Meet Chloe Joy Evers | Sculpture and Jewelry Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chloe Joy Evers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chloe Joy, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
My art has evolved over the years and become more prolific by the necessity and enjoyment I get from creating. I think that sometimes it expresses itself as an appetite, other times as an impulse, but when you’re doing what you love, it becomes the most natural thing in the world for you to pursue, no matter the difficulty. It’s the raw desire to create, not the money. Loving the process, not just the end product. Being passionate about what you’re doing is, in my opinion, the most important thing you can have on your side… it cultivates the persistence necessary to succeed. I grew up with a professional artist as a father, and spent most of my youth trying to define myself and harness my creativity in ways that would differentiate myself from that family mantle. After graduating college, I traveled around Europe and saw so much awe-inspiring art, felt it all as living history that it is, and knew only then what a gift I had been given to be raised by a sculptor. I was taught a different way of thinking, being, and navigating life. I accepted that I was an artist then, at the age twenty-five, and realized that I was hardwired to pursue this life, and would do so knowingly. I was not naive to the challenges that awaited me, all I knew was that I had something I wanted to express, and I knew it was meant for metal. And so I dedicated the next five years to working in my father’s company, learning sculpture, fabrication and silversmithing, picking up some mosaic skills along the way. Now I work independently. Everything I make is a reflection of my own life journey. I never try to be anything but honest. I think that is why people connect with my work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
All my sculptures, so far, have been female form combined with another element. My first piece, “Eye, Heart, Nature,” is rather abstract… it is my tribute to mother nature, and i made it with no forethought of a design in mind, tacking clay on a scrap of steel that was loosely in the shape of a heart. When I finished, I thought it would end up in a scrap pile somewhere but my dad really liked it and had it cast for me. I came home from college to find it on his showroom floor. My brother had done all the finishing work for it. Having the men in my life support my work like that gave me the confidence I needed to self-invest when the vision for my next piece struck me a year later, clear in my mind as a finished object. I didn’t start dating until I was twenty-three and I think my sculptures became chronicles of hard won lessons about love, and the self. I saw myself tearing open from the spine, like a calla lily, the agony of it, and the beauty of the blooming being one. Becoming who you are meant to be takes courage and lots of vulnerability. The loving of others being born from the loving of one’s self. I call that piece “Vulnerability,” and I patina the flower purple to symbolize the passion of learning to love. I am very proud of that piece and the way that others are able to connect with it, even without my explanation of its meaning. It evokes it with its tall, proud stance, and its face like its peering out from behind the petal, like a veil, burning with inner strength. I am a storyteller of the human experience, and that is why I focus on female form. I “write” what I know. Too often women are depicted in art from a male perspective. There have been so many struggles along the way, but learning to see myself and the world through this artistic lens has been the most freeing experience. I hope to help my fellow women change their narratives, to see and express their beauty freely too.

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?
The Central Coast of California is a bit of magic. I’d start off, making us a french press and frittata at my home while I pack us up a picnic lunch and ready the supplies we’ll need for a day spent out in nature. We’ll rent kayaks in Morro Bay, cruising up towards the mouth of it to view the otters, and to the back weaving between sailboats and stopping at any sign of wildlife. We’ll pull our kayaks up on to the sand far enough not to get swept away by a rise in tide, and take a pathway across the sandspit to have a picnic sponsored by Trader Joe’s on our own private beach. If you’re hanging with me you probably brought a book and journal in a dry bag and we’ll easily pass a couple hours this way. We’d have conversation and deeply contemplative silence. We’d plunge into the pacific ocean laughing at the the bite of the cold water as we let it devour us, and rise from it feeling completely revived. Once we make it back to land, it would be 2 or 3pm. Towel change. Drive to San Luis and get a beer at There Does Not Exist (still salty) before cruising home to Paso to get cleaned up and go out for dinner and cocktails at The Alchemists’ Garden downtown. If we have another day for wine tasting, I’d suggest some of my favorites: Loma Seca, Epoch, Brecon, Thatcher, or Clos Solene, but I might interview you first to see about what kind of wine/environment you are hoping to experience so I can narrow it down because realistically we’d only be able to visit two, three at most. I’d also want to take you to see my dad’s shop, Dale Evers Studio, and monumental sized sculptures at Sculpterra Winery and Barrelhouse Brewery in Tin City. Honestly, we’d need at least a week to fit hiking and camping in Big Sur, which is an absolute must.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My dad, Dale Evers, and his business partner, Tim Anderson, who taught me everything I know about sculpture and metal fabrication. They invested in me, gave me access to everything I needed, and were patient with me during my extensive learning process. I will always be grateful for that gift. Stuart Goldman, my jewelry mentor, who helped get me started smithing and advises me whenever I get stuck or am in over my head on a project. My brother, Christian Evers, and my uncle, Dan Evers, who have been my teachers and advisors for mosaic. I have reflected many times on what a male dominated industry I am working in, and thought on how I have only had male teachers and advisors. It is a privilege to be let in the door and I realize that it wouldn’t have happened for me if it weren’t for my familial connections. I hope to be apart of the change in this industry, to make it more inclusive to women.

Website: https://www.chloejoyeversdesigns.com

Instagram: chloejoyeversdesigns