This post is part of our Artisan Profiles series, promoting authentic artisans and their products. Artisans: get your store featured by joining our free Buy Handmade campaign. Read the others here.
Joan Rowe is a creator of nature inspired knitwear, stuffed toys, knitting patterns, and lace. She strives for realism in each of her designs, resulting in patterns that are beautifully complex, perfect for advanced knitters looking to try something new.
Welcome to Artisans Co-op, Joan!
Artisans’ Interview
What’s the name of your business, if you use one? Why did you choose it? – What do you create/sell?
JoansGarden. I chose this name because I am an avid gardener along with my art interests. I have always been a photographer, with particular interest in photographing flowers and creatures of all kinds. Then I took up stained glass which I really enjoyed, and began creating my own patterns, which, of course, featured plants and creatures. And of course, there was always knitting. I learned at a very young age and knitted through my teenage years, through years of working in science laboratories, and into retirement. I designed quite a few intarsia type sweaters, which featured – you guessed it – plants and creatures. It was not until after retirement that I decided to start selling my creations, and the obvious name for me was JoansGarden, since I feel that I have a whole garden of interests.
Do you currently have a shop or website up and running? Where can we find you?
You can find me on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/JoansGarden, and my
knitting patterns are for sale on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/designers/joan-rowe.
How long have you been creating? What made you want to start your business/start selling your art?
When I retired and no longer needed to knit sweaters to wear to work, I looked around for other things to knit and decided to try a few soft toys. They were fun to knit but just not realistic enough for a scientist, so I began to design my own. I had discovered the Ravelry site by then, and what a joy that was, as I had retired to a very rural area in Oregon, and couldn’t find anyone to knit with here. My first design was a dragon. I had the pattern test knitted on Ravelry and then published it on Ravelry. There was a small art gallery in a nearby town, so I put some of my knitting in there, as well as some stained glass, and volunteered time to them. From that first dragon, the knitting patterns just snowballed, and now I have 103 patterns listed there.
What does your creative process look like? If you work with a creative partner, how is it to work together, or do you have different roles in the process?
When I choose a new creature to work on, my first priority is to get it as lifelike as possible. That usually involves lots of research, studying the anatomy, watching videos to see how the creature moves, and if possible, finding a living creature to watch. Then comes figuring out which knitting stitches will give me the shape I want. Since these are 3-dimensional, that can involve many different techniques, leading knitters to comment that my patterns can be ‘fiddly’. I freely admit it. They are not easy, and not meant for beginning knitters. I work alone, but I rely on my test knitters on Ravelry to give me final feedback on the patterns, and am very grateful for their input. It can take me months to create a single pattern. I must have knitted 30 octopus bodies before I discovered just two stitches I needed to change, that made all the difference. And now, I am on the 15th iteration of a snail, but I think this may be the one!
What part of creation do you enjoy the most? (The process, seeing the finished product, seeing people’s reactions to receiving the art/product, etc.)
I enjoy it all. The designing is a challenge, and I like challenges. The finished product is so very satisfying, and I’m really happy when people like my work.
What is your Number One piece of advice for fellow artisans (biggest lesson learned)?
Expecting to be able to make a living from art is usually not attainable, except for those exceptional artists who are also skilled at marketing themselves. It’s not often a combination that goes together. Placing art in a gallery or commercial outlet where a large commission is usually required means pricing the artwork at unreasonable high prices in order to make it worth even doing, if looking for a monetary return on effort. Joining a co-op is undoubtedly the best way of reducing those outsized fees.
What is your biggest inspiration?
My inspiration is the natural world – the plants, animals, colors of sunsets, tiny bugs and mythical creatures. I love them all, and I want my art to reflect them as they are, not as a caricature, or ‘cute’ depiction of the real thing.
Is there a specific niche or target audience you are trying to reach with your art?
For my knitting patterns, the target is easy – knitters. Knitters don’t want a finished item, but want to make it themselves, and that I understand very well. For my finished items though, I don’t know that I have a target in mind. Perhaps someone who appreciates the amount of time and work that goes into a handmade item and doesn’t quibble about it.
What do you hope to gain from joining the Artisans Co-op?
As I mentioned earlier, to be successful monetarily, requires skill in marketing, and that is not one of my skills. After hibernating away in laboratories for many years, and now living in a rural area, I am really not a ‘people’ person. The Artisan’s Co-op has those ‘people persons’ and will use them to market everyone, while people like me can hopefully contribute in other ways, so that everyone benefits.
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