2024 Small Works Show Artist Clay Burnette

CLAY BURNETTE is a self-taught pine needle basketmaker who has been coiling longleaf pine
needles for over 48 years . He has exhibited his work in over 260 venues throughout the US and abroad. In 2017, his work was included in Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America, which traveled for three years to eight venues in the US. In 2019, his work  received the Award of Excellence by the National Basketry Organization (NBO), an award he also received in 2013. In 2000, his work was selected for inclusion in two significant exhibitions: Contemporary International Basketry, which toured the United Kingdom for two years; and 100 Years/100 Artists: Views of the 20th Century in SC Art, at the SC State Museum. His work is included in numerous public and private collections.

He has exhibited his baskets at the Smithsonian Craft Show, Philadelphia Craft Show, ACC
Atlanta Craft Show, ACC Charlotte Craft Show, SOFA New York, SOFA Chicago and has been included in numerous print publications. In 2013, his work was included in Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft & Traditional Art, an exhibition that toured the southeastern US for six years. He is the recipient of the SC Arts Commission’s Craft Fellowship for 2022, an award he also received in 1988. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with AS, BAIS, and MLIS degrees and resides in Columbia, SC.

I am a self-taught basketmaker who uses the coiling technique to create contemporary shapes that incorporate lots of patience, persistence, and imagination. I have been coiling long/eat pine needles for almost 50 years and have shown my work in over 260 national and international exhibitions.

I begin the process by gathering fresh pine needles from long/eat pine trees growing in the sandhi/ls of South Carolina. The needles are colored with liquid fabric dyes, acrylic paints and iridescent inks, then sewn into coils using hand­twisted strands of waxed linen thread and copper wire. My tools are simple: a large steel upholstery needle and a pair of sharp-pointed scissors. When completed, each piece is preserved with a light coating of beeswax and signed with my initials.

I follow no patterns and make no preliminary sketches before I begin a basket. Time is irrelevant whenever I am stitching. The exploration of color, pattern, texture and form keeps me focused on the moment, but always planning for the future

Artist Statement
Clay Burnette