Episode 39: Kiko Denzer

11/30/21 • 104 min

Episode Recorded October 18, 2021.

Kiko Denzer deftly mixes clay, food, and carving together with a dash of philosophy to bake in the fires of this next conversation. It’s a departure from our typical format, but Kiko has a welcomed perspective of craft and lifeways that doesn’t often show up in the craft world. He has spent most of his life teaching others how to build earth ovens, creating sustainable buildings and publishing books. Throughout the show we visit the role of craft in everyday life, the value of investing in one's local community, and most importantly, how we’re all just walking bellies.

To find more of Kiko’s work visit his website: https://www.handprintpress.com/ and on Instagram @kikodenzer and @earth.oven

Cræftspeople Kiko admires:

Martin Prechtel (floweringmountain.com, many titles, first one is Secrets of the Talking Jaguar -- all his stories bridge the many gaps between indigenous origins and modern dilemmas. A good starting place is this interview: Saving The Indigenous Soul)

Betty Seaman ( unintentional community, gardens, natural building, wonderful craft & art work of many kinds, including martial arts (she built a dojo for her spouse @muhudojo)

Nate Johnson (crafts)

Robin Wood, Wood Tools (craft business/community in Sheffield, UK, ala Bernard Leach)

Russell Sparks and Redbird (skills, hunting, community, events -- co-coordinators of The Buckeye Gathering)

Tamara Wilder (paleotechnics)

Stephen Edholm (skill cult)

Tending the Wild by Kat Anderson

Deanne Bednar (natural building)

Emily Reynolds (studying/practicing plastering in Japan)

Kyle Holzhueter (plasters/permaculture)

Angela Francis (natural building)

Esther Gokhale, posture and craft, "primitive posture," addressing physical demands of craft

Ananda Coomaraswamy, esp. Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art

The Hand-Sculpted House, by Ianto Evans, Michael Smith, and Linda Smiley

Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido

Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/cutthecraftpodcast)

Episode Recorded October 18, 2021.

To find more of Kiko’s work visit his website: https://www.handprintpress.com/ and on Instagram @kikodenzer and @earth.oven

Cræftspeople Kiko admires:

Betty Seaman ( unintentional community, gardens, natural building, wonderful craft & art work of many kinds, including martial arts (she built a dojo for her spouse @muhudojo)

Nate Johnson (crafts)

Robin Wood, Wood Tools (craft business/community in Sheffield, UK, ala Bernard Leach)

Russell Sparks and Redbird (skills, hunting, community, events -- co-coordinators of The Buckeye Gathering)

Tamara Wilder (paleotechnics)

Stephen Edholm (skill cult)

Tending the Wild by Kat Anderson

Deanne Bednar (natural building)

Emily Reynolds (studying/practicing plastering in Japan)

Kyle Holzhueter (plasters/permaculture)

Angela Francis (natural building)

Esther Gokhale, posture and craft, "primitive posture," addressing physical demands of craft

Ananda Coomaraswamy, esp. Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art

The Hand-Sculpted House, by Ianto Evans, Michael Smith, and Linda Smiley

Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido

Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/cutthecraftpodcast)

Previous Episode

Episode 38: Freddy Roman

Episode Recorded October 11, 2021.

Freddy Roman has grown up within the furniture field and mastered a variety of trades revolving around restoration woodworking and everything that goes along with it, from veneer work in neoclassical furniture to glazing antique windows. This is a thoughtful episode coming from someone who occupies the space where “trades” and “craft” are the same. Freddy shares his thoughts about the differences between handwork and machine work and what he’s learned in the process of being a woodworker. He also explains the importance of teaching handwork to folks lost skills that would’ve been commonplace a few decades ago.

To find more of Freddy’s work visit his website: http://www.periodcraftsmen.com/ and on Instagram @periodcraftsman. His Podcast is Against the Grain Podcast.

Freddy’s craft crushes: Chris Schwartz, Don Williams, Al Breed, Christian Becksvort, Will Neptune, Mike Pekovitch, Nancy Hiller, Peter Follansbee, Peter Galbert, Greg Pennington, Pinemar, @areyouafixer, Jimmy Dieresta, Megan Fitzpatrick, Wood Window Museum, Copper Pig, Ben Bogie, Joshua Klein, Roy Underhill, Callen Malsby, Tried and True Carpentry

Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon, pick up some Merch, or make a one time donation! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/cutthecraftpodcast)

Next Episode

Episode 040: Amara Hark Weber

Episode Recorded November 20, 2021.

Shoemaking chose Amara and not the other way around. Following an accident while working on her MFA thesis, Amara recalibrated her body and mind with a shoemaking class. After winnowing her courses down to that class, she subsequently built her thesis around shoes “that forced the body of the wearer into positions that she was dealing with." Although this is an important part of her story, Amara is more interested in her work speaking for itself than anything else. Do the shoes fit and stay comfortable? Are they functioning as designed? Answering those important questions to the best of her ability is her goal.

To find more of Amara’s work visit her website: https://www.harkweberstudio.com/ and on Instagram @harkweberstudio. Or in St. Paul, Minnesota!

Amara’s Mentors: D.W. Frommer, Janne Melkersson, Marcell Mrsan

Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon, pick up some Merch, or make a one time donation! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Support the show