[Memet Burnett]

Born in Auckland, NZ in 1966, but living in Western Canada since 1971,  Memet Burnett is an emerging sculptor, painter, writer, film-maker and photographer whose work casts a whimsical eye on the natural and imagined worlds and the beings therein. Burnett’s artistic leanings began as a small child taking pottery classes with her mother and her hands have been filled with brushes, pens, crayons, sculpting and pin tools ever since. While getting her MEDes and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and subsequently raising her children,  she documented her life by camera and film continuously, which developed her eye for detail and story. Her Masters in Environmental Design solidified a profound understanding of her place in the world, and studying and working as a vet gave her a unique understanding of and love for animal forms and  psyches.  Largely self-taught, Burnett has taken photography, encaustic, figurative drawing and painting classes, as well as many ceramic sculpting workshops with such celebrated BC and international ceramists as Bob Kingsmill, Billy Rae Mangham, Elaine Brewer-White and Sarah Pike.

Burnett’s work is included in local, national, and international private collections. She has had pieces accepted into and sold through the juried Sooke (B.C.) Fine Arts show. She won “Honourable Mention” for her photograph “Symmetry” from the Metchosin Days Photography Contest in 2016.  She has had a series of articles published in the Metchosin Muse under the umbrella title “Wild Green Children” and has had numerous photos published in the same newspaper. She is a founding member of the Juan de Fuca Pottery Group operating out of the Westshore Recreation Centre. She also plays fiddle in Folkestra and leads a Ukulele circle: the Metchosin Uke Jammers.

Currently, Memet Burnett is working on private commissions, finishing her “Safari” and “Totem Animal” print series, and is preparing a new print series entitled “Travels” for future exhibition. In addition, her clay population of “Wall People” continue to grow with “Bacchus” and “Murray II” emerging from the heat of the kiln shortly. Her other ceramic tile art series “Play with Me”, featuring musicians from her life is also being expanded.