Art on Fire event returns for a 5th year

WASILLA — Maybe you didn’t know this, but pouring liquid iron is kind of a big deal.

“People travel from all over the country to go to iron pours,” said Pat Garley, owner of Arctic Fires Bronze in Palmer. “I go to New Mexico every year.”

But you don’t have to go to New Mexico. Garley and a group of artists, many from places like Texas and New Mexico, will be pouring iron Saturday at the Alaska Museum of Transportation and Industry.

“Iron casting is something that it’s hard to do by yourself, you need a group. So it’s kind of a social group activity for metal heads,” Garley said.

He spoke by phone Thursday as the artists worked in the background preparing their molds for the pour.

The event, the fifth annual Art on Fire art fest runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. There will be food vendors and live music, and people can participate, taking home their own poured iron pieces and glazed pottery.

“We will be doing a live iron pour. We will have live — as opposed to dead, I guess — blacksmiths doing demonstrations,” Garley said. “We will have Karen Lopez at Still Waters Pottery who will be doing Raku firings, firing pottery right there.”

According to a press release from Valley Arts Alliance, which is putting on the event, Lopez “will provide each participant with a vessel or pot of unglazed ceramic ware, known as bisque, which the participants will decorate with a variety of glazes and then fire in one of Karen’s special Raku kilns.”

The Raku process includes putting the pre-fired vessels into a metal can full of combustible materials, which draws oxygen out of the glaze and “is responsible for the unique and completely unpredictable Raku look,” according to VAA.

Judy Vars will demonstrate encaustic wax process. The Sahara Storm Tribal Dance Troupe will perform. Those blacksmiths are from The Association of Alaska Blacksmiths. There also will be glass flame working and “other fiery arts,” according to the VAA press release.

Oh, and rescued birds from the Alaska WildBird Rehab Center will be in attendance.

In short, it’s a whole lot of people and quite a few of them will be starting fires and melting stuff.

Also, it’s at the museum, which means for your $10 admission you can also take in the displays of Alaska trains, planes, automobiles and tractors.

But Garley said the main attraction, at least for the metal heads, is the fun.

“That’s the only reason we do it. There’s no money in this. This is what metal people do for fun. We get together and we pour metal,” he said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.