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Our glass cabinet will exhibit the ceramics of Tina Burk during the month of January, 2026.
Tina posted visuals behind her works that explain her technique with all of these ceramic pieces, which are colored exclusively from various colors of the different clays.
If you want to purchase, please contact Tina Burk at tinahburk@gmail.com
Tina Hanna Berk bio
Tina Hanna Berk bio
Tina Hanna Burk is a local artist, raised in Millburn, now living in West Orange. I began working with clay in college and found it a wonderful medium through which I could express my creativity. When I became a mother, I decided that raising my children would always come before playing with clay. My three daughters are grown, and I again have time to create with clay.
When I returned to the studio, I made many bowls. They were useful, people wanted them, they were easy. But I wanted to grow as an artist and try new ideas. I began to experiment with new forms and decorative techniques. As I allowed myself to experiment, my creativity blossomed. I grew more confident with my artistic vision. My most recent venture is a technique called nerikomi, the inlay of colored porcelains to create designs.
Over time, I have come to realize that creating pieces for family, friends, and customers has a spiritual side. As I hold in my hand some of the ancient pottery shards I have acquired, I am in awe that the hand of some potter hundreds and even thousands of years ago created something that still exists. Maybe some of my pieces will be favorites to hand down to another generation, to take part in family meals and celebrations, while the broken pieces might be found by some future archeologist to hold and cherish.
Nerikomi
Nerikomi
Tina's process is called Nerikomi, which is the art of inlaid colored clay that allows you to create endless patterns in the clay.
While most pottery gets its color from the glazes used, Nerikomi allows you to build the color into the pot!
Nerikomi requires thinking in 3-D. As I stack slabs of different colors, slice, and restack, I am working horizontally. But I need to imagine what the design will look like when I cut through the layers vertically. Once I have created a block with the colors and design I want, I can make very thin slices to inlay into a solid color base, make thicker slices to create a piece where the colors go all the way through, or inlay slabs into a cylinder before I give the cylinder a form on the wheel,
Nerikomi requires a lot of attention to detail, measuring and cutting so individual pieces of clay match and are the same size. It takes several hours to produce a block with a pattern more complicated than simple stripes or dots. The time spent creating a Nerikomi block with a beautiful design is worth it. I love making pieces that are truly unique. And, since each block is unique, pieces created from that block can never be exactly replicated. When you purchase a piece of my Nerikomi, you know you truly have something that is one-of-a-kind.
If you want to purchase, please contact Tina Burk at tinahburk@gmail.com
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