- Words by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton
Stop by on Oak Bay Avenue, and youB次元官网网址檒l find a collection of jewellery that you wonB次元官网网址檛 see anywhere else. ThereB次元官网网址檚 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 seasonB次元官网网址攙ery like the fashion worldB次元官网网址攁nd it can be difficult to find something out of the box. But VeronicaB次元官网网址檚 jewellery is in a category all its own, in large part because she approaches her designs with an artistB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淚 grew up in Scotland in a pretty hard time. It was really tough to make a living,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚n those days, Canada was the place to be. [It] was the great free country where there was lots of support for the arts.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淚 was a potter for the first 20 years,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淎nd then I discovered this amazing product, which was precious metal clay.B次元官网网址�
Also known as PMC and something that is growing in popularity in the art world, precious metal clay is essentially gold or fine silver thatB次元官网网址檚 been ground into a powder and then mixed with a binding agent.
B次元官网网址淵ou work with it just like a clay,B次元官网网址� explains Veronica. B次元官网网址淥nce itB次元官网网址檚 fired, everything is burned out except for the silver or gold.B次元官网网址�
The malleability of the product meant she could approach jewellery making with a similar process as sheB次元官网网址檇 used in her ceramics, but on a smaller, much finer scale.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of it is trial and error, and I do get a lot of inspiration from nature,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淎 lot of my designs are abstracted, or line drawings of flowers.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淥nce youB次元官网网址檝e fired it, youB次元官网网址檝e captured that impression,B次元官网网址� she says.
Some of her most impacting pieces are made using another technique sheB次元官网网址檚 honed over the years: crocheting and knitting fine gold and silver wire.
B次元官网网址淚 love doing the really extravagant bigger piecesB次元官网网址攖he collars and the cuffsB次元官网网址攂ecause it becomes so much more creative,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 like wearing heavy jewellery, so I try to make things that are delicate but still a statement. ThatB次元官网网址檚 one of the advantages of using the crocheted wire.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a manic gardener,B次元官网网址� she says with a laugh. B次元官网网址淚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 IB次元官网网址檓 working on.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淚 think of the whole journey that IB次元官网网址檝e been on since I first started making jewelleryB次元官网网址 was doing markets and craft fairs,B次元官网网址� she says, remembering the early days. It wasnB次元官网网址檛 long before her work found its way into art galleriesB次元官网网址攂oth in BC and further afieldB次元官网网址攂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.
B次元官网网址淚 love how The Avenue Gallery really does focus on local artists. ItB次元官网网址檚 so important,B次元官网网址� says Veronica.
B次元官网网址淚 have huge respect for gallery owners. Once I became a gallery artist, it definitely increased the visibility of my pieces. And itB次元官网网址檚 really nice for me, especially at this stage, to just do the making. I get to do the fun part.B次元官网网址�
You can find more of Veronica Stewart at the or at her .
