Welcome to Chasing Fire! We are located within the Treaty 7 territory in Calgary, Alberta within a short trip of the amazing foothills of the Rockies. We acknowledge the traditional and ancestral territory and oral practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which includes the Siksika Nation, the North and South Piikani Nations and the Kainai Nation. We also acknowledge the other members of Treaty 7 First Nations, the Tsuut’ina and Ĩyãħé Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) which include Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley First Nations. In addition, the City of Calgary is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Region 3).

The sky is huge. The inspiration is limitless.

The studio started with a simple community pottery class in 2002, igniting a passion for clay. I worked out of community studios, sharing equipment since it is very expensive to purchase. A flash of luck: Jay did some roofing work for his auntie and uncle, and they gave us a KILN! We made space for clay work at home and then I stumbled across a unique hand forged wheel = our dream of our own studio in 2011.

While the wheel is my original passion, I have become taken by the amazing flexibility that is hand-building since the birth of our son in 2009. You will often see a variety of methods as I play, because Chasing Fire is my creative play, my happy place and my passion.

Jason has joined me at the clay table recently with a zest for tableware, texture, and image transfer through a variety of techniques. His work features translucent glazes and handbuilt details to ensure his specific vision comes to fruition.

Each piece that comes out of our studio is completely handmade with our hands. We roll each slab, texture each bit of clay, score and slip each piece, fire everything twice, and glaze each piece individually. Every piece, even if it is similar to another, is uniquely made. We are not automated. We are completely handmade artisan wares with small production runs.

We take great pride in our work and hope that you enjoy our items as much as we have enjoyed creating them. We use local suppliers (including Ceramics Canada, Plainsman Clays) and Etsy vendors to bolster our “local” communities, and appreciate the communities that have taken us in, both in the ceramic world and fibre arts. We are very lucky people.

The Name
The name “chasing fire” comes from the core of ceramics – the transformation of clay through flame. Today, we as ceramic artists often use enclosed kilns, electric or gas fueled, to “fire” our work. The flame is concealed unlike the visible rawness of pit or raku firing. I only have to revisit the raku process (light it all on fire!) to remind myself of the core beauty of this art form, taking what is mud and creating art through fire. Thus, my passion for this art is represented by my need to always be chasing that transformation, chasing fire.

The People

Cara – Maker, Designer, Potter, Artist, Social Media I’m a prairie girl, born and bred in small town Saskatchewan. My passions are split between technology and fine arts, although I see them as much the same thing. I create yarn bowls, buttons, diz, bookmarks, jewelry, tableware, handle Jason’s mugs, and make other sweet things out of clay as my heart sees fit. I am a member of the Alberta Potter’s Association and the Etsy Alberta Street Team. You can find out more about these organizations, and the people within them, on my Resources page.

Jay – Maker, Artist, Handyman, Kiln Tech Jay is an artist in his own right when not servicing our kiln, making various tools for the studio, and running firings. His creations of choice are functional tableware with a twist, influenced by car, geek, and his Irish Canadian culture. His sheepish sheep mugs and “communicative” mugs are a favourite.