By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Who says eyeglasses need to be staid and reserved?
Laurie Olefson has been bringing fun, whimsy and style to eyeglasses for years. Now in her new Olefson Art Opticals Tiny Studio at Calgo Gardens in Freehold, shoppers get a glimpse of her skill and handiwork in person instead of just on her online site.
Inspired by the “tiny house” trend, Olefson, who has used her design skills at The Two River Times and Sickles Market, launched a tiny studio where she creates handmade eyeglass frames and artful readers.
Her designs – which she calls “art for your face” – sport flowers, wood veneers, gold and silver tamisé and polymer clay, among other embellishments. You might even find a pair with matching earrings.
“I’ve been wearing glasses since I’m 6,” she said, “when I almost flunked out second grade.” When it became clear she could not see well, glasses opened up a new world for her.
COURTESY OLEFSON ART OPTICALS
“I always thought glasses were cool.”
Olefson studied synaethetic education at Syracuse University and conceptual art at Pratt Institute. An “eyeglass class” at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina piqued her interest and she honed her newfound skills over the years learning from craftspeople.
Among her products, she offers glasses that are suitable for men and women, optical quality readers with tamisé (imitation gold leaf) and, new to her line, glasses made from polymer clay using a Japanese method of patterning.
“This is an interesting place to be in terms of design,” Olefson said. “When I started there wasn’t a whole lot going on, maybe just specific shapes and colors.” But now there’s more room for design for eyewear.
“I’ve been able to have so much fun helping people get the right glasses,” she said. “Their personality tames the glasses. They envelop them.”
“And I found out I was an eyeglass whisperer,” she said. “I can pick the glasses that are the best for someone.”
Customers are pleased, Olefson said. They tell her “wherever I go, people have something to say about my glasses.” She thinks it’s because she tries “to do things that are fun, out of the ordinary,” she said.
Nowadays she finds that with coronavirus protocols requiring everyone to sport a mask, eyes are getting more attention.
“It’s all about the eyes now,” she said.
For more information, visit olefsonartopticals.studio.
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 15, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
