5 Questions for Jason Tell us about your favorite instructor or learning experience.
I have had so many characters as teachers during my development years, this is a difficult question to answer. I would have to say Hratch Nargizian as he was my first hand push engraving instructor and coached me in both hand skills and philosophical perspectives on art and craft. This still leaves its impression on me all of these years later. The second would have to be my travels to Italy and would be a collective as I have so many fond memories of the studios I visited when venturing there. What has inspired you to teach? As a young beginning engraver, my struggle was the beginning of my desire to pass on the information that I learned. Once I realized how little educational information was out there especially around technique application and skill development, I decided that it was an obligation for me to pass on the information to the next generations that my teachers had passed on to me. For their legacy mostly, they will live on through my hands and work, and hopefully my students will continue that transfer of knowledge allowing me to live on through their hands and work long after I am gone. How did you develop the project for your course? There were a number of factors I took in consideration when developing the project for this course. How to incorporate rare techniques that directly utilize hand engraving as a key component. Pierced and sculpted filigree was one of those techniques and how they combine with other techniques like precious metal inlay and Pavé setting. The use of stainless steel was a simple challenge that will give the students the confidence to work in any metal they choose once they complete the project, and the final ingredient was to bring something to the table that very few people know about, something old but yet new….
What do you want students to take away from your course? My desire is to give students a clear understanding of refined carving, setting, and piercing skills in hard metal, high quality criteria, and how to apply them to their own works. Many of these techniques are quite rare to see today in hand application, so to see artisans apply it to their work and add value to their art is always a top priority. The final piece would be inspiration. To inspire creatives to reach outside of their current “toolbox” of skills and build new designs incorporating what they learn with skills they already have. What are you most excited about as an instructor? When I see the techniques that I teach applied in artisan’s work it gives me a sense of community and contribution. Watching the development of a struggling beginner fight to achieve milestones and realize reward for their hard work. Each step, determination and achievement are the most exciting parts for me. Admittedly some of this has to do with legacy as I believe we are all personally “a work in progress” throughout what I view as our journey, and I love the idea of leaving behind pieces of myself to other artists to bring with them on their journey.
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