Janet Resnik has been in Chatham County since 1967. Her husband took a job with UNC and they moved to a farm with horses. “Our road (Collins Mountain) and Crawford Dairy were dirt roads back then. Ours was not paved until 1992”, says Janet.
“I started making pottery and went to a lot of crafts fairs. I sold most of my work at fairs in Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, and Greensboro. Currently about a third of my customers are from Chatham County, since the area has become better known.”
It’s fair to say that Janet has always been an artist, beginning with painting in college. After moving here and needing to bring in some money for the family, she tried pottery. “I did not want to take an office job! I found almost immediate success, and was extremely lucky, of course. This was a time when there was a resurgence of interest in handmade crafts. People bought pottery at crafts fairs. In 1976 I was one of the few Chatham County potters.”
“One reason I’ve been able to stay in business so long is because my prices reflect more than just the amount of time that goes into making a piece. I have to like making the piece. It should fit well with other pieces in the kiln so that it is not costly to fire. I also try to have a large number of pieces that I can price at an affordable level and that customers can use every day. Sometimes this proves to be a good investment.” For example, recently a customer told her that twenty years ago she had bought a small inexpensive spoon rest, which was all that she could afford at the time, and that now she wanted to buy an entire dinnerware set. The collector said, “I looked at the spoon rest every day and thought I want more of that.”
What sets Janet’s work apart from other potters is her impressionist landscape, animal and flower glazes and the large variety of functional pieces she offers. She is inspired by what she sees all around her, the trees, the horses, the fields, trees and flowers. Janet finds her work is a circular process; a way of connecting with people. “One of my customers bought a dinner ware set 30 years ago, and now her daughter has bought one of her own. It’s nice to keep connecting with people through the generations.”
See more of Janet’s work on her Chatham Artists Guild gallery page.
