Thomas Dailing
BEST of SHOW – “Aberration”
Thomas Dailing’s Best of Show piece “Aberration” is the culmination of decades of hard work, creative thinking, and experimenting with new techniques and processes that have never been done before. Thomas has won so many design awards it is hard to keep track of them all, and he has also been featured in periodicals, articles, books and exhibitions. His goal to discover, create and introduce as many new elements to a piece of jewelry is an art in itself. “Aberration” is a breathtaking testament to his metalsmithing and creative skills.
Artist Interview:
Q. How did you come up with the title?
"Aberration" is defined as an extreme deviation from the norm. It is a departure from what is usual or expected. I wanted this piece to be an aberration.
Q. What/who was your inspiration?
I have a very unique friendship with the stonecutter Richard Homer. He was the first to do concave gemstone cutting. Because of him the Creative Cutting Award in the AGTA Spectrum competition became a reality. We met 25 years ago in Tucson. Our friendship is close. I call Richard when I need a stone for a special piece. He will get me what I want usually without drawings just by listening to what I tell him. We are that in tune with each other, our synergy. My inspiration was the stone he cut.
Q. How long did it take to make the piece?
Roughly a couple of months. I worked on it in between other projects.
Q. What challenges did you overcome while you were making it?
The challenges were non-stop. I set about designing and making the piece on a different path than I usually take. It was an Edisonian approach, a trial and error piece.
Q. What do you plan to do with the piece?
I finished this piece a while ago and hid it away. It will be hidden for a while more until the SBDAs are announced. Then I will try to sell it.
Q. Will this piece inspire other work?
A series of prototypes built up to this piece. And each of them has been a prototype in itself. I am using techniques that have never been incorporated into jewelry before. This was my focus, my goal. There are so many techniques which have never been previously done.
Q. What did you feel when you learned you’d won?
I screamed. I cried. It is still thrilling. I don’t have the words for it. I am honored whenever I win an award. I still have the first piece that won an award.
Q. Whom did you tell first about winning?
Richard Homer.
Q. Of all the arts and crafts why did you choose jewelry?
I had no option. It called me. My first career was gourmet dining; I worked the front of the room. I grew up being the kid who never stopped drawing. Since my family moved a lot, my mother would always set me up with a desk and I would draw every day. I never went to the same school two years in a row. During high school I discovered I liked working in three dimensions. I was making objects with stones and rocks and shells and anything I could find. It was during this time that I carved a piece of wax my brother, Jim Dailing, sent to me. It was magic.
Q. What was the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
It was in high school, a fish skeleton belt buckle. It is still on the wall of my studio.
Q. What was your training/academic background in jewelry-making?
I was an art major at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. I basically took their system and formed it around my interests. At that time I was taking two jewelry courses every semester.
I didn’t follow any normal university requirements. I lived in the metals room. I outgrew my teacher quickly and started my business two and a half years after starting college. I got a job doing jewelry repair with my brother Jimmy.
Q. What was the biggest challenge you have faced in your business?
It was making the switch from jewelry repairs to making custom work. The biggest challenge for any designer is being limited by your imagination and the willingness to keep trying. I have habitually changed.
Q. What is the best advice you received?
Never settle for “that’s good enough.”
Q. What other awards, honors have you received in your career?
This is my second grand prize for the SBDA. I have also won AGTA Spectrum Awards, multiple Jewelers of America and Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America awards, and numerous others.
Q. What is your definition of “success”?
There is no such thing as success. You habitually grow.
Creative Influences and Environment
Q. What or who do you think has been the strongest influence or inspiration on your work?
I intentionally don’t pay any attention to other designers. However, you have to have someone who inspires you. Mine are Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. They were living proof that the highest level can be achieved. I refer to them on a personal basis—Michael and Leo.
Q. Do you follow long-term trends? If so, why or why not?
I don’t follow trends. I am solely self-directed and have my own vision. I try to put my hand on my soul and pull out my inspiration and creative thoughts. This is the sum of everything.
Q. Is the product or the process more important to you? Why?
My brother and I will argue about this. It is a complicated topic. In the end the result has to be phenomenal. The ultimate beauty of creating is that you almost disappear in the process. Four hours can be lost while designing a piece. It is a fascinating aspect of the process. It is not your rational brain. The rational brain is kicked to the curb. It is the ultimate.
Q. What is your favorite tool?
I make a lot of my own tools. But my favorite tools are probably my handmade carving tools. I make them out of dental picks. They do what I need. I am a lefty and need something for that.
Q. What metals, gemstones, processes do you enjoy most?
18k gold and the platinum family metals are my favorite. Platinum for my lighter weight pieces. Palladium for my heavier pieces. Sapphires for gemstones. I am a sculptor who makes jewelry and I love the process.
Q. Describe your studio.
If you look inside my studio it is literally like a tsunami hit a maelstrom. Imagine that. Tools and projects and shells and dinosaur bones are everywhere. It is the inside of a madman’s mind. It is the perfect place for creation!