Interview with Good River Gallery

Today we’re interviewing artist, Hannah Rosner of Good River Gallery in Taos, New Mexico.  Hannah creates beautiful original jewelry, individual beads and beaded sculptures.

Meylah: Your work is very detailed; please share a little bit about your jewelry, purses, glasswork, and beads.  Also, is there a signature piece you are most proud of?

Hannah: Art is what feeds our imagination. How dull would living be without it? It’s our signature in this world and our history. It’s what says who we really are and what we are capable of as a thinking and feeling society.

I have been doing seed bead work since 1986. In 1994, I decided to take a course in making glass beads over a torch, frustrated because I couldn’t find beads to match some of the necklace pieces I was making for a set of costumes for my graduate degree in Theatre Design.  I have since taught college level multimedia and design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and the Illinois Institute of Art. I have taught beadwork and fine arts at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, TLD Design Center and Gallery & Caravan Beads in Chicago, Glass Axis & 1 Stop Bead Shop in Columbus, OH.  I was a semifinalist in the lampwork category for Bead Dreams 2009 and won second place for my bead embroidered collarpiece in the Treasures of Toho 2009 Contest.  You can see the collarpiece in the 2010 February edition of Bead & Button.

My signature pieces are made up of many different components and many different techniques.  I try to mix textures and shapes.  My favorite is always the one I have planned next.  My work is progressively getting larger.  I’m not sure if this is a good thing.

Meylah: Do you and your partner David collaborate or work together on the pieces sold within Good River Gallery?

Hannah: David does much of the web work you see when you visit my site and a lot of the paperwork I talk about later in this interview.  He and I discuss designs before I implement them and he has a superb eye for color details.  Slowly, he is taking over the Twitter promotional work for me, while I focus on Facebook and hope to stop neglecting my blog.

Meylah: Your work is available in multiple museum gift shops, can you provide any tips to others hoping to get their work sold in similar shops?

Hannah: You’re asking about my work at the Taos Museum of Art and The Harwood.  Interestingly enough, although both museums are walking distance from each other, they have both admitted my work to their galliereies.  This is because they carry very different items.  The Harwood carries my less expensive lampwork pendants, while the Fetchin House/Taos Museum of Art carries my larger seed bead work.  It’s really important to only show galleries what they might be interested in selling.  Find out their price points before you gather a collection to show them.

Finishing techniques are really important.  If your work is beautifully designed, but poorly finished, galleries won’t give you a second look.  Also, many of them read magazines like Ornament and The Crafts Report.  It’s a good idea to see what the trends are, but make certain your work stands apart.

Finally, just go for it!  If you think that your work will really compliment a gallery, make and appointment to visit with the buyer.

Meylah: You sell in multiple online marketplaces as well as on your own website, what advice do you have to sellers trying to juggle inventory between various online venues?

Hannah: Keep good records and a vigilant eye on your items.  There’s nothing worse than selling an item and forgetting to remove it from another location, only to have it sell there as well.  Unfortunately, paperwork and spreadsheets are the keys if you want to promote the same item on different locations.  When I do “live” shows, I try to deactivate my items from my online sites.

Meylah: Please share a bit about the classes and tutorials you offer.

Hannah: My classes and tutorials are one of my biggest sellers and one of my greatest draws.  I teach  beginning through advanced design, beading and lampworking classes at cross country at galleries, art centers and beading stores.  When I travel, I ask for traveling costs, hotel fees and a daily rate.  Some of my classes are also available for purchase as patterns and tutorials.  They can be emailed as PDF patterns, or can be printed and snail-mailed upon request.  I also do kits upon request.

Often, people ask me what the difference between my tutorials and patterns are.  My patterns assume that you know the stitch or technique already.  They include exact colors, graphs and diagrams to make the exact piece you see in the photograph.  Tutorials generally teach the technique.  I show creation of a piece step by step, but do not tell you exactly which colors to use.  I hope that in this way people will make a piece that is uniquely theirs.

If you want to either teach or write tutorials/patterns, I highly recommend it, but it is important to understand copyright laws and how they differ from ethics.  If you step on other artists’ toes, sooner or later word will get around.  There is an excellent article that the editor of Bead & Button magazine wrote.  It is reprinted on my website and although it is called “Beader’s Ethics,” I think it applies to all artwork.

Meylah: You manage a Facebook and Twitter Account in addition to your blog. How much time do you devote to social media daily?  Do you have any tips for artists trying to enter into this space?

Hannah: Generally, I put aside about two to three hours a day for online work, whether it is social media, working on my website or fussing with my Artfire and Etsy stores.  Much of the time, it needs even more attention.  Adding items online and not doing daily upkeep is like opening a brick and mortar store and then never dusting.  Even brand new items can appear “old” when they haven’t been rearranged or properly promoted.

Blogs are a really strong tool for attracting new customers and amusing your returning ones since they are so accessible to the public.

Meylah: Any parting thoughts for the creative community?

Hannah: David and I suggest that you read as much as you possibly can, research what is available out there, take in as much as possible, and most importantly to enjoy yourself!  Online forums are also a wonderful source of information and we have met many good friends on them.

Thank you, Hannah for sharing your story and so many valuable insights with our community today!