ARTIST'S SPOTLIGHT - laurie reid
- eliane de luca peres
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
I first connected with Laurie over three years ago after discovering her page and instantly falling in love with her stunning rings. Since then, we’ve talked about jewelry, pets, loss, and shared more than a few laughs. It’s been a real pleasure following her work.
Laurie has a distinctive style—her pieces feel like treasures from a chessboard, sometimes even like miniature architectural forms. I’m drawn to the clean lines, the masterful use of gemstones, and the quiet elegance in everything she creates.
I’m thrilled to share her story with you today.
My inspiration is rooted in childhood. My father was an artist and educator; my mother, a gardener and lover of all things natural. I grew up one of five children in Eugene, Oregon, surrounded by a sense of wonder and curiosity. Both of my parents shared a love of art—whether it revealed itself in the woods, along the river, in the garden, in books, in music, or in visits to museums and galleries. They taught us to recognize the transformative power of art and the infinite beauty of the natural world. Each encouraged exploration in their own way.
One of my earliest art memories comes from kindergarten, where I was completely obsessed with the color orange. I couldn’t get enough of it. The color affected me physically, viscerally. I would head straight for the painting corner during free play and lose myself in color. It was the beginning, I think, of my fascination with subtle relationships—between colors, textures, gestures. I felt this too as a young musician, in the attention required to tune an instrument to just the right tone. Those tiny adjustments—whether in sound, color, or touch—felt enormously significant to me.
After graduating from Reed College with a degree in French Literature, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where I taught French while continuing to make art. I earned an MFA in Drawing and Painting from California College of the Arts and went on to build a full and satisfying career as a working artist. My paintings are held in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum, the National Gallery, SFMOMA, the De Young Museum, and the Hammer Museum.
My love of designing with gems and metal grew from the same place as my painting practice: a deep engagement with material, light, and form. Like that kindergartener captivated by color and paper, I find joy in the interaction between the hand, the mind, and the material world. I’m especially drawn to the way jewelry lives on the body, how it becomes a quiet extension of the self, influencing not only the wearer but those around her. I vividly remember my mother’s ring—lying in bed at night as she read to me, I would hold it in my fingers. It felt like a link, a luminous bridge between us.
In August, I’m excited to be heading to New York to take part in NY NOW, where I’ll be showing in the Curated at Luxury Lifestyle section. And next spring, I’m honored to be featured at Bergdorf Goodman.
