Our store and gallery, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is located just west of Charlottesville, Virginia, in an 1800's barn.

Let us introduce ourselves. We are Mary Ann Burk and Janice Arone. We both are potters and business partners. We began restoring The Barn Swallow eight years ago as a venue to show and sell our pots. As we have grown, so has the realm of what we have to offer at the Barn. Jewelry, glass, textiles and one-of-a- kind pieces for the home and garden merge with the pottery as a source that showcases ‘objects to live with.’

As full time potters, we search for craftspeople whose work compliments and resonates with The Barn Swallow. We lean towards supporting local and regional artists, and The Barn Swallow features a diverse collection from over thirty men and women who create crafts.

While we wish everyone could come and wade through our 3-foot high daisies in the spring or experience the luxurious akebia growing thick around the entrance, we know that this isn't possible. So, we suggest you wade through the objects here on our website instead and bring a bit of the nature of the Barn directly to your home!

Janice Arone

I have been creating pots and vessels since studying sculpture at Virginia Commonwealth University. I gather inspiration from nature, plants, birds, animals, and the human form.
I incorporate all of those elements into my work.

New environments are sources for ideas; Italian bronzes, shorebirds from the Outer Banks, shells and wave forms feed my imagination. These influence the shape of a spout, the lip of a vessel, or the lid of a teapot.

My sketchbook feeds my forms, then my hands on the wheel give dimension. I will often hand-build, giving each piece a unique signature. Each creation is distinctive carrying my personal mark.

Mary Ann Burk

The ever changing qualities of nature's palette are a constant source of inspiration for my porcelain. My mother's magical connection and love of gardening and my father's life work as a nature photographer created the foundation for my work. The sharing of their rare gift of internal vision continues to influence me. By altering, carving or handbuilding, sometimes texturing by using slips or water etching, I strive to interpret my impressions of the natural world. I use a repertoire of colors, each piece a translation, which remind me of the sea or of the opalencence of a shell, mosses and lichen or of feathers and nests.