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"Earth & Fire" OVEN WORKSHOP

       This is the first event in the 8 day class "Living & Building in Community.  

 Earth  Oven under construction     Smiling Sun Earth Oven        Sam Runner & the Traveling Turtle,

June 26, 2010 Saturday 10: 00 am to 5 pm,

followed by an an evening meal of pizza from the Earth Oven ! 

 

Bread & Pizzas in minutes! Pitas in seconds! These are some of the feats that a well-built oven, made from the clay-rich soil beneath our feet can do! Earth ovens have been around for centuries in a variety of cultures and they still are. The relative simplicity of constructing an efficient, long-lasting earth oven is unknown to most people. Join Deanne and others for a day of digging our hands in the dirt and learning to build an earth oven from the natural materials in your immediate surroundings. 

 

SITE:  The Strawbale Studio land, outside Oxford, MI, is on 50 rural wooded acres one hour north of Detroit.  Tour of the grounds includes the Strawbale Studio, Oxford Kid's Cottage, the Spiral Chamber, Rocket Stove Heated Bench and "Sun Face" Earth Oven and the demonstration "Turtle Oven".

 

LEARNING:

The workshop will teach you the fundamental skills and basic information needed so that you can feel confident building an earth oven of your own! We will be making  Included is: Materials Harvesting, Cob Mixing, Foundation & Roof Designing, Earth Oven Insulation, Door & Dome Construction, Artistic Potential.  We will be creating a medium-size oven together and you can also make a small (6 inch) model oven during the day.  

 

FORMAT:

Saturday: In the morning we will take a tour of the buildings, and see the 3 current earth ovens on site, discussing design criteria.  After learning how to find the proper earth with which to build ~ we will mix a batch of mud and make the first layer of the oven upon a brick base. After lunch we will make and apply  the insulation layer, then cut out the door opening and take out the sand (from a smaller oven made during the day).  The day will wrap up with a firing of  the Smiling Sun Earth Oven and baking pizza together ! 

Sunday, Optional.   For those who can stay on or come back, we will be going into more detail about the oven-making process.   making & applying a finish coat and sculpting details. Additional information will be giving on creating a bottle insulation layer,

                      Pre-registration is required.  Sign up now.  Limited class size.

FEES: 

Saturday June 26

• $60 per person for 1 full day of hands-on learning and pizza made in the Earth Oven.

• $45 per person if you pay in full by May 15. Limited class size of 15, so sign up now!
• Subtract $5 if you "Bring-a-friend" 
  

Sunday June 27.  Stay on and get more information and experience in bottle insulation, sculpting and finish plaster. 

• an additional $45/ $30 prepaid
  

 

We recommend you buy a copy of  The Earth Oven Book by Kiko Denzer. 

We have this book available on site for $15.

 

WHAT TO BRING:

• A bag lunch for yourself.  A pizza topping of your choice for the evening meal baked in the Earth Oven. 
  

• A notebook and pen. 

• Mud and weather-appropriate clothing .

 

REGISTER for the "earth & fire" Oven Workshop by calling Deanne at 248 628 1887  or email ecoartdb@gmail.com. Also click on Registration link above for information and payment options. 

 

INSTRUCTOR: Deanne Bednar, possibly joined by Mike Ross.

Deanne is the coordinator of The Strawbale Studio Natural Building Education Program (www.strawbale.pbworks.com) and illustrator of the Hand-Sculpted House, Cobbers' Companion and the Natural Plaster Book. 

Mike Ross has recently moved to Kentucky.  See his website at www.rusticbuilder.com