I am very excited to be teaching again and especially happy to be teaching at such a wonderful metals studio like Pouncing Rain here in Bellingham.
The owner Kathlene interviewed me for their website and newsletter and allowed me to publish it here as my first blog post. - Nanz
This month we are starting an interview section of our newsletter and website. We hope you will email us with your questions for instructors or staff and we will try to include your questions in the next Q&A section. Your questions can be emailed to us at: questions@pouncingrain.com
This month we are starting with Nanz Aalund, our new instructor. She is teaching five new classes and workshops so we wanted to get to know her better.
PR: Nanz, we are so excited to have you teaching at Pouncing Rain. You have taught so many different classes and workshops all around North America, do you have a favorite class to teach?
NA: I am really happy to be here at Pouncing Rain too! Any class or technique where the students are excited about being there is a great class to teach. I really love working with metals of all kinds, and don't get me started on how much I love gemstones. I am excited about the Date with Design (Define Design) classes on Fridays, it's going to be fun.
PR: So, you are getting your High School teachers certificate too! Does that mean you enjoy the challenge of teaching beginners?
NA: I have always really enjoyed teaching beginning students. To a beginner the possibilities are limitless and creative ideas really flow because they haven't been taught what won't work. I got my start from my High School Art teacher, Ms Helen Howell, and my certification is more about me giving back, closing the loop, so to speak.
PR: Many of our students are beginners and have never done any metalworking. I know for me the torch was the most frightening thing in the shop. Do you have any advice for those of us that are a bit nervous?
NA: Safety is my number one concern. I will be covering safety procedures and will gladly work one-on-one with any student who is nervous. Practice is the best way to overcome that fear, but a healthy respect for a live torch is always a good thing.
PR: Can anyone learn to make jewelry or do you need to be an artist?
NA: Jewelry has been around since 70,000 BC, that is how important jewelry is to human beings and human culture. The great thing about jewelry making is the more you learn about the craft, the more you can truly express your own identity. Self-expression and expression of identity are valid art forms. So, yes everyone can make jewelry.
PR: I know we get asked often if there is certification or degree program to prepare a person to be a bench jeweler. Where does someone start?
NA: There is the JA (Jewelers of America) Bench Certification Program. I would be delighted to help anyone achieve the technical mastery those bench tests require. Right now the only place on the west coast to take those certification tests is down in San Francisco at the Revere Academe or I think at the GIA in Santa Monica. (But there is no reason Pouncing Rain couldn't get a JA program going.)
PR: You have been an editor for Art Jewelry Magazine and just published a new book and an instructional DVD. With your publishing experience, have you ever thought about teaching a workshop in how to have jewelry work published? Would you be interested in doing a workshop?
NA: Sure. I would be happy to help others get published. There is nothing so exciting as seeing your work in print. It can be a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work that pays very little.
Depending on the magazine, they may only pay a few hundred dollars for a project that has cost the jeweler much more to make and photograph. The magazine will often hold on to the jewelry item for up to 18 months until the project gets published. The magazine publisher will then re-use the project in a book or on the internet without paying the jeweler for it again.
The book I just finished writing is about the top jewelry artists working in gold today. It is titled "Masters in Gold" and it will be published by Lark Books in May 2009. That's the other part of publishing, the long lead time, so it requires patience.
PR: Working with gold is so scary for some of us. How does a student/artist take it to the next level and go from working with silver to gold?
NA: I love working in gold, it is so forgiving. Once anyone starts to work with it they will immediately know why the ancient civilizations chose it too. As an apprentice I was told to work in brass to get a feel for how hard that metal is to move, then I was given 14-karat and it felt like butter. I have found it is mostly the cost that freaks people out, but gold can be recycled at the bench so easily, once you know that the cost factor becomes less important.
PR: In your Skill Advancement Class, can a student work with gold or is it limited to silver?
NA: I would be very happy to help students learn to work with gold. Students can recycle their old gold into ingots to use for projects. It's not that hard to do and really adds to a design visually.
PR: In your Cold Connections For Stone Setting Workshop, what kind of skills does a student need in order to take the class? Will we be doing a project or learning skills?
NA: I have found that learning jewelry techniques is more fun if you have a cool jewelry item to learn on or work towards as a goal. There will be no pressure to make "art"- just some fun, practice pieces. By the last day of the class the students will be able and have time to make a ring or pendant using the techniques from class. Students should have at least one beginning class under their belt to take this class.
PR: In your Define Design Class, what kinds of things will you be doing for 5 weeks? Will student be doing any actual jewelry making? Do students need to bring anything?
NA: Students should bring a sketch book and their favorite drawing pen or pencil and a glue stick. Scissors will be used but no saws. We will be making things as part of the exercises for creative thinking but no soldering.
We will be exploring the ideas behind design, it's rules and practices. How do you develop an idea into a jewelry line, how do contrast and pattern impact a jewelry design, and where does a jewelry maker come up with new ideas, these are just a few of the questions we will be answering by applying different design processes and exercises.
PR: What new workshops or classes are you planning for Pouncing Rain?
NA: Wow, that is a big question. I have lots of ideas, but I would really like to hear from the community here. Career Development, and Professional practices are challenges for many jewelry makers wanting to make a living from the craft and those topics would be something that could be presented in a workshop.
PERSONAL QUESTIONS:
PR: You grew up in Seattle and moved away for your career, how does it feel to be back in the Pacific Northwest?
NA: I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest! It is the people here that make living here so wonderful. Sure there is the beautiful nature surrounding us, but on those rainy days it's the warm smiles from my dear friends that make this my home.
PR: You have a young son, does he do any metalworking or jewelry making?
NA: Nope not yet. He has tinkered at my bench, and watched me work, he loves the tools. Mostly, he has commissioned me to make things for him like super-hero power rings for which I would get payment of a hug and a kiss.
PR: It seems like you have done it all; worked as a bench jeweler, been a magazine editor, written a book, released an instructional DVD, won numerous awards, taught University… what do you want to do now? How do you keep it fresh and exciting?
NA: There is always something new to learn. Everyday I work in metal I find something new to do. Everything that I have done so far evolved naturally from my love of the craft.
I feel blessed to have accomplished so many different aspects in my career, but I really owe it to the mentors who helped me. What is that saying - I am not so tall; for I stand on the shoulders of giants.
How do I keep it fresh and exciting, if you really want to know you'll have to take my Define Design class!
PR: Do you do custom jewelry work?
NA: Sure, during the 1990s I was the fine jewelry designer for Nordstrom based in Seattle. The majority of my work for Nordstrom was custom design and one-of-a-kind wedding rings.
I would like to do a workshop for engaged couples, helping them to make their own wedding rings. I think it would be so much more meaningful than just buying something.