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Ready to Serve: Jason Bige Burnett

Ready to Serve: Jason Bige Burnett

Ready to Serve: Jason Bige Burnett

February/March 2014 issue of American Craft magazine
Author Staff
Mediums Furniture
Tableware by Jason Bige Burnett

Tableware by Jason Bige Burnett. Photo: Mark LaFavor

Exuberant

Jason Bige Burnett earned his BFA in ceramics from Western Kentucky University in 2009, with concurrent degrees in graphic design and printmaking; he has been making functional, intensely graphical work in clay since then. As a core fellowship student at Penland School of Crafts, he worked for a couple of local potters, and that led him to establish his current studio practice in Bakersville, North Carolina.

What do you think is unique about what you make?
The multiple layers of graphic imagery, explored through various printmaking techniques and processes.
 
How do you imagine your work being used?
Do you have particular occasions in mind as you work? Plates, I imagine, can be used to serve cake and pie, the bowls for ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, and the mugs to drink hot cocoa. I hope my pieces embody sweetness in any situation.

What, to you, is an ideal gathering around a table?
Small birthday gatherings at friends’ homes. I love it when the table is set with heirloom silverware, mix-matched thrift-store found plates, and handmade mugs and cups. The best parts are the stories shared, memories made, and laughs exchanged over a glorious menu that’s often selected by the birthday boy or girl.

What pot do you find yourself using most often in your own life?
Aside from plates and mugs, Jerilyn Virden’s nesting hollow servers. They were given to my husband and me as an engagement gift, and we use them on a day-to-day basis. They hold our fruits and vegetables, and when there’s a gathering we use them to serve homemade Chex mix, sliced fruit, and side dishes.

Do you consider yourself an artist, a potter, or both? I’m an artist who loves printmaking and admires pottery.

Read the rest of our ceramic tableware feature.

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