about your job.....

["Simon Brown" <moonsong@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Robin,

Yes, yes and yes!

I served my apprenticeship with a Building and Monumental Masonry company
 from 1981-1985, then worked as a subcontractor for 15 years until 2000. From
1993 I worked part-time as a Stonemasonry teacher at TAFE (Technical and
Further Education) and full-time from 2000.

My main job is delivering Stonemasonry training to apprentices from
Queensland, Northern Territory and northern New South Wales. I also assess
and train people who have worked in the industry for years and require a
Stonemasonry qualification  to carry out building contracts.

I started teaching stonecarving in 1993 through the ACE (Adult & Community
Education) program. The classes are held in the same workshop and classroom
the apprentices use, only in the evenings. ACE classes are designed so
adults can access skills to improve themselves socially, artistically and
professionally. I don't teach life drawing, and only specialise in stone as
a medium so I don't call it sculpture. I just help people understand how to
select stone and use stone working tools which takes up all of the eight
3-hour sessions. We start with a relief carving and move on to a 3-D piece,
so most students are able to take home one or two finished pieces. I provide
some guidance in artistic concepts, but mainly try to help people discover
what they can do with the material.

I love my job! It's hard work, but I meet many interesting people and
it satisfies my need to learn new stuff. I'm constantly revising and
updating my lesson resources under pressure from people who are
interested in stone things like I am.

The LearningStone conversations have been a great source of enjoyment
and entertainment for me. I too, like to visualise contributors in
their home settings and try to imagine the weather, time of day as
well as the different types of stone and tools being discussed. It's like a
window into another world.

Simon