BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Avery Lee has mastered the art of showing the movement of metal in her unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Using responsibly sourced materials, her designs combine contemporary shapes with earthy stones, revealing a connection to the natural landscape of the West.
It all started when you were gifted your Great Grandmother’s ring. When did you realize this was your true calling?
I have always loved that jewelry carries so much meaning for people. Growing up I enjoyed wearing jewelry and I treasured the special pieces I was gifted, like my grandmother’s ring, but I never thought of jewelry-making as being an art form that I could pursue. I ended up taking my first metal-smithing class on a total whim after my dad’s unexpected passing in 2015. I quickly fell in love. After this first class I knew that metal-smithing was a strong calling. The level of required focus and raw physicality needed to work with metal is captivating.
Not only is seeing my creations come alive so rewarding, but I get to witness alchemy, which most of the time still feels like straight up magic. I am not sure the novelty will ever grow old.
What did you do before jewelry making? Can you tell us a bit about your history as an artist?
From a young age I’ve been enamored with dance and movement practices of all types. Modern, Contemporary, Hip-hop, improv, you name it. Officially, I studied Dance and Fine Art for my undergraduate degree at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. My thesis exhibition was an installation that focused on wallpaper made with linocuts of bones and Labanotation symbols. Visually it was very poppy and vibrant but the meaning was a tad bit abstract and to this day I am not 100% sure what I was trying to say. I have played around with knitting, collage, photography, and printmaking but nothing captured my interest as much as metal-smithing, although dance, movement, and the body will always be central to my experience as an artist and the lens through which I create.
Each of your pieces make a bold statement while maintaining beautifully minimalistic and modern properties. Can you tell us a little bit about your process and how these two ideas come together in your work?
When I am in the process of creating a piece I typically make 10-20 different variations. Similar to when I am dancing or doing improv, I like to move with what naturally emerges and try not to get too stuck on that one idea or the final outcome. I learned the hard way that I needed to use paper and pen in designing instead of fine metals because it was getting expensive fast. Now I cut shapes out of paper and cardboard. I use markers to sketch lots of quick sketches and tend to gravitate towards ideas that are a little more eccentric than what I end up landing on. Through the editing process, I start to lean into the lines and shapes that give me a sense of breath and pleasure. Somehow, in all of this process both minimalism and boldness shine through. I like elemental shapes that then have a little extra twist or spark to complement the simplicity.
Working with color seems to be such a fascinating part of the art form. And we are drawn to all earthy colors and anything in the turquoise or sea glass variety. How do you make these decisions and where do you find such stunning stones?
My mother is a watercolor painter, and art teacher, so much of my color inspiration comes from her influence. Our house growing up was covered in color and art. We were encouraged to play, create and get messy. We also spent lots of time as a family camping in the Colorado and Utah wilderness.
One of my favorite recurring river trips was taking canoes down the Colorado River and Green River for 5-7 days. Looking at the colors I am drawn to in the work that I make, so many of those colors I see directly in the landscapes, plants, waters, and minerals that are found in these beautiful places. I typically follow the stones I find that are soothing and visually intriguing. When I can, I buy directly from the miners. I have had the privilege of meeting many at the Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show and the Gem show in Denver, but sometimes direct sourcing can be a challenge. Luckily, many of the stones I work with are from small mines in OR, NV, UT, CO, WY and AZ and I am able to verify that they have been responsibly and sustainably sourced. I recently met a wonderfully kind man through his website who happens to live 20 minutes away and I’ve been able to hand pick through his rough Sage and Nephrite Jade to select the stones I use.
We’ve been following you from the beginning and we’ve loved seeing how your pieces have changed over the years. How do you see your style evolving in the future?
In the middle of the pandemic I did an amazing six week long interdisciplinary program with my dear friend LA Samuelson called “Testing the Mechanic.” Together we investigated how creativity was showing up and how I was engaging with it in my work and with the world. It was incredible. Before the program I would get tripped up in my head on trying to make each piece the most precious, unique, perfect representation of an idea.
I have softened quite a bit now since the series with LA, and I think the work that is coming out of me is a truer representation of what I want to show. It is all still in process in a way, even though I have finished pieces to show, I like thinking of each piece as just a small expression of a greater stream of ideas and creative work that will continue to unfold. It is hard for me to say how my style will evolve, but I can say my process of creating will continue to deepen and strengthen and hopefully reveal an even stronger design voice.
Describe your studio for us and a typical day of creating.
Picture blazing torches, like dueling lightsabers, flashes of heat and light, small explosions, and cute dogs. Just kidding, well kind of… 😉 My studio is packed with tools. It took me almost 2-3 years to save up to buy enough tools so that I felt that I could leave the local communal jewelry-making space.
When people walk into my studio I typically hear “oh, wow, I didn’t realize you needed so many big tools to make jewelry.” My space is usually a little chaotic and messy but full of natural light. There is typically a podcast or book on tape playing and a cup of tea or lemon water on my bench.
Not two days of creating are alike in my studio. I range from cutting stones, to mapping out new designs, to measuring and lining up a new soldering operation, to spending the day shipping out orders and research. My dog Lulu is usually by my side or gently nudging me to get out with her to play with the ball.
Aside from your website, do you have local stockists where we can find your creations?
My website is definitely the best place to find my full selection of current pieces, but you can also find my work in Mojave and Tejon Dry Goods, Fiori Flowers, Dancing Grains Woodworks, and Jones and CO Modern Mercantile.
What can we expect from you in the future?
You can expect me to continue to explore and play with the natural elements that inspire me. I am looking forward to making more one-of-a-kind pieces and maybe even launching a small line of contemporary engagement rings. I hope to do more collaborations with other artists and to continue to educate and learn about how to further evolve the sustainable practices in my art making and business building.
Thank you for sharing your art, Avery. To view her entire collection, visit averyleedesign.com.