ABOUT NIL

Hello!

My name is Nilanjana Van Order.

People call me Nil. 

My journey into the world of art began as a toddler with drawings on the walls with pastels, although my mother did her best to hide the pastels. Both my mother and sister were very artistic. My father, though not artistic himself, took us to a big art competition each year, in the dead of winter, where we painted in the open, sitting on a freezing floor. Obviously, art was held in high esteem in my family.

I am not sure when jewelry drew me in as an art form. After wanderings through architecture, city planning etc., I came upon the art of jewelry about a decade ago. I joined classes at the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia. I was exceedingly fortunate to be taught by world class teachers — Nick Barnes and Abby Goldblatt. Here I learned the art of enameling, stone setting and metal smithing and continue to do so. My work reflects a mix of these skills. I play with alternative materials such as steel and acrylic as well as the traditional gold and silver. 

I draw my inspiration from my thoughts and my surroundings. Currently, I am involved in creating a line of jewelry on animals, I call “Live and Let Live.” It is my entreaty to the world for kindness towards animals.

Joyfully, I am now fully entrenched in designing and crafting jewelry. I also serve as one of the Workshop Coordinators for the WGG (Washington Guild of Goldsmiths) and am a member of The Enamelists Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. I live with my husband, daughter and two very friendly dogs.

I hope my jewelry brings you as much pleasure in wearing them as I experienced creating them.

A peak inside my studio