Meet Lydia (Qianyu) Batey | Jewelry Designer, Painter, Gardener

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lydia (Qianyu) Batey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lydia (Qianyu), can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Tianjin, a large city in Northern China. My father was a carpenter and my mother worked in a jewelry making workshop. I had a traditional upbringing and schooling, and trained in Chinese ink painting, calligraphy, singing and dancing. At university I studied “Teaching Mandarin to Foreigners” and this opened a path to meeting people from different cultures, as an 18 year old I worked with American teachers and their children and later I made connections with a British School in Tianjin where I met my husband who is an art teacher. These experiences have led to me having a range of influences, culturally and artistically. My jewelry is influenced by works ranging from Anglo-Saxon, Egyptian and Art Nouveau to painters such as Odilon Redon and Georgia O’keeffe. My work is constantly evolving and changing as I absorb more beautiful influences. The greatest influence however is nature; flowers, trees and birds and my work often reflects this in some way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe I came to this world to experience and be a part of all humanity and the universe. Learning skills and looking at the work of ancient artists and people brings me into a closer connectin with them and makes me part of their story. When I use metal or stones, I’m touching the same materials that ancient people used and I feel that I’m not far away from them and they are with me every day. I have always believed that I came to this world to learn, and to be part of the evolution of the universe, I am welcomed by everyone around the world because we are all part of the same ‘one’.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All my work is inspired by nature, My love of nature came from my Father who would, when we lived in the countryside bring me to see insects, creatures and flowers. We hatched magpies, pigeons and sparrows from eggs and kept crickets and grashoppers. I would like to thank my father for putting this love of nature in my soul. Growing up as a girl in China at that time, boys were much more valued by my family and this left a lack of confidence in my heart which was only cured by touching the soil and the grass and seeing the blue sky. The second people who changed my life were two British teachers, Mr and Mrs Noble who told me how powerful I could be. They told me that the universe is fair, whether you are a boy or a girl, from China or Africa, ugly or beautiful, the sun shines on everyone and we all breathe the same air.

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LydiasVintageChina?ref=seller-platform-mcnav