Meadows beach, Carmel, California
Born 1957 Singapore (family shots)

Lauren Cottrell, artist statement,keeping it about my art here.

I began making jewelry in 1976 after moving from my home in Carmel California to Taos New Mexico. I was first inspired by a family of accomplished jewelers who took me in as their friend, apprentice and housemate. We would work hard for a couple of months then sell the jewelry we had made. After that we would wander the mountains of Taos, drink champagne, and contemplate the vast blue sky until our money ran out and then we would go back to work again.

 It was an exciting lifestyle for a young and independent woman.

Over the years I have changed both my jewelry and lifestyle. I have two remarkable daughters, Ariel and Mia. Both more beautiful than all the gems I have ever seen. With reference to my work, I have made numerous different styles of work in that time, ornate to simple.

I am now only making pieces by recycling gold jewelry that people don’t wear anymore. My guilt at supporting the mining industry finally got to me. People send me pieces they already have and I charge them to create a new hand stamped sun pendant for them.

Jewelry is not all I do. I have spent a great deal of time studying the Classical Tibetan language so that I could help to translate many texts that are as yet unavailable in English. Also, I have taken up learning various computer programs. I learned how to put up a website for my business using Dreamweaver. I am hankering for some flash next and a lot more coding. I am also learning some 3D cad work. I want to be able to build my own tools to use in my jewelry, or to make models of pieces, or design for others. I am learning Illustrator and Photoshop so that I can control the means of production for the media/marketing needed for my business. Having learned them for my business initially I have enjoyed it so much it has become something  I do it for pleasure now as well.

My latest interest is the computer program Final Cut which is a video editing program. Having moved to Los Angeles and ‘fianceed’ someone in the media production world I am steeped in video production and editing.. I am looking forward to using the tools for creating films/videos.

The dynamism of these activities of hand and head balance each other nicely. I find the jewelry work a plunge into a world of beauty and natural eloquence. There is an instinctive response to the stones and metal that allows me to feel a deep resonance with the world I live in. The language and Buddhist study provide the philosophic maturation my mind and heart demand and the computer work? It is good for communication, creativity, biz and the geek in me enjoys it.

Trumansburg, New York