Precious Burger
Precious Burger grew up surrounded by creativity in many forms. Her mother was a talented but unrecognized artist, her father a gifted problem-solver, and her grandmother a master quilter and craftswoman who always ensured that Precious had materials to create with. Yet it was often the freedom to “go play” outside that sparked her imagination most—exploring with curiosity and wonder laid the foundation for her creative life.
Art became essential during times of loss and transformation. After the death of a dear friend, she painted 50 pieces in just a few months, channeling her grief into color and form. During the pandemic, art became a lifeline. Later, when health issues forced her retirement after three decades as an elementary art educator, art became the way she reclaimed her identity.
Her practice is intuitive and multi-layered. Working mainly in acrylics and mixed media, she paints in a call-and-response style, allowing each gesture to guide the next. Music often serves as her studio co-pilot, while unexpected materials, texture, and mark-making add emotional resonance. Recurring themes include resilience, identity, and the tension between vulnerability and strength. Her series DIG: Excavating the Self uses archaeology as metaphor for memory, trauma, and truth, while Free 2 Be Me celebrates authenticity, joy, and healing.
Inspired by artists like Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Alma Thomas—as well as the emotional honesty of musicians such as Michael Franti and Aloe Blacc—Precious layers her influences into vibrant, expressive works. For her, success is when viewers feel seen, connected, or moved to say, “I feel that.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to expand her work through commissions, community collaborations, and online workshops that help adults reconnect with their creativity. Her vision includes larger studios, more large-scale work, and gallery representation to share the energy and texture of her art in person.
“Start messy. Stay curious. Forget perfect,” she advises emerging artists. “Make the thing that’s whispering inside you—that’s where the magic lives.”
