Etsy Tuesdays: Lauren Rudeck

So how 'bout that Christmas, eh?  Is your belly quivering like a bowl full of jelly yet?  I think mine just stopped quivering a minute ago.  Salads and anything savory have a certain appeal right now.  But anywhooo...I saw a great article about making goals, rather than resolutions for the new year.  Pretty good stuff.  Speaking of good stuff, here's this week's etsy artist!

Lauren Rudeck is the genius behind LaRu.  She makes necklaces and belt buckles that feature vibrant color and clear, whimsical illustrations.  (I especially love her adorable rabbits and owls.)

"My background:
I am a Seattle based artists/designer/soon to be architect. I moved to Seattle 4-1/2 years ago after attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for my Masters in Architecture. I have been working in the field for over six years, but when the economy was hit, so was architecture. The firm I work for cut our hours, so I began focusing more and more on La Ru, all the while taking my licensing exams (there are 7 total and I have finished 4). Finding the balance between La Ru and architecture is really important to me and one day I hope to combine the two things I am passionate for.

What is La Ru:
I create pendants, rings, earrings, cufflinks, belt buckles, wall hangings, tables, and more out of my illustrations. I tend to draw things that make people smile. I really like drawing robots, animals, and skeletons, though I am always open for a challenge. I use my drawings and collage them together with layers of paper and then seal them in resin to make each piece totally unique.

The Name:
The name La Ru comes from the first two letters of my first and last name (Lauren Rudeck). Originally a nickname from my friend Sophie, it soon became the name I used for everything I did. Before La Ru (jewelry) I was brewing beer and called it La Ru Brew, so it seemed only natural to use La Ru for my art.

The History of La Ru:
I started a crafting group in the summer of 2008, where every month we would pick a new craft or material that we didn't know how to make or use and try it out. One of the months we worked with resin and scrabble tiles. We made a bunch of pendants out of magazine clippings. I really liked the process, but I did not like using imagery that some else created or being stuck using predetermined sizes, so I started experimenting. I began using polymer clay, my illustrations and resin to create my pieces and have kept perfecting it ever since.

Once I got the pendants down I started selling at I Heart Rummage. One Sunday I overheard a bored boyfriend say “there is never anything here for guys” and that's when I started brainstorming on how to expand La Ru. I started with cufflinks, but soon expanded to belt buckles. I am now in the process of adding metal card holders, flasks, and prints."

Posted via email from Earmarks