~number1tolkienfan interviews:

~biltongboy

What do you like best to create?

It would be very difficult to just say that one specific style is my fav; I have three favourites! My favourite design style is the symplistic type of designs, which I really enjoy as a creative outlet. However, the claw work is my favourite to manufacture. It's a technical challange that gets me going, and to push my limits with my skills is always such an upper. The gems I use vary lots; it's amazing what you can create using old stuff that just gets reset and cleaned up a little! I LOVE CREATIVE CARVING! I think it must be my favourite way of doing things, to start off with a solid block of lovely metal, and create a miniture sculpture is fascinating to me!



What is your preferred medium? Why?

My all-time favourite has to be 18k white gold. It works so nicely, solders together like a dream, and keeps its shine even after it's been soldered on. But I also love the freedom that silver gives you in terms of the ability to create anything under the sun. It's inexpensive as a medium, which means you can do grand thing on a tight budget. I also really enjoy mixing different coloured metals and using the patina metals like shak-udo and shibi-ichi. As for gems.... I have a love for tourmalines, The large variety of colours and shades ranging from white to green to blue orange and even having two colours in one gem. The hardness of the stones too as well as their high refractive index allows them to give such a nice sparkle and shine when they are well cut. Diamonds are an all time fav too, I prefer the yellows though, the same amount of shine as a white with a tint of colour.



What do you think is your masterpiece? Why?


This is probably my bestest piece! Not only the meaning behind the ring itself, but the technical challenges involved in making the piece! In order to get all the side settings and the bars on the side lined up straight and still centering round the ring nicely took some serious concentration and hard work. I love using negative space in my designs as I find it creates a lighter feel to the piece, without compromising the structure!



How would you best define your style?

Oh gosh! Name my style? I don't like putting names to things; it starts to put limitations and boundries on it. I do almost anything and draw my creativity from numerous sources and inspirations! My style can be modern, post-modern or ancient! I love bringing African inspired shapes into my work as there are so many lovely designs that our 11 recognised cultures in South Africa have. I love the simplistic shapes of the African-inspired pieces.



Do you have any 'tricks of the trade' to share?

I have many to share! The first and foremost: never think you know everything!!!! If you do, it forms arrogance, to create jewellery is a very humbling job; the smallest thing can give you such a headache and take four times the effort and time. I am not saying that a certain ammount of confidence is not useful, but arrogance becomes a big nail in your side! Also, polish all your components to the best finish you can prior to assembling them, so you won't have to polish your piece to death afterwards and still keep your sharp, crisp final effect. Finally, keep on trying! If you don't get something right the first time, do it again, keep at it, and try another method to get to the same final result.



What typically inspires you?

Apart from *wibbledile, Nature! We love getting out as a family and roughing it through the forests or up mountains. I have spent so much time in our various national parks all over South Africa and parks in neighbouring countries that I have a deep love of being in the wild. It keeps my head on straight and makes me concious of the fact that i am just a little part of a very big world! Even if it's just pottering around our own back garden, I cherish the time spent outside with grass or sand between my toes.

When you view someone else's work, what aspect do you most often notice?

I always try to look at it in perspective! What does this person do? What medium are they using? I have seen some stunning wirewrapping works on dA, and although I tend to look down the bridge of my nose at them, I still find some that absolutly blow me away. You have to look at the whole picture! The creativity, the technical skills involved and then the finishing! When I look at traditional jewellery, the scales change a little due to my personal experiences, but I still maintain that you must never become arrogant! Even the most amateur jeweller can teach a master something completely new and inspiring!



*bonus question* What is your favorite tool?

Ouch!
My favourite tool? I love my needle files... and my hammer. I think the whole workshop as an entity is my favourite; there are so many tools! Some I would love to have, some I only use every now and again, and some that get used all the time. To have the ability to do so much using what I have is the main thing! Many of our tools we take for granted, like the polish motor, the ultrasonic and the hanging motors? All of them are intregral parts of the workshop as a whole and are indespensible.



Give Zak a big round of applause and a gallery visit! He has more treasures than I could possibly fit in this article...



Previous Interviews:

Interview Nov. 2008 - ^Kitten-of-Woe
Interview Dec. 2008 - ~ou8nrtist2
Interview Jan. 2009 - ~andrewk1969
Interview Feb. 2009 - *wibbledile
Interview Mar. 2009 - *Aranwen