J & F is a creative collaboration between artist Jeffrey Gold and artist/designer Ann-Sofie Lakso a.k.a. Fred. Each unique piece is personally handcrafted, signed, and numbered by Jeffrey Gold. Jeffrey and Fred bring to their jewelry an old world sensibility. Meticulous attention to detail has become their everlasting hallmark.
Jeffrey and Fred's visual oeuvre have been honed by their global sensitivity and distinct influences within art and cultural hubs throughout the world. These pieces of wearable art are a reflection of their personalities, values and traditions. The pieces are imbued with their very own souls.
Each unique piece, delicately treated like small sculptures, is personally hand crafted, signed and numbered by Jeffrey.
Jeffrey was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA in 1983 with a B.F.A. Exhibiting in New York since 1987 Jeffrey joined Forum Gallery, one of the leading representational galleries in the country with locations in New York and Los Angeles.
Jeffrey’s art is presently displayed in many private and public collections throughout the United States and Europe, and has had a distinguished one person Museum exhibition in February 2008, at The Mesa Arts Center in Arizona. He has an ability to translate an idea/design into
a finished product with patience and incredible precision. His last large project was a three year 7’ x 38’ self
portrait timeline commissioned by The Scottsdale Public Art program.
Always having had an interest in sculpture, exacerbated while living in Rome years ago, he began to teach
himself to sculpt in wax. Together with his design
partner, Fred, they began to create wearable art. A figurative painter, Jeffrey has always been drawn to the human form. Knowing that hands are the most difficult part of the body to paint and the need for challenge, he started there using his own hands as models. That was the birth of The Hand to Hand collection.
Fred, Ann-Sofie Lakso (A.K.A.) Fred, is a Swedish born artist, designer and entrepreneur who grew up in the northernmost part of Sweden where the Winters are dark, cold and long and the Summers are bright morning and night.
Ann-Sofie/ Fred arrived in New York in the early eighties. She enjoyed a successful modeling career represented by Click and Elite Modeling Agency in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Stockholm. Modeling gave her the opportunity to travel and live in many diverse places. Her journey exposed her to a wide range of cultures, art and design. Knowledge acquired from her travel influenced her to go on to study art. She attended art and theatre classes in all four cities, foremost New York. She has also apprenticed for a few established artists.
Ann-Sofie/ Fred owned a shop called “Upstairs” located in Los Angeles. The store served as a platform for many creative collaborations throughout the years, interior design as well as product design. Upstairs quickly became the destination for a wide variety of people from most creative industries. Clients ranged from the typical pedestrian shopper to A-List celebrities, film studios/production companies/set designers of an endless list of blockbuster films and television shows.
In addition to the products that Upstairs had in stock, Ann-Sofie/ Fred created her own clothing label under the brand name - Fred. She also worked as a Creative Director for Fortune 500 companies, including The Ford Motor Company. Her primary focus there was to create and implement lifestyle and fashion products.
Parallel with her design work, painting and writing are a large part of her creative expression. Her interest for self expression on a deeper level has led her to explore in depth many aspects of the human psyche. A deep interest in history, other cultures and the individuals who have forever left an imprint on humankind is a constant source of inspiration in all her endeavors. As a therapist she works in multiple ways to access, express and identify the source of our internal emotions and thoughts; reaching beyond our intellectual defense system with meditation, painting and writing. This internal journey is translated and expressed in many aspects of the jewelry.
To view Ann-Sofie/ Fred's Art