Studio Space and Materials for Ceramic
Artists
Burti Ceramic Studio & Supply
R.R. #4 Box 4136, Dalton, PA 18414
570.945.5139 ~
info@burticeramics.com
Artist's
Biography
Nannette M. Burti
Clay Artist
I grew up in the country near Mill City, Pennsylvania. We had a pond near
my home and remember playing in the mud at the edge of the water. It was
fun to manipulate and I was amazed at what I could make from it.
Clay as a medium for art
was introduced to me in school. We were not encouraged to use the wheel,
so I built things from it by hand. Working with the clay was fun, but I thought
of the clay as a "play" material and didn't take it very seriously.
College was my first
opportunity to concentrate on my relationship with clay and learn the techniques
necessary to produce good work. During this process, I found myself in love
with the medium. I graduated from Marywood College in 1977 with the intention
of pursuing a career in Ceramic Art.
Soon after my graduation,
I got a job at a nearby hospital working with Developmentally Disabled Adults.
It was my intention to work with this population until I was able to afford
a studio and kiln, but I ended up at the hospital for 27 years. This time
away from clay fossilized my desire to work in clay full time and I began
to focus on a plan to achieve it.
In 1997, I was given
the opportunity to work as a studio technician in the ceramics department
at Marywood College. I was thrilled to have a space to work in and the
availability of equipment and materials. The additional time in the studio
gave me a chance to experiment with a wide variety of different techniques.
I gained a lot of information, but my work lacked direction. To remedy this,
I committed to making 50 "pinch pots". (This technique is very direct and
primordial, which was appealing to me.) The technique and forms I currently
use are a result of this initial commitment. My pots are hand-built using
coil and slab construction.
As I build pieces, I
pay close attention to allowing the process to "show through." Surface textures
are extremely important to the "aura" of the piece, therefore, textures are
applied and the form manipulated until I am satisfied with the results. After
the pieces are built, dried and bisque fired, they are often "stained" with
oxides and glazed. They are then fired to Cone 10 using either a wood or
gas kiln. As I progressed with my work , my plan for the future began to
materialize. I started to document pieces and enter shows.
My resume grew. My work
grew and the studio space began to grow. We started to purchase equipment
and renovate our barn built in 1940 into a working space for myself and a
few other artists. My husband and I continued to work on this project for
the next four years. This required lots of sweat, some blood and some tears,
but we persevered. In August of 2004 I left my job of 27 years. I remained
at Marywood University and continued to develop our studio. We opened a 1600
square foot space with equipment and facilities for producing high fire reduction
stoneware in May of 2006. Classes were scheduled and we opened the space
to other artists in June of that same year.
Currently, I am Hand-building
pots, offering throwing, hand-building and advanced classes, along with firing
services, studio usage and materials for purchase. The studio continues to
be a "work in progress" as we are planning to add private studios and clay
storage in the near future.
After all these years
I am richly blessed to be able to do something I love as an
occupation.
~ Nannette M. Burti
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