jackson. I quickly learned the process of fashion jewelry-making, but I soon left after seeing some of the employee health issues most likely caused by the toxic methods being used. So, after graduating, I started my own jewelry business in my tiny apartment with not much money and just a few materials, and my grandfathers’ old tools from the thirties to work with. The line grew quickly, and I was in over 150 boutiques around the country.
Soon, it was time for a family, so I put my jewelry business aside and focused on my children. In 2007, I picked it up again when I opened a little boutique, which I named the same as the line, Rubbish, making and selling sterling silver pieces mixed with gemstones and flea market finds.
By 2010, my kids were now teens, and my boys were becoming successful musicians. After they played SXSW, we headed to Los Angeles to further their careers. That proved to be a valuable decision. I closed up shop again until 2014, where I started my current line, Love + Metal.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My jewelry line is Love + Metal. It’s a fashion jewelry line with a modern, edgy, minimalist, sometimes industrial feel. I am not a fancy person, and my jewelry reflects that. It’s casual everyday jewelry and not too serious.
I do everything myself, from designing and creating to hand stamping my packaging and the photography for my website. No two pieces are exactly the same. I love to leave some of the character of the artist’s hand evident in most pieces, like a little bit of patina from the torch, or hammered texture.
I start my process by getting inspired by things like runway fashion, interior design, even the latest typography trends. I have scrap pieces of torn paper all over with my ideas and sketches. I am challenged by new ways to wear jewelry. I use sterling silver, gold, gold-fill, brass and natural gemstones and some of the designs are ear cuffs, ear climbers, hoop earrings, chokers, rings and personalized pieces. I make sure my metals are responsibly sourced, and my stones are natural, not lab-created. I use sterling silver and 14k gold solder with no toxins.
I love that people are starting to appreciate wearing handmade pieces made from real materials, and not something that was stamped out in numbers without any soul.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
To me, success goes hand and hand with being inspired, if you are, then everything else will follow. Artists do their best work when they have something to say. If you are not feeling it, you need to expose yourself. You can’t force inspiration, but you can foster it. Second is arming yourself with materials and techniques. If you are feeling stuck, you may need to take your skills to the next level. Lastly, networking and collaborating with other businesses, bloggers, and artists. Be creative in how you can work with others. You don’t have to spend a lot of money if you get involved with a community of people who want to help each other.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can find my pieces on etsy and on my website. I am also in a few boutiques in the area. My Instagram will keep you posted on any pop-up shops or makers markets coming up.
Website- www. love-n-metal.com
Instagram- @love metal
Etsy – love metal
Coming soon- love + metal mobile/a pop-up shop out of my ’65 Airstream trailer.
Contact Info:
- Address: 113 Cornell Ave Claremont, CA 91711
- Website: love-n-metal.com
- Phone: (973)634-5679
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovenmetal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovenmetal/
Image Credit:
wendi lawlor
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