Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Rosso.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Absolutely! My love for beautiful adornments began as a little girl playing dress up. I ALWAYS decorated myself with all of my favorite rings, bracelets, and necklaces… and a tiara from time to time. As I grew up, I was always on a hunt for unique, beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry. Once I started to travel abroad, I took a fascination to the different styles and techniques of various cultures. It was such a fun adventure finding pieces of jewelry in various countries and then sharing the stories about those treasures.
In 2010, I decided to explore ways to create a hobby from my love of jewelry. My first experience in silversmithing was in North Park at the Art Academy of San Diego. I learned the basic skills necessary to start my journey. Then I found Whaley Studios in Hillcrest where I was able to learn from Jay Whaley, an expert in the field for 50 years. This studio has been my second home and my sanctuary. I have grown and expanded my skills as an artist having the freedom to explore fabrication of jewelry through metal, wax, and organic/found materials. I help teach silversmithing in the studio weekly, and I host open studio time where artists can come in for independent work time.
Recently, I began to sell my pieces at an artisan shop in Hillcrest. In December 2018, I participated in my first season of various holiday shows around San Diego. It was both exhausting and exhilarating, but I learned so much. I am grateful to have found my art in silversmithing. It has served as a creative outlet that has helped me balance out my other working hours as an Occupational Therapist. When you give of yourself to help others, it feels good to be able to recharge my battery by feeding my passion and my art. I am looking forward to seeing how my story continues to unfold.
Please tell us about your art.
At Heather Bee Jewelry, I create handmade pieces that are primarily nature-based inspirations. I love creating pieces around natural healing stones, celestial-themed concepts, and whimsical make-it-up-as-I-go designs that take on their own organic shapes. I have absolutely loved integrating jewelry fabrication with my other passion of travel! I have carved Maori symbols from bones in New Zealand, harvested my own pearls from oysters in China, and made my own granulation paste from grinding up plant seeds in Bali. I have textured pieces with woven tea bags from Nepal and with pink sands from the ancient dunes of Namibia. I have integrated beautiful pieces of sea glass gifted to me from the Oregon Coast.
Locally, I have used sands from our beautiful San Diego beaches. Custom work has been a wonderful experience in my journey. I love collaborating with clients to create meaningful, wearable memories for them to cherish. Some of my notable custom pieces have included; wedding bands, children’s jewelry, designs fabricated from upcycling old vintage silver pieces and recycling jewelry from former partners into brand new meaningful pieces for my clients. There are Heather Bee originals as well! Those pieces have a shop section in my Etsy shop, and it is home to some of own personal artistic musings and inspirations. One of my favorite pieces is my hand cut lotus flower necklace. The lotus is a gorgeous flower that springs forth from muddy waters and swamps. It symbolizes the beautiful transformation produced from struggling through the darkness of challenging situations.
I hope that when people see my artwork, they feel connected to the symbolism embodied in my artwork and know that they are holding a one-of-a-kind piece handmade with so much love. This video beautifully captures my message: https://www.sherwinlaranga.com/videos/heather-rosso
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
One of the biggest challenges that artists face today is the amount of “hats” they need to wear. Yes, I can make some pretty amazing jewelry, but without a keen eye for marketing trends, dedication to regular social media posting, and a level of camera lighting and video editing skills, it’s pretty tricky to get noticed. As a small business owner, there are lots of moving parts and it can be challenging to strike a balance between work and creating your art. It can be challenging to trudge through the minutia of business licenses, permits, vendor applications… but when you know that it’s part of the process, it helps to keep the bigger picture in perspective.
As a silversmith, it can be challenging to explain the difference in price between pieces that are mass fabricated and produced abroad as compared to prices of handmade pieces that I have literally created part-by-part from a metal that was once a coin of pure silver. The transformation from metal to handmade art is worth its weight in gold… or silver as the case may be. It may be challenging to help people understand the beauty of handmade art. However, those who appreciate the art will love and cherish your work, and so, as artists’ we must find our tribe.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Heather Bee Jewelry can be found locally in San Diego at Calypso Collective, a San Diego artist collective of handmade goods in Hillcrest. My work has been featured in local yoga studios such as The House of Yogi, and soon to be in Sage Yoga in Fallbrook. The biggest show of my work is through Instagram where I love to post recently created pieces and videos that give the audience small glimpses of my process. It is so fun to share videos featuring fire and big tools! People can support my work through Etsy, directly through Instagram, or through Facebook. A direct message to me can start the process to a beautiful custom-made piece. Additionally, trunk shows are a fantastic way to touch and feel the energy of Heather Bee jewelry! Anyone interested in hosting a trunk show can reach out to me directly. Wine pairs nicely with jewelry and jewelry is always the perfect gift!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.heatherbeejewelry.com
- Email: heatherbeejewelry@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherbeejewelry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherBeeJewelry/
- Other: https://www.sherwinlaranga.com/videos/heather-rosso
Image Credit:
Indoor Studio Shot: Drew Wyeth
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