ONWARD: Burton (right) and partner, Gayle Cantaffa, will say goodbye to the brick-and-mortar business this year. But the art making will continue. Catch them at local art shows and fairs. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)
As he reflects on 25 years spent running his m.t. burton gallery and 19th Street Clay Studio in Surf City, potter and clay artist Matt Burton said two things make him most proud: giving back to the community and raising awareness of the visual arts in the LBI region.
In a move that will come as bittersweet news to countless many who have frequented his space, thrown on his wheels and made memories in his side yard, Burton has announced he will close his gallery and studio at the end of 2024. Having reached a crossroads in his career and artistic journey, his decision is motivated by his heart and mind’s desire to focus his energy elsewhere.
“The time is right to pivot to a full-time pursuit of creating my art,” he said.
The gallery will have operating hours until to the end of the year and maintain its online presence at mtburtongallery.com. Thereafter, Burton said, he plans to keep making his pottery, popping up at local art shows and vendor fairs, and posting work for sale on social media and in his Etsy shop, MattBurtonPottery. Follow him on Facebook @M.T.Burton Gallery and on both Instagram and TikTok @mtburtongallery and @mattburtonpottery.
“I personally want to thank my clients and customers who have supported the arts and gallery for the past 25 years,” he said. “I want to thank all the artists who entrusted me to represent them. It has been my honor and privilege. I want to thank the people of Surf City who have always made me feel welcome and part of the community. I also want to thank the town of Surf City for unwavering support. I want to thank Gayle Cantaffa, my ride-or-die, for standing by my side through thick and thin. I also want to thank my parents.”
Looking back, a few major events stand out.
“In 2010, I organized the South Jersey Shore Clay Tour in conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, in Philadelphia that year,” he said. “There was something like 250 artists in 19 exhibitions, at 11 venues across South Jersey, including Stockton University, Rowan University, the Noyes Museum, the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences and, of course, the gallery.
“After Superstorm Sandy,” he continued, “the gallery hosted ‘Artists for a Shore Cause.’ We raised money, which was donated to several nonprofits to help storm victims, including the Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Co.”
A lot has changed in 2½ decades, he said – namely, the demographics of visitors and residents, the ebb and flow of people, the Island’s physical transformations, businesses coming and going, and the way people shop.
“We opened before smartphones and Amazon (existed),” he said.
What hasn’t changed is roadwork and traffic delays.
“It feels like they started working on the Causeway upgrade when we first opened. Maybe one day they’ll get it done.”
The timeline has also been marked by certain challenges: 9/11, the Great Recession of 2009-10, Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the car drove into the building a couple years ago was a difficult time,” he added. “You lean on friends and family to get you through the tough times.”
Though his gallery seemed to get less foot traffic than expected for this year’s LBI Artist Studio Tour earlier this month (“Too nice a day, maybe?”), as one of its early organizers, he has been pleased to watch it evolve.
“About 10 years ago, several of us spearheaded changes to the tour, which helped boost it to the next level,” he explained. “I stepped away from organizing the tour a few years back, and it has been run by very capable people who pushed it further. The tour as a whole has been great. Great marketing and participation. Seems to be growing bigger each year.”
He still loves being part of it, he said. “As (tour founder) Mary Tantillo always says, ‘A high tide raises all ships.’ I feel it’s important as an artist with a platform to be able to advocate for local arts.”
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Burton’s identity as an artist is layered.
“For a long time, I have thought of myself as an artist who works in clay. I started out drawing and painting. I do like to paint. I like playing around with photography. I guess as of late I think of myself as a potter because creating pottery has been my main focus.”
In art school, Burton was pursuing painting until a friend talked him into taking the ceramics class. “After the first semester I was like ‘This is fun, but messy.’ Took the intermediate class, not too seriously, and my professor gave me a B-! I thought, ‘OK, challenge accepted!’ Took a third semester and never really looked back.
“I found myself in the ceramics lab all the time. I loved the atmosphere, the camaraderie and the hands-on approach to working with the medium. I was really drawn to the infinite possibilities of clay as a medium, between all the clay bodies, glaze techniques and different ways to fire clay. So many kiln designs, fuels … just never ending. Painting seemed limited to me at the time. Now my work seems to reflect my painterly aesthetic.”
Burton holds a BFA from Roanoke College in Salem, Va. and two master’s degrees, an MA in ceramics and painting and an MFA in ceramics from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
He has taught and made art for a living since the mid-’90s.
These days he works exclusively in stoneware. “I love the iron spots and the chemical changes in the glazes from the reduction firing,” he said.
Currently a resident of Howell, Burton was born and raised in Chatham and spent his childhood summers in Harvey Cedars. For much of his adult life he lived in Stafford Township, in Ocean Acres and Cedar Run.
He was brought up in a creative family.
“My mom’s second cousin was Lowell Nesbitt, who was a relatively famous painter with a national reputation back in the ’70s and ’80s until his passing in ’93. On my father’s side, his Uncle Lawrence was an accomplished painter.”
Burton describes his style as “an accumulation of personal life experiences, my surroundings and influences from the field of ceramics and art history. Over time I have developed a personal visual vocabulary, which has become indicative of my preferred aesthetic: texture, color and the landscape narrative.”
Some of his favorite subject matter is derived from coastal living and, specifically, Long Beach Island’s oceanic scenes, sandy beaches and bay views. For his “Open Water” series, he manipulates the wet clay surface to create rippling waves and dunes, then brushes on clouds and sunsets and adds image transfers. His majestic “Sea Remnants” are sculptural interpretations of shells.
“I love what I do, and I love LBI, and I think it shows in my work,” he said.
His talent was evident early on. “I was always drawing as a kid,” he explained. “I wanted to be the next Don Martin (cartoonist for MAD Magazine). My middle school art teacher, Mr. Jones, saw something in me, I guess. He gave me my first canvas when I was maybe 13 years old. I took every art class in high school plus spent study hall in the art room. My high school teacher, Mrs. Van Vort, also helped cultivate my art studies. It’s all I ever wanted to do.”
He finds a continuous supply of inspiration in his surroundings and in his ongoing curiosity with clay as a medium.
“I’m always looking for new surfaces to decorate and experimenting with glazes,” he said.
When it comes to his creative process, Burton said, “I don’t waste time going down rabbit holes.” An idea for a new design can pop up at any time, while he’s driving or washing dishes. He keeps a sketchbook on his nightstand in case something comes to him in a dream. Then he’ll do a rough sketch of the design and make notations about details and process.
“Then I take the idea to the studio, where I’ll just make it. After 35 plus years, I’ve become pretty good at figuring it out on the first go-round. It’s a nice feeling knowing I can make whatever I set my mind to. I guess I also know my limitations.”
His studio is both workshop and playground, where dreams take shape.
“I use something like 16 different glazes that I make and mix in the studio and over 20 underglazes; for trimming and throwing, another two dozen tools; two different kilns for three different firings; a spray booth with compressor; and my laptop for Photoshopping the pictures I use for image transfers. Gets a little overwhelming. There is a lot.”
His style and voice have grown partly out of wanting to stay a step ahead of his students. As he would notice them copying his techniques, he would change his methods to increase the difficulty. Now, he said, even if he walks a student through his process step by step, they still can’t replicate it.
After decades of refinement, his work is unmistakable; his mugs are household staples far and wide. The demand is consistent, which is humbling, he said. His loyal fans keep him going.
Over time, he has downsized his art from 5-foot-tall sculptures – heavy enough to tear a ligament in his arm – to smaller, more manageable pieces.
“These days I like the intimacy of a handheld object,” he said. “So much more personable.”
In addition to online sales through his Etsy shop and social media (shipped to anywhere), Burton also participates in the occasional pop-up market or juried/invitational exhibition. He did one in Richmond, Va. this past spring and another at The Art School at Old Church in Demarest, North Jersey, he mentioned. This summer he had a table at the Friday market at Black-Eyed Susans in Harvey Cedars. He also fills large wholesale orders for other businesses, such as Pearl Street Market in Beach Haven.
“It’s very exciting for me to be in different venues and markets,” he said.
Also exciting, he added, is for his artwork to have a positive impact on someone’s day – to provide a little joy.
Remember that internet meme I can’t explain this with science, but the cup you drink your coffee out of matters? He couldn’t agree more.
“It does matter,” he said. “You deserve it. If using one of my mugs or trays or bowls, whatever it is, my hope is you get a little respite.”
Burton said he feels fortunate to have run a studio and gallery for 25 years – “a nice number and a good chunk of time.” He has taken stock of his accomplishments and what lies ahead.
I have always wanted to be an artist and to be able to work in a studio focused on creating new work and to exhibit in other venues across the country, whether it be in other galleries, art centers or museums.
“It’s hard to spread your wings when you are grounded.”
