Check Out Mary Kay Burbee’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Kay Burbee

Hi Mary Kay, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My relationship with art began at a very early age. I often say that I was born with crayons in my hand. I have always loved drawing, painting and being outdoors…a perfect fit for living here in Northern Michigan. As a child, I spent every summer at our family cottage in Southern Michigan and I was influenced by the ever-changing natural beauty.

In college I majored in fine art and interior design. After graduating from Indiana University, Bloomington I worked as an interior designer and in retail management in Chicago and Milwaukee until starting my family. I returned to work, after taking a few years off, to a career in art education which I enjoyed for many years in both St Paul, MN and the western suburbs of Chicago. During this time I was also a producing artist exhibiting in a variety of venues and teaching privately.

After retiring to Traverse City, I continued to create art and participate in various shows and art fairs. When my husband Rick and I decided to open Tinker Studio in 2016, my love for teaching art was foundational to our vision. Tinker Studio is a gallery featuring fine and functional art and a creative space where I teach a variety of art classes.

We offer classes in Drawing, Watercolor, Pastel, Mixed Media, Shibori Indigo Dying, and Linocut. We offer both basic classes and workshops. While the focus of the class offerings may change seasonally, the foundational information is consistent. All supplies are included in our basic classes so you can try a medium out before you decide to purchase the supplies! All of my classes are based on the elements and principles of art. I focus on imparting foundational skills to ensure student success in class and while working on their own. Some of the students I taught are now exhibiting their work in the gallery. In addition to my work and the work of my husband Rick, a mixed media artist, we represent more than 50 local and regional artists in a variety of media and styles.

In the spirit of fostering creativity, we also offer a wide variety of books, art supplies and related creative goods. After browsing Tinker Studio recently, a customer remarked to me, “You are selling creativity!” His statement really resonated with me, as this is intentional. We want people to feel inspired and empowered when they visit. Tinker Studio is ever evolving and changing as items sell and the seasons change. It’s never the same place twice. People often linger for an hour or more because they enjoy the creative atmosphere and wish they could stay longer.

Tinker Studio is a sensory experience. It is visually stimulating because of our varied artwork and we always have music playing. We even sell a signature home-fragrance which causes people to ask “what’s that lovely scent?” when entering the space.

Tinker Studio is committed to building a community of artists and patrons. As an example, we asked everyone who entered Tinker Studio last summer to choose a color of yarn and weave it into our communal loom. This community weaving project was entitled “What Weaves Us Together”. After adding their contribution to the loom, we invited participants to add their name, hometown and a word or phrase in our guest book that represented something that connects all of us. Hundreds of participants from more than 25 states and 4 different countries helped to shape this project. The completed weaving and guest book found a new home this past holiday season after a community giving drive. All participants were invited to add their name to a drawing after making a charitable donation.

We will be engaging in another community weaving project this summer. This season we plan to create two weavings using vintage and hand dyed fabric and yarn: one a stylized landscape and the other a waterscape. Our intention for these weavings is to focus on the threads that bind us together. Once completed, we plan to hold a silent auction benefiting two non-profits focused on land and water conservancies in our area.

Tinker Studio will also be embarking on a collaboration with Old Mission Distilling for special offerings of Art on the Lawn and Rise & Shine Yoga taught by our daughter, Elizabeth, a RYT 200 yoga instructor.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first struggle that comes to mind was navigating COVID. Like many small businesses we had to figure out how to survive the shut down and then how to reopen safely. I will always be grateful to our loyal patrons for thinking of our studio for their creative needs, especially in such a difficult time.

As things settled down and continued to grow, it became apparent that we needed help with managing the “business” of the gallery. Our daughter, Elizabeth, helped us to open Tinker Studio back in 2016. As the business grew, post-pandemic, it made sense to invite Elizabeth back in a full time capacity, as gallery manager. In this role she handles many of the day-to-day responsibilities that come with running a small business. Additionally, Elizabeth maintains relationships with our artists, curates our shows, and directs the visual merchandising and “vibe” of the space.

Finally, on a personal level, I find it can be difficult to strike a balance between the needs of the business and my need and desire to create my own artwork. As a compromise, I have recently cut back the number of classes I teach to still be able to help people on their creative path while allowing me more time to create myself. Win! Win!!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While I enjoy creating many types of art, my favorite medium is soft pastel. I was greatly inspired by seeing a Degas retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago years ago. Degas expressed line, value and color so effortlessly in his work; it launched me on a lifelong pursuit to capture some of the same essence in creating my compositions.

I find my favorite subject is the landscape. Each day, each scene holds new challenges and rewards. I LOVE being outdoors surrounded by the beauty of nature, so painting en plein air is a favorite of mine. We decided to retire to Traverse City, in part, because of the beauty of this area. I find inspiration everywhere I look. I especially enjoy a day spent in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park painting.

Speaking of “inspiration”, we recently returned from a trip to the Cotswolds area of England. The countryside there as viewed from the Cotswold Way, has inspired a collection of paintings that I will showcase in August here at Tinker Studio entitled “A Walk through the Countryside” from NoMi to The Cotswolds – A Celebration of Rural Life and Landscape.

How do you think about luck?
When I think of luck, I know that I have been a very fortunate person because I have enjoyed a wonderful life, in large part thanks to my husband, Rick. We met in college and ever since then we both committed to support exciting opportunities that each of us has encountered in our life together. Rick was a business major and I an art major, and his creative spark has surrounded every aspect of our life. Through Rick’s professional path, we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy travel & the experience of living in several interesting cities. We continue to draw inspiration from those experiences. Our creativity is complementary, while I enjoy the act of making art, Rick’s energy and vision illuminates possibility in our lives…like making Tinker Studio a reality!

In addition, working with my family, Rick and Elizabeth, has been a real joy. We all have extraordinary strengths and talents and the ability to work well together…a rare blessing in a work situation. In addition, our son-in-law D.J., while not an employee of Tinker Studio, adds a wonderful energy when he pitches in for our special events or spins records.

In a family business, we find we all have our individual strengths that work in concert with each other to ensure that Tinker Studio continues to thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tinkerstudiotc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinkerstudiotc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinkerstudiotc/