Janna Carter

Burlington, IA

Biography

Janna Carter resides in Burlington Iowa. She has an MFA in Integrated Design – fluent in the language and concepts of print, motion, web, audio, video, photography and writing. She has worked as a graphic designer, art director and professor, with notable work for clients in the Washington DC area such as Smithsonian, USPS and Georgetown University. 

 

When life served her a disability lemon, she explored new creative recipes for lemonade, back home in Iowa – in her own way and at her own pace.

 

Following a great loss in her life she decided to change that sour taste to something sweet, by taking her first-ever clay class at the age of 55. After just a year with hands in clay she mastered small sculpture, wheel and hand building techniques. In September 2023 she traveled to Tuscany for a ceramics master class, and recently returned from a second trip to Italy for a month-long intensive study program with her master class instructor, Mara Funghi. 

 

Artist Statement

My colorful and artful photographs – nested in my own stacked and painted frames – enter a third dimension as they cantilever from the walls. My ceramic art objects are a bold and sophisticated display of individual and combined traditional ceramic methods of coiling, molds, sculpture, Kurinuki, and exploration of paper clay. Firing techniques range from Raku, Naked Raku, and Horse Hair Raku, to lesser-known ancient Etruscan Bucchero, Saggar and Obvara. I bring my very best to every piece I create – whether it’s ceramic art, photography or painting, her work emanates inspiration, creativity, mastery, and a love for beautiful objects.