Four to Six Hours on a Mug | Andrea Burns | Episode 724

Andrea Burns | Episode 724

Andrea Burns, owner of Pots by Andrea, is a potter and educator living and working in Allendale, Michigan. Andrea’s not-so-greenthumb tendencies inspires her to create vessels adorned in everlasting ceramic florals.

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Do you have a basic cup shape that you do again and again that you add your pieces to or do you create a separate shape for every piece?

They are always pretty much the same shape. Sizes vary. I don’t measure out my clay or take measurements of my mugs when I am making them. It’s just kind of what ever happens happens but yeah, they do generally end up taking the same shape just different heights and widths and everything.

I noticed you use mason stains. Are you mixing them into the clay, impregnated clay that’s been mixed in or are you using it as an underglaze and painting it on?

I mix it right into the clay which saves me the step of brushing on color on every individual little piece.

Did you have a hard time finding a green mason stain that wouldn’t turn brown?

Yeah, do you have experience with mason stains?

A little bit.

It’s so frustrating. I actually just last week found a really good plant green for house plants which I haven’t been able to do because I haven’t found the right green. But yeah, greens are so tricky.

Do you ever compare yourself to other potters?

Not really. I look at other’s work and I definitely think, Dang, that’s cool. So I will be inspired by them and then take that into my own work and interpret it in my own way. I think it just makes me a better potter. I don’t really get discouraged though when I see really cool pottery, it just makes me feel even better and excited to be better. If that makes sense.

Yeah, it totally does.

What kind of support is important for you to be able to “do it all”?

So recently I …I have a studio assistant now and that has been huge. She mixes all my colored clay for me and keeps the studio super clean so I don’t have to do that. So that has been great giving me the time to just focus on creating. So her support has been huge and also like I said, my husband watching our son while I work. My mother-in-law also babysits for us so I can work. Also I find so much encouragement from my Instagram followers, which might sound really sad, but they are always so inspiring and encouraging to keep me going. Every like and comment and share is really, really encouraging.

Whose your favorite potter?

That’s so hard. Probably Callahan Ceramics.

I listened to the podcast that you did with him not that long ago. So for anyone who is not familiar with his work, he does these mountainous landscapes that go around his mugs. I actually have one. They are so simple…but, I don’t know they just give me a feeling when I see them. I don’t even know how to explain it.