"Earthen Art:
Common as Dirt" by
Kiko Denzer, Resident Sculptor at FireWorks Restaurant
and author of "Build
Your Own Earth Oven"
FireWorks Restaurant is home of Maya, a nine-foot high commercial
earthen oven built
by Kiko in 2002.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
I've been working with earth for about ten years now, first making
ovens, then sculpting, then building a studio and a greenhouse
as well as various mud jobs, including garden walls, school projects and various
teaching gigs, and large installations for the DaVinci days festival
in Corvallis.
Earth is a natural material for sculpting and the combination of earth with sand and straw provides an extraordinary structural flexibility that dissolves the division between sculpture and architecture.
I started carving stone when I was ten, and still work in stone, wood, and other materials. But earth, and the revival of interest in it as a natural and environmentally friendly building material, have provided a context where art has an essential and practical part in a more sustainable cultural vision. Creation returns to its rightful place as a community endeavor, and people who wouldn't consider tackling a life size sculpture will gleefully build an oven or even a house. Sometimes, they'll even build a restaurant!
The work with patterns has been
an inspiration reinforced from many corners. The garden is full
of pattern, rhythm, form, and endless variety. I'm growing wheat
to make our own bread, so wheat has become something of an obsession.
I found a book about the women of Basutholand, South Africa, who
replaster their houses every year and use a whole lexicon of traditional
patterns to make otherwise plain walls into stunning art that
also welcomes visitors and tells stories about their lives and
traditions. I've used the same approach to make school murals
to transform dead brick walls into vibrant displays of community,
culture, and spirit. And finally, I live between forests and streams.
Every fall I wait to watch the salmon swim up, procreate and die.
The eggs hatch, the fingerlings swim out to sea, grow, and return
again. Birds, bears, humans, and other critters eat the fish and
(mostly) return the nutrients to the ground - basic material and
essential nutrients flow between forest and sea. Fish, forests,
flowers, and sea - all become one.
EARTHEN PLASTERS AND REINFORCEMENT:
Earthen plaster
is clay subsoil mixed with fine sand, wheat paste, and fiber.
Depending on the qualities of the clay, cracking is controlled
by adjusting one or another ingredient. Reinforcement is provided
by various binders applied after the mud is dry. Linseed oil and
blood are two of the more traditional binders, but I use mostly
waterglass (sodium silicate), an inert mineral dissolved in water
under heat and pressure. It's used for everything from stopping
leaky radiators to preserving sandstone buildings. All the pigments
are earths, mostly from very near my home. Of course, ALL pigment
is some kind of earth (including all the colors of Michelangelo's
Sistine ceiling).
DURABILITY:
The reinforced
wall pieces are water resistant, lightfast, and made to last.
They are designed for interior display but, in more protected
locations, may hold up well outdoors as well. They can be hung
as you would hang a mirror.
ADDITIONAL WORK:
In addition to
the sculpted cob courtyard wall at FireWorks, I've done two other
walls in Corvallis, one on Garfield, in the block west of King's,
on the north side of the street, and the other on NW 12th, just
south of Corvallis High School. Both are visible from the street.
ART ON DISPLAY:
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2008 Earth, Oven, Art Workshops
If you can make mud pies, you can build with earth. Good material is often underfoot. Practical, beautiful, dirt cheap, and faster than you think, mud is also sculptural, colorful, and rich, whether you make ovens, benches, garden walls, or houses. And you can do it with your kids! "Mud ovens" were the original masonry ovens (brick is, after all, fired clay). The ovens we make bake beautiful bread (and anything else), and perform as well as the fancy $4,000 Italian ones. You can build a simple one in a day, learn about cob and natural building and make the best pizza and breads.
WITH KIKO DENZER & HANNAH FIELD (other instructors as noted)
Kiko & Hannah have been teaching oven and bread workshops
together for about seven years. They have taught for Bob's Red
Mill, Andrew Whitley's Village Bakery (UK), the King Arthur Flour
Company, and will be among the featured instructors for the Bread
Baker's Guild of America's "Camp Bread" at the San Francisco
Baking Institute this spring. Kiko is an artist/ builder and author
of Build Your Own Earth Oven (now in a revised third edition with
a bread chapter by Hannah), & Dig Your Hands in the Dirt:
A Manual for Making Art out of Earth (Hand Print Press). Hannah
baked professionally for organic bakeries in the UK, and is also
an organic gardener and massage therapist - in addition to helping
her husband write usefully about bread.
DATES:
2008 schedule: Earth Ovens Bread
ART!
Hands-on workshops on wood-fired earthen ovens, good bread, natural plasters & practical sculpture; offered by Kiko Denzer, and others, as noted.
If you can make mud pies, you can build with earth. Good material is often underfoot. Practical, beautiful, dirt cheap, and faster than you think, mud is also sculptural, colorful, and rich, whether you make ovens, benches, garden walls, or houses. And you can do it with your kids! "Mud ovens" were the original masonry ovens (brick is, after all, fired clay). These ovens bake beautiful bread (and anything else), and perform as well as the fancy $4,000 Italian ones. You can build a simple one in a day, and learn enough about cob and natural building to start planning your cob cottage!
April 12-13, Ovens & Bread
Philomath, Oregon, Gathering Together Farms
Gathering Together Farm is a local, community-sponsored farm.
Even though the workshop is over, the oven is still in progress
(as of May 5, 2008). Come on by. Good food!
MAY May 31-June 1, Ovens & Bread
NE Portland, Oregon
A residential oven in a neighborhood setting. Probably bi-lingual,
English/Spanish! Limited openings. $175, includes lunch. (also
a good time to make mud at Portland's annual Village Building
Convergence, w/speakers, events, & building projects all around.
See cityrepair.org for more.)
NEW DATES: June 30-Jul 4: Earth &
art for your home: design, sculpture, & decoration with natural
materials
Coquille, OR, No. Am. Sch. of Natural Building, with Linda Smiley
et al
Natural plasters, paints, and finishes to design, sculpt, and
help finish an existing cob cottage. We'll start with a review
of the principles of design, site analysis, 3-dimensional space
and spatial dynamics, and practical beauty. Then we'll get muddy;
work will be interspersed with discussion and demos covering technical,
design, and materials issues, including earthen and lime plasters,
clay paints, and sculptural mixes. Explore, experiment, gain practical
experience to apply to your own design problems. The site features
a broad array of earthen and natural buildings and related techniques.
Contact the school at 541-396-1825, or see http://www.cobcottage.com
July 26-27, Ovens & Bread
Pringle Creek Community, Salem, OR
August 23-24, Ovens & Bread, near Burnt Woods, OR, at the site of the future Oregon Folk School
Instructors: KIKO DENZER & HANNAH
FIELD
We have taught at Bob's Red Mill, Andrew Whitley's Village Bakery
(UK), the King Arthur Flour Company, and at the Bread Baker's
Guild of America's "Camp Bread" in San Francisco. Kiko
is an artist/ builder and author of Build Your Own Earth Oven
(bread chapter by Hannah), & Dig Your Hands in the Dirt: A
Manual for Making Art out of Earth (Hand Print Press). Hannah
baked professionally for organic bakeries in the UK, and is also
an organic gardener and massage therapist. Every other week, we
bake 25 pounds of whole-grain sourdough in a mud oven. It's a
staple food. Groups are generally interesting, diverse, and fun;
all learn, and all teach. We believe that cooking (and growing)
food is essential to true culture. So by working, cooking, learning,
and eating together, we build the living fabric of peace.
FORMAT: Both days combine oven-making with bread-baking, adjusted to suit participants. By the second day, we'll have a "temporary oven" to bake in, and a more permanent oven to finish. We start working at 9 am, and are done by 5 pm.
ACCOMMODATIONS are not provided, tho some hosts may have space and camping facilities.
FEES: $175 per person for two days of hands-on learning, lunches, and snacks. For those with limited, low, or fixed incomes, we can and do reduce fees; please inquire.
TO REGISTER for the "earth and art in your home" course in Coquille, call 541-396-1825.
TO REGISTER for all other courses: Send a check or postal money order for 50% of the course fee, payable to Kiko Denzer, at POB 576, Blodgett OR 97326. The fee is non-refundable unless we can fill your space immediately. 20% discount for full pre-payment 3 weeks in advance. When we get your payment, we'll send confirmation and other info.
QUESTIONS: 541-438-4300, or handprint@cmug.com.
APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITY: This is a home-and-community based invitation to share in and learn from the life of a family that is trying to live, learn, grow, and eat as close as possible to their (rural) home, inspired by a vision of "every man (& woman) 'neath their vine and fig tree, living in peace and unafraid" and in community with (urban and) rural neighbors. Help w/garden, greywater, compost (toilet), plastering, cob building & repair, community events, ovens, art & sculpture projects, bread & food, noisy boys (2 & 5 yrs), creek, walks, a small publishing business, etc. 4 days work/wk, plus cash for room & board. Write and tell us about yourself! POB 576, Blodgett, OR 97326.
Build Your Own Earth
Oven
A Low-Cost, Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect
Loaves
by Kiko Denzer $15
Now you can buy an autographed copy through the FireWorks Online Store!
Paperback - (May 15, 2000) 132 pages
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review from Library
Journal
Denzer, an artist and builder, creates beautiful wood-fired ovens
using the most widely available building material: dirt. Some
earth ovens are plain while others are formed into the shape of
animals or human faces. Denzer offers an explanation of basic
concepts such as material selection, oven location, and design
and then guides readers through the construction of their own
oven. Earth ovens could be produced most anywhere using Denzer's
instructions; he even shows how to build a weatherproof roof.
A sourdough bread recipe is included. Appealing to a diverse audience
of bakers, outdoor cooks, traditional crafts persons, and perhaps
even homeschoolers looking for a project, this title should be
part of most public library collections.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Build Your Own Earth Oven is a fully-illustrated handbook
for making a simple, wood-fired, masonry-style oven. It provides
clear, step-by-step instructions for building and firing the oven,
as well as complete directions for making sourdough bread in the
best (and simplest) artisan tradition.
Earth ovens are as simple as a southwestern horno or European bee-hive oven and every bit as effective as a fancy brick hearth or modern, steam-injected commercial oven. The dense, three-to-twelve inch thick earthen walls store the heat of the fire; after the hot coals are removed, the hot walls radiate a steady, intense heat for hours. The resulting steamy environment is essential for the crisp, flavorful crusts of true hearth loaves, and you can easily build it for less than the price of a couple of fancy dough-rising baskets!
If you like to cook outdoors, an earth oven can also transform fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs into delicious pies, pizzas, and other creations (one of my favorites is fresh vegetables, herbs, and potatoes drizzled with olive oil). Pizza cooks to perfection in three minutes, and you can even use the residual heat to dry your surplus garden produce, and incubate your home-made yogurt!
Building with earth is safe, easy, inexpensive, and extraordinarily effective. Good building soil is usually right under your feet! Many will find it in their back yards. Use it plain, or mixed with sand and straw. Build the simplest oven in a day! Adding a roof and foundation makes it permanent. The simple, round shape makes a beautiful garden sculpture, or can be sculpted into a fire-breathing dragon!
It is a project that appeals to bakers, builders, and beginners of all kinds: The serious or aspiring baker who wants the best lo-cost oven for their bread; Gardeners and outdoor cooks who want a centerpiece for a beautiful outdoor kitchen; People interested in creative uses of low-cost materials and simple technologies; and Teachers who want a multi-faceted, experiential learning experience for their students (the book has been successful with everyone from third-graders to adults).
Illustrated by the author with over a hundred drawings and photos, it includes color pictures of sculpted ovens and their builders, as well as further references on food, baking, and building.
About the Author
Kiko Denzer is an artist, writer, builder, and baker who has spent
the last five or six years working primarily with earth.
Back cover comments for Build Your Own Earth Oven
"Build Your Own Earth Oven is the essential book for those
who want to do just that. It is worth many times its price in
avoided labor and frustration, and the ample and enjoyable illustrations
are a great guide to those (mud builders and dough makers) who
use the right brain more than the left. Go on -- Get Dirty!"
-- Dan Wing, co-author (with Alan Scott) of The Bread Builders,
Hearth Loaves & Masonry Ovens
"There are really only three books for the would-be bread-oven builder. If you get only one, get Kiko's..." -- John Connell, Architect, Founder of the Yestermorrow Design/Build School, & author of Homing Instinct.
"This new edition of the Build Your Own Earth Oven book is again a clear and concise manual on building a fun, people and earth friendly oven that not only will bake your bread and all incredibly well, but can give rise to great heights of artistic expression... Kiko covers all the mundane details with insight and inspiration. Nothing lacking here to get you up and baking... This book quides you gently towards a wellspring of creativity within, to manifest a hands-on wholesomeness without." -- Alan Scott, master oven-builder and coauthor (with Dan Wing) of The Bread Builders, Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens
"Roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini & onions in a cumin/orange juice glaze, with roast garlic pork loin (for the meat eater) and baked apples, then roasted eggplant, squash and leeks, rosemary polenta, herb roasted salmon and peach pie. This morning, cinnamon rolls..." -- Nani Waddoups, Oregon
"...the best book I know on traditional earthen ovens...we've recommended the first edition to hundreds of our clients and students." -- Ianto Evans, Founder of the Cob Cottage Company, and author, Lorena Owner-Built Stoves
"Kiko Denzer's gift is to bring together in one small book both the means to make an inexpensive oven which will surely bake wonderful bread, and a gently impassioned explanation of why to do this matters. I have greatly enjoyed reading the book and can't wait...to get into my back yard and start digging." -- Andrew Whitley, Founder, The Village Bakery (a commercial, wood-fired bakery), Cumbria, U.K.
"...not only great for making ovens and bread, but also the best introduction to building with earth...all you need to know about materials and processes; makes it simple, quick, and easy." -- Charmaine Taylor, Taylor Publishing, California
"Your drawings and diagrams are warm and practical and they match your helpful, unassuming, flexible voice. The reader feels...as though he or she is going on a journey in building and creating. The prospect of making an oven seems less intimidating because you give so many options, directions, and encouragements." -- Carrie Mitchell, Utah
"I love how you have made function into art with your ovens... My mother, who is an artist, has been inspired by your oven book and, I am proud to say, we will soon be baking breads in our backyard." -- Olivia Lester, Utah
"I built an oven with two students for our school auction. We tested it at a gala house warming party. All the guests abandoned the beautifully catered food and began devouring plain simple bread and butter... People were in fresh baked bread euphoria -- a success!" -- Warren Cohen, 3rd grade teacher, Washington
"This easy-to-understand handbook, generously sprinkled with Kiko's wit, wisdom, and beautiful illustrations, contains everything you need to know about how to build, decorate, and bake in a delightful earthen oven." -- Michael Smith, builder, teacher, and author of The Cobber's Companion
"Kiko -- Thank you! Thank you! The permaculture students love your book -- our best-seller!" -- Emily, "WE Design," Seattle
"I'm an ardent breadbaker and I think your book is inspiring, comprehensive, and very practical...it is beautiful." -- Monika G. California