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Karen Lauseng Handmade Jewelry Artisan Casts cuttlefish in sterling silver and mokume Biography | Portfolio
Through her artwork, Karen melds her life experiences with antiquity to produce timeless, spiritually connected pieces. Lauseng's jewelry is sold in New Mexico at the Museum of Art and History Gift Shop in Albuquerque, Hecho Art & Decor in Old Mesilla, Tresa Vorenberg Goldsmiths in Santa Fe, and Blue Dome Gallery in Silver City. Artist Statement: "Design to me is an adventure. I find the beauty of the craft in its individuality. When designing a piece, I begin with an idea and allow the materials to dictate the end result. Each piece evolves during the working process and records my personal experiences. Inspiration for my work is drawn from travel, nature and spiritual readings. My work includes the use of ancient techniques and often integrates materials such as fossils, fossilized rock, petrified wood and semi-precious stones with more modern materials and processes. Much of my current work explores a primitive casting technique I studied in depth in Cortona, Italy. This method uses the cuttlefish, a member of the Mollusk Family, for the casting medium. In ancient times metalworkers used these shells to form ingot molds; however, the texture created by the internal structure of the shell was undesirable, and once cast, they would smooth the piece. Unlike ancient metalworkers, I find the texture to be exciting and original. Because each piece is cast in an individual shell, no two pieces are ever the same. The variety of textures that can be achieved by carving into the shell keeps me interested and challenged while developing each piece as a unique work." |
