Tell us a bit about yourself name, location,
affiliations, personal stuff.
my name is jill rosenwald, and i work in a sunny downtown boston studio in an area known as Fort Point Channel that has for many years been the hub of the artists community here. i work with my husband and partner lawrence mcrae (pictured with me in the photo) designing and making pottery and ceramic lamps. boston is a beautiful place to live and work..and i especially lucked out..because i am able to walk through the public garden and boston common every day on my way over to the studio. we have a very rich and varied life filled with family and friends. we adore sharing time with our friends and their children..the grown ups and the kids all having fun doing a great activity, skiing, museuming, swimming, hiking and hanging. we heart taking advantage of city life, and boston is such a great town for it's location so close to the mountains and the ocean. we also love having people over to our place to share a delicious meal a good bottle of wine, laughter and great conversation. isn't that what it's all about?
a few years ago i started feeling a wee bit isolated as an artist, and so i started the boston design salon. the aim of the salon is to bring information, community, and connection to all women designers in the boston area. we meet once a month focusing on a specific topic each time. a few highlights have been the "bloggers ball" and "bridging cultures through design". so if you are out there looking for something like this, come join us you clever girl you! bostondesignsalon@yahoogroups.com
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
i am a wife and mom of two..thea 10 and loch 6. the two sides of my existence, motherhood and design, make for a very balanced and happy life. it also gets a bit hairy sometimes..trying to fit it all in to one day and i run around like a chicken with it's head cut off a lot of the time..but i would have to say i am one pretty happy headless chicken.
What first made you want to become an artist?
i was quite young, in fact a summer camper immersed in the hippy vermont craft vibe of the time and place. so i suppose i succumbed to the power of the handmade life very early on. as time passed, and college loomed, i realized i wanted to find a school that would speak to both sides of my brain the academic and the artistic. but after graduation, realizing that it was time to make the donuts, i decided to bring my work to the people of nyc, and i set up a box of earrings on a soho sidewalk, and as they say a star was born. and i was forever hooked.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
we are constantly working on new concepts developing them in a series of pieces that get perfected over time. inspiration comes by the lucky accidents we achieve during the creation of the series. i start out initially with a pile of my sketches. i edit these and make pieces based on the best and the brightest. those pieces are then edited and recreated with the changes..and so on until we reach a perfect balance of pattern and color and form.
What handmade possession do you most cherish?
this is a tough question..because i have so many things that i adore that were made by other artists..but i would have to say it is a handmade sculptural/collage chair that incorporates metal, wood, a religious tryptich painting and 2 pitchforks that was made by my darling friend judith bigham an artist from portland oregon.
Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
you are going to make me agonize..impossible question for a person who love love loves things..and then moves on! lately i am loving
the kite runner
amy mann
moulin rouge
to kill a mockingbird
you tube
hmm.that's a good list.
What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
just git er dun..it is amazing. i encourage all of the artists and designers i know to join because of the fantastic response i have gotten from it. do not be discouraged by the start up process..i was but i busted through to the other side. if you have trouble setting up your shop..find a techie friend who will show you the ropes. the exposure alone will blow you away. for every artist there is an audience. and if the other etsy people like you..man you are golden.
What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
i adore the films..and videos about other designers and other artists..these mini bios bring you to wondrous places you would otherwise never see.
it would be amazing if somehow you could take more advantage of those people that heart you..to simply send your "fanclub" a message to let them know when you might be having an event they might like to come to..or post a new collection. as etsy is now..there is no way to access those people...or maybe i am still too much of a beginner.
How do you promote your work?
our studio also has an online presence at jillrosenwald.com, and we just did the ny gift show where we had a new lamp line called SWITCH as well as the pottery collection.
In ten years I'd like to be...
a household name. |
