Emily Burgess
With my work, the mountains and botanicals that have surrounded me my entire life in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains deeply inspire me, and I feel this shows through in my pieces, I have always adored plant life, specifically flowers. Though, I can’t think of many people that don’t enjoy the sight of flowers. Several of the flowers I carve into my pieces, using the sgraffito technique, are native to East Tennessee. Some are a little more exotic. Regardless, the sketch composites on my pieces are completely inspired by the real things.
A lot of the functional pottery I see in this area is native to our Appalachia culture. Dark earth tones, chunky and heavy. I find beauty in those pieces, but that’s not me nor my style. I strive for bright colors and very lightweight pieces. I grew up in a household with brightly colored dishes, and that seems to have imprinted in my brain. My goal at the end of the day is to provide functional art. I want someone to be using the dishes I made, and have it bring a ping of joy to their day when they look at them."
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
