CELEBRATING FINE CRAFT

ARTICLES: Saskatchewan's Fine Craft Treasures

Written by: Mark Stobbe
March 08, 2008

[Written for the Western Producer's Saskatchewan Tourism Guide, 2008]

In the tiny village of Meacham there is a mysterious brick structure that bears a resemblance to a medieval dungeon. In fact, it is a wood-fired kiln modelled after one that was constructed in Japan in the 12th Century.

Build by ceramics artist Charley Farrero, this kiln is transformed into a fire-breathing monster once a year, every spring. Ferraro invites about a dozen potters from around Saskatchewan to load the kiln with their winter’s work. The team then creates an inferno that is kept blazing 24 hours a day for a week. At temperatures reaching 2300°F (hotter than the molten lava in a volcano), the clay forms are transformed into rock hard cups, vases, bowls, and sculptural objects. They are also glazed with the molten ash from the fire.

The results of this wood-firing process are unique and unpredictable. The final look of a piece is the result of the interaction between the clay, the fire and the wood ash. Individual pieces will vary depending upon where they were placed in the massive kiln, the licking of the flames, and the swirl of the smoke – as well as from the different artistic conceptions of the individual creative potters.

 

Meanwhile, in Rosthern, Joan Wiebe works alone – or at least without human help. In creating hand-dipped, bees wax candles, Joan has 160 million helpers.  That’s the number of bees it takes to produce the two tons of wax that Wiebe uses each year.

Wiebe selects the best wax from over 2,000 bee hives from across the province to use in her candles. There is infinite variety in the wax – the texture, colour, and odour of the wax changes according the diet of the bees – and even the time of year. Wax made in the spring contains more oil, while that created later in the summer is more brittle. The wax made from bees feeding on canola differs from that originating from a rose – proving that a rose in any other form is still a rose.

“Bees wax candles are a completely natural product,” says Wiebe. “And, in using the labour of the bees, we are helping keep the world green since 30% of all crop pollination is the result of the activities of the honey bee.”

Wiebe also points out that the craft of making bees wax candles is a rare one because of the scarcity of the wax. Each candle she produces embodies not just her own work and skill, but the effort of thousands of bees.

 

If you are in Wilkie, you can probably find Jim Gerlinsky just by following the hammering sound. Gerlinsky is a throw-back to an earlier era – a small town blacksmith. Using a forge, an anvil, and a hammer, he converts scrap iron and steel into everything from hand-forged BBQ steak turners to ornamental mirror holders.

“Blacksmithing been a craft for 6,000 years,” says Gerlinsky. “It was what moved us out of the stone age.”

For Gerlinsky, one of the attractions of his craft is taking the man-made materials of iron and steel and transforming them into objects with an organic focus and shape. It’s not an easy process. The metal must be heated to 2800°F, and then beaten into shape with an array of hammers – large and small. It’s hot, hard, ear-splitting work that results in objects of remarkable grace and precision.

For his iron and steel, Gerlinsky usually uses salvaged scrap material. He notes that blacksmiths were the world’s first recyclers.  His commitment to this is such that he’s even made all of his own tools from metal discarded by others.

Michael Saretsky is a tougher judge of dead trees than American Idol’s Simon Cowell is of amateur singers.

Saretsky, a wood and bark carver from Watson, makes wood scouting trips as far afield as Cumberland House. He looks at about 30,000 fallen trees a year and chooses only 10 to use in his hand-carved wood spirits.

Every piece made by Saretsky is unique. Just as no two snowflakes are identical, so to it is with pieces of bark. Every sculpture thus has a different starting point – and then the fertile imagination and carving skill of Saretsky completes the process of creating distinctiveness.

The variety of Saretsky’s carvings is reflected in where they end up after being purchased. At one end of the spectrum, an eastern collector has created a gallery in her 10,000 square foot mansion. Each piece is mounted with its own lighting system to accentuate the shadows. At the same time, other pieces have a place of honour in dilapidated cottage outhouses.

And so, if a tree falls in the forest with nobody around, we still don’t know if it makes a sound. However, if Saretsky finds the tree and likes its bark, we know that we can see it in a lot of strange places.

 

These handcrafted objects of clay, wax, wood, metal, and a host of other materials can be found at many Craft Fairs and Markets held in Saskatchewan every summer.

Just as the craft skills and techniques have been taken and adapted from centuries past, these craft markets are reminiscent of the markets and fairs of medieval Europe. Artisans emerge from lonely workshops and studios to gather together, offering to the public the products of months of work, years of experience, and centuries of accumulated craft knowledge.

People attending the markets can meet the people who created every item that is for sale. They can hear the story of an item’s creation, and shake the hand that made the object they love. It’s direct, face-to-face interaction between maker and consumer in a way that is unique in our 21st century society. The craft markets are also a great place to find beautiful, hand-made, one-of-a-kind works. Some are functional – bowls, cups, candles, furniture, clothing, food – that can be made to be enrich the normal experiences of every day life. Other craft objects are made simply to delight the senses, to appeal to the eye or touch and sometimes even the ear, nose or tongue.

The summer trail of Saskatchewan Craft markets starts in Regina with Bazaart. This outdoor sale will be on June 14 at the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery (3475 Albert Street). Entering its 34th year, Bazaart attracts over 100 art and craft exhibitors. Admission is $4.

A week later (June 21), the Waterfront Festival is held in Saskatoon. This year, Waterfront will be moving to the new River Landing location at the corner of 19th Street and Victoria Avenue (Right beside the old iron Traffic Bridge). Admission is free to this outdoor market, and all exhibitors have been juried by the Saskatchewan Craft Council’s jury process to ensure quality.

The craft trail of sales then moves north to Waskesiu. The 4th annual Waskesiu Artisan’s Show and Sale is held at the Waskesiu Community Hall on June 28/29. Admission is $2. According to show organizer Gail Carlson, the 40 exhibitors guarantee sunshine (even if there is a cloud in the way).

Canada Day features Park Art 2008 at the Crescent Park in downtown Moose Jaw. About 40 artists and craftspeople exhibit at this July 1 sale. Admission is $3, and the sale is adjacent to the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa and the Tunnels of Moose Jaw tours. Visitors can buy unique craft, soak in the hot mineral waters of the Spa, and learn about Al Capone’s possible links to Saskatchewan in a single day.

The Town of Battleford hosts the Saskatchewan Handcraft Festival from July 11 to 13. This is another juried market operated by the Saskatchewan Craft Council, and is the province’s longest running Craft market. Visitors can view the work of about 40 exhibitors in the air conditioned comfort of the Alex Dillabough Centre. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors/students.

The summer Craft market season closes in Yorkton with the Sunflower Art and Craft Sale on September 5/6. This is Saskatchewan’s largest summer Craft market, attracting about 180 exhibitors. It fills the Gallagher Centre – covering the Flexi-hall as well as several curling rinks. Admission is $5. A 2-day pass costs $7 and students get in for $3.

The end of the summer market season does not mean the end of opportunity to buy Saskatchewan Craft. As the days get shorter, the pre-Christmas market season approaches with the Kayette Craft Show (Biggar, November 4); Our Best to You Christmas Art & Craft Sale (Regina, November 7-9), Wintergreen (Regina, November 14-16), the Artisans Craft Market (Saskatoon, November 21-23) and the Sundog Arts & Entertainment Faire (Saskatoon, December 5-7).