Janet Burner
Sabino Stoneware Pottery
Tucson, Arizona
Websitewww.sabinopottery.com
Artist Statement
Clay as art is my goal and inspiration. My love for drawing, clay, and sculpture lives in my work. From mud to life, to tell a story, to live beyond oneself, a vase is something to behold. It all began in 1970, then setting up shop and teaching.
Studio Description
My historic adobe home was sold and torn down for student housing and I was able to remove anything but the dirt. In 2013, I built my new beautiful studio from it's soul-stained glass windows, saguaro ribs, brick, old doors-the result, breathtaking.
What type of clay do you use?
Stoneware and porcelain
What temperature do you fire to?
Cone 10, primitive, and raku
What is your primary forming method?
Throwing and altering, coil and slab
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Decorating with line, slips, and carving
Do you make any of your own tools?
My throwing tools– primarily larger and easier to hold ribs.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Diverse
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
It's light, high ceilings, and air-conditioning
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
My Whisper potters wheel
What are your top three studio wishes?
Proper storage for my clay and glaze materials.
Beautification of my outdoor glazing area.
An automatic wrought iron gate at the entrance.
What’s on your current reading list?
The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Business discount from Marjon's Ceramics
How do you recharge creatively?
By interaction with my wonderful students, and by travel to new places, last year Cuba, next Alaska, and alternate from functional to sculptural forms.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Throwing off the hump.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
My own klutziness– I recently dislocated and fractured my shoulder. There isn't enough time in life to try all there is to know about clay ,which I love.
What did you first piece look like?
I can't remember the first– I know I thought it was great, and I'm sure it wasn't.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
Ageless strength, you know why!
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Harry Holl, master potter. I worked beside him for 30 years. He was amazing.
What is your studio playlist?
NPR, community radio KXCI, Classical
Why do you create art?
I create to satisfy my yearning for exploration and to live beyond my own existence, to connect with others and to leave behind some beauty in the world.
What is your best studio tip?
Work consistently every day, always exploring new ideas and techniques, then share your expertise with others.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be? It's breakability.
