Learning
the art of
success
By AMY GALLIMORE
Stsff Writer
"I want to bring art to the
people," says Lori Burek, a local
jewelry artist who has some
down-to-earth ideas about art.
A native of Michigan, Burek
came to Chapel Hill in 1983 because
of the opportunity for her craft
in this area and she is not a
typical artist.
"Art schools teach fine art, but
they don't teach you how to make
a living," says Burek. Rebelling
against the "starving artist" cliche,
she is determined to make her
craft profitable.
Burek says that most artists find
it difficult to market their craft
successfully after finishing school,
and she knew that if she wanted
to succeed, it was going to take
a lot of hard work and, perhaps,
a unique approach.
in order to market her product
successfully, Burek decided that
she needed to work with some
thing different from gold and
silver. At a workshop she attended
shortly after she left college, she
learned about the metal titanium,
which is a light and durable metal,
and she uses it to produce some
interesting and practical jewelry.
Next, Burek had to learn to
approach her art as a business. She
says she spends about half of her
time on art and half of her time
on paperwork. "Most artists spend
all of their time on their art and
this isn't good. I've learned that it
takes a lot of marketing to make
my art profitable."
Finally, Burek decided to design
jewelry that was both practical
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Jewelry artist Lori Burek
and useful. "I dont want to make
a lot of big and colorful jewelry
that no one can really use." She
uses colors that match what
people wear. "I like humorous and
fun jewelry," she says.
Most people look at Burek's
work and think that what she is
doing is just normal business. And
this is what is so remarkable about
her - although she's never had
any business training, she was able
to combine art and smart business
tactics for profit.
Burek chose to use titanium for
her designs because she wanted
a product that was out of the
ordinary, and titanium is a good
metal for jewelry because it's light
and durable. She creates the colors
on the metal through an electrical
current, never using paint. The
electrical current changes the
composition of the metal to
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create an array of colors.
Titanium is an abundant, space
age metal - it's found virtually
everywhere, even on the grounds
college students trample every
day on their way to classes, it's
also used in aerospace and med
icine. But although titanium is
abundant, it's somewhat expen
sive because of the refining pro
cess. It must undergo a compli
cated heating process before it
can achieve a useful form.
Burek says her jewelry is prac
tical, because titanium lasts for a
long time and the colors never
fade. "I was hooked on it instantly,"
she says. She makes pins, earrings
and pendants. Many of her jewelry
320 W. Fronkln St. Chapel H
Cal 967-9053
Thursday, March 24
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Let's Active
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Other Bright Colors
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Burek's designs include a fold
creations take the form of anim
als, such as fish, cats and even a
horsefly. Some include stars and
hearts. The overall look results in
jewelry that is both abstract and
fashionable.
Burek sells most of her jewelry
wholesale. She can boast of 30
stores nationwide that display her
creations. Although she also sells
her work at street fairs as other
jewelry artists do, Burek points
out that it's difficult to make a
living this way.
Her work is currently being
shown at the Leaping Lizard Show
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Tonight
Ken Stanford
" 'Singer Songwriter "
NO COVER
Friday
Fred Boyce
Bob Vassile
Robby Link
405 12 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill - Next to Tijuana Fats' 933-5550
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$3.00 COVER
HeelThursday, March 24, 198815
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- back brooch and a horsefly pin
at the Piedmont Gallery in
Winston-Salem and will also be
shown at the Franklin Street Apple
Chill Festival on April 17. Creative
Metalworks on Franklin Street sells
some of her designs.
Burek says her jewelry is reason
ably priced. "I wouldn't want to
sell anything I couldn't buy
myself," she says.
Although she's a talented artist,
Burek is well aware that her
talents for marketing have been
the key to her success. She com
bines her talent with an unusual
product - practicality and good
business.
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