Memet Burnett

Born in Auckland, NZ in 1966, but living in Western Canada since 1971, Memet Burnett is a sculptor, print artist, photographer, writer, and film-maker 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 art training continued through community and college courses. While getting her DVM and subsequently raising her children, she photographed continuously which developed her eye for detail and nuance. Burnett has taken many painting, ceramic and sculpting classes and workshops with such celebrated BC and international artists as Bill Porteous, Bob Kingsmill, Linda Lindsay, Billy Rae Mangham, Elaine Brewer-White and Sarah Pike.

Burnett’s work is included in local, national, and international collections and has shown on the walls of local establishments, introducing her work to a wider audience. She has had pieces accepted into and sold through the Sooke Fine Arts show, one of the biggest juried art shows on Vancouver Island, BC. She won first and second places in numerous categories in the Metchosin Days Photography Contest in 2019. She is a founding member of the Juan de Fuca Potters operating out of the Westshore Rec Center and a founding member of the Metchosin ArtPod, a collective of artists working out of a studio and gallery in scenic Metchosin, BC.

Currently, Memet Burnett is working on a series of long-necked highly decorated figurative sculptures. She recently finished a series involving sea otter vessels, and a series of ceramic heads entitled “Facetime”, adding to her 2D “Memet’s Arc” and “Memet’s Travels” printed digital art series, as well as working on commissions.

I have a deep-seated interest in the natural world- it’s beauty, timelessness, fragility and sensitivity. As a one time Park Naturalist and a retired veterinarian, I have a unique connection to animals. In my art, I feel called to merge my light-hearted, joyful, colourful awareness and appreciation with thoughtful exploration and celebration of the many issues affecting the natural world. In so doing, I hope to bring my world and the world at large more into balance.