Meet Lacee A. Norris | Jewelry Designer & Metalsmith

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lacee A. Norris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lacee, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was always encouraged to explore art growing up. In my family pursuing a career as an artist, designer or any sort of creative field was never seen as something negative but something so important to the culture of a society. My family has always been far more interested in and encouraged careers that don’t fit the mold of society so to say, to think outside of the box. As I have gotten older I realize how fortunate I am for that upbringing. My grandmother was an artist, my grandfather a woodworker, art and being creative was engrained into me from a young child. As soon as I could hold a pencil, a brush was also put into my hand. I would spend afternoons painting at my grandmother’s house, learning how to oil paint in elementary school, visiting museums during summer break. I knew from a very young age my career would be in the arts and that I was going to own my own business. You are in the minority in my family if you work for someone else. I originally had wanted to go into design, interiors or furniture but it was in college at csulb that I took a metalsmithing class on a whim and fell in love. I switched my major and never looked back.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Getting to where I am today has been a journey, I never imagined myself designing engagement rings and working with precious metals and stones. If you had told me 8 years ago that this is the type of work I would be producing I would probably laugh. I had zero interest in fine jewelry, I wanted to produce large scale sculptural pieces. What I didn’t realize at the time was that fine jewelry is sculptural, meticulously sculptural. I was never a perfectionist, my studio is always in complete chaos. I’ve always loved texture, seeing the artist’s touch, but as I have grown as an artist my work has become more refined, intentionally imperfect. I often compare carving settings for stones like building little houses, they have to be structurally sound, strong and built to withstand lifetimes, but it’s important that what I create is unique, I don’t want them looking like everyone else’s “houses” on the street. I am forever inspired by our natural world, its constant changing landscapes, the colors, the textures. A lot of designers have transitioned into using CAD to produce their designs, it’s affordable, precise and quick but I still hand carve most everything. I find the process meditative, I think when you spend more time with a piece you learn more about it. I often tell my clients that while we start with an original design, the end result may be a little different. This is because as I work new ideas may come to mind, inspirations evolve. I find that the carving of the piece is me refining the original idea to make it that much better. I think that when you go straight from design to CAD you lose some of that creative process as an artist, which to me is vital to producing something unique to your voice as an artist. I really hope that as time goes on hand carving jewelry doesn’t become a lost art, I don’t believe a computer will ever properly be able to replicate an artist’s touch or vision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well right now..stay home! But I’m going to pretend this isn’t 2020 covid times and speak to the future. I love my city, Long Beach is so unique and has so much to do, as well as being close to other fun areas in LA & OC. If you’re here for a week you can do so much. Visiting the beach is a must, you can rent a Duffy and cruise the Naples canals or get yourself on a stand-up paddle board for some recreation. Long Beach has a reputation of having not so great beaches but the bay and peninsula are really beautiful in my opinion, especially for a sunset picnic. (go to Ubuntu Cafe’ by the Colorado Lagoon for one of their adorable to go picnics!) And if you wanted to surf you’re only a short drive south to seal or hb. Long Beach has a few art museums worth exploring, Molaa always has interesting exhibits and the Long Beach Museum of Art is set on the bluffs on Ocean blvd and has a really cute cafe. On really clear days you can see out to Catalina Island. For food the options are literally endless. Whatever you’re in the mood for Long Beach has it. Some of my favorites include La Parolaccia Osteria for Italian and pizza, Gu Ramen, Lupe’s De La Mar for oysters, and District Wine or Risü for small bites and great wine. I’ve lived in Long Beach my entire life and with the exception of the year 2020 have yet to get bored, there’s always something fun going on from farmer’s markets, concerts in the park to art walks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family have always been the biggest supporters of my career in the arts. Owning a business is challenging and definitely not the easiest path, I grew up in a household where both my mom and dad owned their own businesses so I can always count on them to give me advice on how to handle certain situations, clients etc. It’s been a huge help having that support from them. I also wouldn’t be doing what I do without the foundation of CSULB’s excellent art program, the ability to easily explore different art mediums, the interesting discussions and incredible faculty really make it a great place to grow and learn as an artist. We’re lucky to have such a great school in our backyard, its definitely not to be overlooked!

Website: www.laceealexandra.com
Instagram: @laceealexandrajewelry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaceeAlexandraJewelry/