Bernadette Januska

brnburn Studio – pottery – Hillsborough

This is one in a series of posts about artists in the Orange County Artists Guild.

What is your medium? Why do you love it? How did you get interested in it?

I have always been interested in pottery and ceramics and decided that it should consume my life. I love it so much because it has a warmth to it that you can feel when you are holding it in all stages of its making. 

Do you work in a sketchbook or journal? If so, how does it influence your process?

Yes! I keep a sketchbook always on me. The sketches let me explore ideas and take notes on things that I see in the wild. I like to explore and get my linework down before I move onto clay, which is a little hard to use an eraser on. 

Describe your process or technique

I start with doodling and sketching some rough ideas to get a direction I want to go with decorating a piece. I make my clay forms on a wheel or hand build them, cover them in a white contrasting clay, and let that dry. Once it gets to a semi dry surface, I scratch away to make my drawings cover the clay form. I will use colored clay to fill in areas and when its ready I set it to be fired. The kiln works its own magic and sometimes ideas on how a piece comes out and then, voila- pottery is done! 

Do you have a hobby that intersects with your art?

I like to occasionally lose myself in some spinning, knitting, or weaving. I think it’s all connected for sure and ties back to my family. My grandmother was a fiber artist, my grandfather a stone carver on the side, and both of them were antique collectors. Their home was full of cobalt slip trailed stoneware, neat trinkets, and all the woven textiles. Pottery and fiber are my ways to think of them and keep them close to my heart.

Tell us about your work space or studio. What does it look like?

My studio is a quaint tricked out shed. It is surrounded by trees and feels like a little world away from the big world. It holds my wheel, workstation, racks full of pots to be fired or decorated, and of course clay! About a quarter of it is still woodshop tools and materials, for fixing the house. One day I hope to have a sink…

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