Lorena's Arbor de Vida in silver

I think for most people in the Metal Clay community, Lorena Angulo needs no introduction; her style is distinctive and instantly recognisable.  Lorena is based in the U.S. but originally comes from Mexico which she tells us is her biggest inspiration and no wonder given that it is such a vibrant country with a wealth of culture and traditions.  She is a metal clay artist who works primarily with fine silver and bronze and copper clay. She has joined the Southwest School of Art where she takes the occasional class to perfect her skills in metal smithing but is more known for teaching Metal Clay there.  

The piece which Lorena has chosen for this article is her 'Arbor de Vida' or Tree of Life which has to be one of her most iconic pieces. She says that this was one of the first pieces she ever made with metal clay, creating it initially in silver but admits that she was not totally happy with the piece until she remade it in bronze clay. Since then, she has gone on to create it in copper, bronze and silver enjoying the different looks that each type of clay can bring to the piece. The silver pieces are typically 'antiqued' with Liver of Sulphur but the copper and bronze pieces are left without patina since these clays have a warmth after firing that needs no enhancement. 

Although Lorena now lives in the United States, Mexico quite clearly continues to be an everyday influence and inspiration. She says that it became so apparent, just how important her heritage was to her when she moved away from her homeland to live in the US. In fact, she states, most of her designs are inspired by her country; its folk art and traditions. However, she does look to other cultures and folk art for inspiration too telling us that she often goes to museums and immerses herself in great pieces, which she claims can be found anywhere and everywhere. She also loves using the internet to explore other places which she might never be able to go and says that she is inspired by 'mythical cities and cultures from around the world'. Her pieces are her interpretation of these things that she admires and respects.

When we ask her about who inspires her, she tells us that she has a great deal of admiration and respect for those folk artists who create with

love and passion. However, she does name one specific artist who she tells us, gave her a different perspective on how to create her art when she was lucky enough to take a class with him. Robert Ebendorf, she tells us is a big inspiration because he has enormous love and passion for his art

and for teaching and taking his class was a wonderful experience.

It is quite clear to see when communicating with Lorena that her art has enormous significance in her life but it seems that how you approach it, that is with love and passion, is equally as important as creating something beautiful. Perhaps that's why her work is so unique and special.

You can see more of Lorena's work or have a look for details on her teaching schedule at her website.

Lora Hart likes to say she has been working with metal clay since the turn of the century! She began beading in 2000 and discovered metal clay soon after.  Since then, she admits working with metal clay has become a huge part of her life. She considers herself 'honoured' to make her living creating and teaching with metal clay and is so inspired by her students, she decided to offer a mentoring service via Etsy so she can reach out to more metal clay artists around the world. She

Communion

has called it Mentorial, combining the words Mentor and Tutorial and this service is offered to those who feel the need to bounce ideas around or chat about something very specific; it is very much driven by the customer's needs.

In addition to teaching and mentoring, she sells her jewellery online, in galleries and at a high end craft fair which she attends twice a year. Lora is also one of the Whole Lotta Whimsy's muses in their Muses series and has produced several online projects for them. So, with all that going on, Lora is a very busy artist indeed! Does this mean she is highly organised and tidy when it comes to working? Well, she works from home and has a tiny 'studiolo' that's always there when she needs it, which is useful because she normally starts working at the 'ungodly' hour of six or seven in the morning. Since this is a space which she also uses as a desk and a dining table, she likes to try and keep the area tidy, but she admits, this is more a dream than a reality and normally ends up working in a very small space surrounded by mountains of debris!

When we discuss Lora's style, she tells us that's a difficult question to answer. She says her jewellery has a romantic side, perhaps inspired by her love of Victorian gold jewellery which she used to collect. But her jewellery also has a bit of an edge, which is influenced by her love of gothic, ancient design motifs and architecture. She claims she can't choose amongst her pieces for her favourite, comparing that with a parent choosing a favourite child! But she says that her favourite is usually the one she is currently working on. Admittedly some 'fall quickly out of favor' and spend some time 'hibernating' in a box until they are pulled out again to be resurrected with new eyes and enthusiasm - she tells us that this is how some of her true favourites have come into being. What is she working on right now? At the moment, Lora is preparing for a show in June and making lots of earrings and pendants. She is also working on some hinged boxes and exploring all the ways there are to make hinge tubes and pins. And perhaps most importantly she's getting ready for the PMCC retreat at Arrowmount in May which she is looking forward to.

Her philosophy for working is quite simple. When overcoming obstacles in the design process her attitude is to sit down and consciously do something, whether that's making 100 tiny granulation balls or some bails. She finds that when she puts her hands on clay, the creative urge will return. She firmly believes in making what you love and what excites you rather than putting effort into something you believe will sell but have no passion for. That said, Lora admits that she doesn't always envisage the finished article at the start of her creative process. It can be a series of accidents and revelations to get to a finished piece of jewellery; starting with a focal with no idea how to hang it until it's been finished and polished.

Lora tells us that the work she does keeps her going and that it is its own reward. 'The love of the art of creating, the support from her friends and students stoke the fires', but in the end 'pretty shiny silvery bits and pieces' are her prize.

Click here if you are interested in viewing more of Lora's work. If you are interested in learning more about Lora's Mentorial service, click here.