Lora was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and currently works out of her charming studiolo in the historic city of Richmond, Virginia. A metal clay artist inspired by historic imagery, Lora's work has been featured in books, magazines, and calendars and her jewels are sold in galleries and online.
TEACHER'S STATEMENT
Everyone has an artist dwelling within them. Some have already begun to explore their creative vision, some are still waiting to bring it forth. Metal clay is a unique material, a new technology that allows the artist to form jewelry in an organic, tactile way unlike any other tradition they may have previously known. Fire in the form of a torch or kiln transforms this wonderfully malleable "clay" into solid silver, gold, copper or bronze. Polished steel tools are then used to burnish the precious item to a gleaming luster. Imagination completes the process, turning a beautiful object into personal adornment. My goal as a teacher of metal clay, is to pass on tips and techniques that I was lucky enough to have learned from other artists and those I discovered through personal trial and error. If I can help the artist within you to tap into your own creative flow, I will have realized that goal. I hope to facilitate your journey to find your own inspiration, develop your own unique sensibilities and be able to create jewelry you are proud to know is of your own design.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work focuses on presenting narratives based on family history, world history and natural history. The objects and textures I use bring forth a time and memory that are unique to each person's own experience. Every piece is created with the intention of invoking a sense of the familiar, inviting the viewer to recall an experience, reflect on a bygone era, or re-imagine a distant landscape.
I've always been intrigued by historical artifacts and imagery. I grew up surrounded by antique furniture, reproductions of medieval art (which hung side by side with contemporary work) and a trunk filled with vintage photographs of my family's family. My creative interests have always mirrored those themes, and now my jewels reflect the same aesthetic. Found objects rich with marks left by a lifetime of use and wear are set in silver shadow boxes, layered behind pierced scrollwork and magnified by clear quartz gems. Sparkling prisms, discarded toys and other seemingly mundane items are given new life, transformed into miniature cabinets of curiosity.
