Lireille Gallery of Contemporary Jewelry and Art |
Luana Coonen
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Luana Coonen
Luana was born and raised in Hawaii, living a simple and creative life in her
natural environment. When moving to the Bay Area, she saw the dramatic
contrast of living in a densely populated city, and the tropics of Hawaii. Never
before this point had she realized her strong affiliation with nature and organic
growth patterns. Realizing there was less natural growth in her concrete
surroundings she found even the smallest flower or blade of grass more valuable
than ever. She began focusing on how to express these overwhelming emotions
through her artwork, finding ways within her jewelry to amplify these simple natural
objects.
Now obsessively observing natural patterns, Luana began to notice nature’s
selective palate. Presenting themselves in many forms in her everyday life,
branching patterns became a notable theme in universal design. While on hikes,
she noticed poetic arrangements of delicate branches and lichen. Within the city,
beautiful cracks in the pavement distracted her. Collecting small natural objects
and sketching patterns which display branching structures, great connections
became apparent. These new lessons directly began to affect to her art and
design process. She began finding ways to integrate these inspiring natural
objects with her jewelry designs. Luana amplifies these seeming mundane objects
by combining them with precious materials, bringing attention to these little
specimens, so they are not muted in our urban environment. Her work becomes a
daily reminder, placed directly on the body, that nature’s true and tested designs
are our most valuable learning tools.
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