Evan giving a demonstration during the 2022 Open Studios
In 2008 Evan started his own glass design and production company, Local Art Glass LLC. In addition to having a great team of six artisans helping him make his work, Local Art Glass is also Portland, Oregon’s only public glassblowing studio. It is located upstairs in an intriguing building called the Pickle Factory.
Evan’s studio practice is divided between two disciplines – design and fine art. On the design side Evan and his team create decorative and functional items for the home and office, including drinkware, vases, urns, bowls, and ornaments. In 2020, Local Art Glass became the top seller of hand-blown ornaments on Etsy.com, making them one of the top producers of high-quality hand-blown ornaments in the country.
Evan’s fine art practice is centered on themes of humor, absurdism, and surrealism, often with mid-century modern and psychedelic qualities. Subjects have included hotdogs, glitter chickens, pickle spaceships, and plates decorated with images of Steve Buscemi. Burnette traces much of his current aesthetic and interests back to children’s television of the mid 1980’s, primarily Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show.
In 2023, an opportunity arose when the suite next door to Local Art Glass’s studio was vacated. Seizing the opportunity, Evan decided to expand the studio, moving the hotshop to the adjoining suite, making Local Art Glass’s footprint now just under 4,000 square feet. With the new added space, LAG is now able to offer glassblowing classes on a regular basis. Casting, fusing, and other specialized glass technique classes, featuring visiting artists, will be added to LAG’s public offerings in the near future.
You can see more of his work on the Portland area Open Studios Tour September 30 – October 1.