The Barn Swallow

gifts, pottery, jewelry, art, textiles, stationary, soaps, pillows handcrafted by regional artists in Charlottesville, Va.

Welcome to The Barn Swallow. We are Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burk, potters and business partners. Ten years ago we began restoring this old tobacco barn to create a venue for our work. As the project took shape our ambitions grew to make the barn into a center for local art. Now the barn is filled with beautiful objects, ranging from ceramics, to textiles, jewelry, wood, and paintings. 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, in the meantime we suggest you wade through the objects here on our website to get a feel of the nature of the Barn. When the time is right we welcome you to visit our store. 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 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. 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. When the creative forces of the human spirit interact with the earthiness of clay, something new is born. My wish is for you to enjoy these heartfelt reflections of nature.