bloesem special read!

my talented local ceramic artist friends burt and nancy have opened up a new etsy shop, and i was so thrilled to have had the honor of writing about them in a special post for irene over at bloesem. now i am certain (certain!) that all of you are already enjoying bloesem, but if you have not visited her blog before, please go and check it out. she has beautiful (beautiful!) taste and finds marvelous artists and designers for her blog. i just know you’ll love it (and hopefully my article too)!

i ran into burt and nancy at the bucktown art fair last summer and was thrilled to reconnect with them and their gorgeous handmade pottery. if you like lumpy handmade things trust me this is the stuff - check it all out here!

share this story

whimsical ceramics by nancy gardner

feast your eyes on these fabulous handbuilt and painted earthenware pieces by illinois artists (and husband-and-wife team) nancy gardner and burt isenstein. i knew nancy and burt since we sold their things at the shop years ago, but after we closed, i lost track of them. imagine my surprise and delight to discover them at the bucktown arts festival this past weekend!

nancy and burt are inspired by the history of decorative arts, global cultures, vintage paintings, fabric patterns and dishware. they use a pinch and coil method to create their pieces, and purposely underwork the clay for their signature look. each piece is formed, decorated with underglazes, covered with a final glaze and clearly one of a kind!

having seen (and sold out of!) nancy and burt’s prior collections, i can honestly say i am thrilled by the artistic evolution i am seeing. the consistently charming, handmade quality and energy in these pieces has been enhanced even more by the outstanding paint details in the current collection. to me, the work tells a enveloping, inspiring, complete story.

it is that kind of painstaking, loving attention to detail that sets their work apart from so many others in the same medium. and the cherry on the cake is that the pieces are functional as well as beautiful.

when they aren’t in their studio, nancy and burt sell their wares at select retail fairs around the country.

(please) go to their website for other designs, show schedule and contact info!

share this story