- Words by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton
Stop by on Oak Bay Avenue, and you香蕉视频直播檒l find a collection of jewellery that you won香蕉视频直播檛 see anywhere else. There香蕉视频直播檚 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 season香蕉视频直播攙ery like the fashion world香蕉视频直播攁nd it can be difficult to find something out of the box. But Veronica香蕉视频直播檚 jewellery is in a category all its own, in large part because she approaches her designs with an artist香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淚 grew up in Scotland in a pretty hard time. It was really tough to make a living,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚n those days, Canada was the place to be. [It] was the great free country where there was lots of support for the arts.香蕉视频直播�
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.
香蕉视频直播淚 was a potter for the first 20 years,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淎nd then I discovered this amazing product, which was precious metal clay.香蕉视频直播�
Also known as PMC and something that is growing in popularity in the art world, precious metal clay is essentially gold or fine silver that香蕉视频直播檚 been ground into a powder and then mixed with a binding agent.
香蕉视频直播淵ou work with it just like a clay,香蕉视频直播� explains Veronica. 香蕉视频直播淥nce it香蕉视频直播檚 fired, everything is burned out except for the silver or gold.香蕉视频直播�
The malleability of the product meant she could approach jewellery making with a similar process as she香蕉视频直播檇 used in her ceramics, but on a smaller, much finer scale.
香蕉视频直播淎 lot of it is trial and error, and I do get a lot of inspiration from nature,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淎 lot of my designs are abstracted, or line drawings of flowers.香蕉视频直播�
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.
香蕉视频直播淥nce you香蕉视频直播檝e fired it, you香蕉视频直播檝e captured that impression,香蕉视频直播� she says.
Some of her most impacting pieces are made using another technique she香蕉视频直播檚 honed over the years: crocheting and knitting fine gold and silver wire.
香蕉视频直播淚 love doing the really extravagant bigger pieces香蕉视频直播攖he collars and the cuffs香蕉视频直播攂ecause it becomes so much more creative,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 like wearing heavy jewellery, so I try to make things that are delicate but still a statement. That香蕉视频直播檚 one of the advantages of using the crocheted wire.香蕉视频直播�
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.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 a manic gardener,香蕉视频直播� she says with a laugh. 香蕉视频直播淚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 I香蕉视频直播檓 working on.香蕉视频直播�
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.
香蕉视频直播淚 think of the whole journey that I香蕉视频直播檝e been on since I first started making jewellery香蕉视频直播 was doing markets and craft fairs,香蕉视频直播� she says, remembering the early days. It wasn香蕉视频直播檛 long before her work found its way into art galleries香蕉视频直播攂oth in BC and further afield香蕉视频直播攂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.
香蕉视频直播淚 love how The Avenue Gallery really does focus on local artists. It香蕉视频直播檚 so important,香蕉视频直播� says Veronica.
香蕉视频直播淚 have huge respect for gallery owners. Once I became a gallery artist, it definitely increased the visibility of my pieces. And it香蕉视频直播檚 really nice for me, especially at this stage, to just do the making. I get to do the fun part.香蕉视频直播�
You can find more of Veronica Stewart at the or at her .
