Owners Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burk's pottery is the focal point at The Barn Swallow. Both potters bring 40 years of study to their work, to the barn, and in turn to you.
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.
Brows through the images below to see samples of Janice's work.
Mary Ann Burk
Nature’s beauty in color, texture, and shape is the constant source of inspiration for my pottery. My work is informed entirely by my personal interpretation of the natural world. My Mother was a gifted and magical gardener. She fostered a profound connection in me to the earth’s subtle designs and patterns from an early age. My father, a gifted photographer, did the same as he traveled this country to capture and document our Natural Parks. Their vision mingled with my own continues to influence all of my pieces. Every design is one of a kind. They are sometimes hand thrown, sometimes hand built, etched, carved, and textured with a whimsical sense of purpose. Every endeavor, every piece, every sculpture is a result of my admiration for a world I find familiar as well as complex and quite simply beautiful.
Brows through the images below to see samples of Mary Ann's work.
