Nature greatly inspires the works of Lauren Pineda, whose current collection documents a recent tour of the slot canyons on a Navajo national reserve, with their breathtaking light, shadows and natural formations. The Navajo never entered these canyons because they believed that when they died their spirits would journey into the earth through the narrow ravines, creating a sacred place. Pineda shaped gauged wires into organic outlines, recreating the fluid arrangements present in the slot canyons, and used resin to capture the visual drama of contrasting shadows and sunlight and mirror the spiritual light that illuminates the canyon walls. The wearers of these pieces then carry a portion of this story with them wherever they travel. Pineda studied jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute, where she received her BFA. She currently lives and works in Astoria, New York
