Owner of Venuti Resin Design
Jeanne Venuti, owner of Venuti Resin Design, creates works of art using resin from the ocean. Recently she won a first-place blue ribbon for her work at the Deerfield Fair. Her art will be available at Bedford Handmade on Sunday, Nov. 10, and her work can be found at Manchester Craft Market (Mall of New Hampshire) and Bedford Furniture Consignment. Venuti Resin Design can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy.
Explain your job and what it entails.
I am an ocean resin artist and I make functional art that looks like the ocean.
How long have you had this job?
I actually started making things in 2021 and then started the company in 2022.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
This is actually my second job. My first job is with the Governor’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative. This started out as a hobby, and the story’s kind of funny, but I like to tell it in full because it’s so amusing. I saw it on an ocean resin charcuterie board on Pinterest and I’m like, ‘Oh, I wonder if I could make that?’ I think that’s how most artists start out with an idea. So I bought all the supplies and for some reason I could not make it work; it was runny, the waves weren’t coming out. Two months later I got so frustrated I did what a lot of people do and I started watching YouTube videos, just slowing them down and stopping them every second because I knew I was missing something. Two weeks after I got back from my trip, I was actually able to master the waves and the colors and my friends started buying my art and they’re the ones that told me, they said, ‘Hey, you need to start selling this. People are going to buy it.’
What kind of education or training did you need?
I’m self-taught.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
Anything comfortable with an apron. I have ruined many an outfit with resin and also for some reason I always get it in my ear.
What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?
Time management, because I do have a full-time job as well. So, fitting my art into my regular work day and weekends.
What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?
I wish I had known ahead of time exactly what products to use because I had to test a lot of them before I got the right combination.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
My art takes longer than people think.
What was your first job?
I was a dishwasher at the Roadrunner in Epping.
What is the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
The only person getting in your way is yourself. —Zachary Lewis
Five favorites
Favorite book: The DSM V. I was a Psychology major.
Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite music: ’80s music.
Favorite food: I’m half Korean, half Italian, so Italian and Korean food are my favorites.
Favorite thing about NH: The seasons.
Featured photo: Jeanne Venuti. Courtesy photo.