Jessica and Mario will be appearing at the Masonry Heater Association of North America again! As always, the conference is being held at the Wildacres Retreat conference center near Asheville, North Carolina from April 10-16.
Mario will be making a presentation entitled “Masonry Heater Trends & New Techniques in Austria/Germany.”
Mario Zauner works in Austria and Germany as a Master Oven Builder (Hafner). Mario began his apprenticeship in 1990 at the age of 15. In 1996, at age 21 he graduated with distinction as the youngest Hafner in Austria. He has since installed over one thousand stoves, which works out to be about 30 stoves a year. You name it, Mario has built it! For over 30 years Mario has installed Kachelöfen, Grundofen, Küchenherd and stucco heaters – from traditional to modern styles. He has witnessed all of the changes in European masonry heater technology over the last several decades. One of his recent Kachelofen projects uses water for radiant heat as well as for every day use.
Jessica will be representing Stone House Kachelöfen as an official sponsor of the event. She will be there all week with a “demo” unit for people to learn about.
Jessica Steinhäuser is an award–winning Canadian ceramic artist who works on a grand scale, breathing new life into the ancient tradition of building kachelöfen. For her, they are akin to giant blank canvases that she turns into stunning art installations that warm both body and soul. Jessica studied pottery formally in Germany for four years. She then took a leap of faith and immigrated to Canada at age 22, and established a pottery business in 1989. Jessica created her first kachelofen in 2008. Since then she has designed and built over 50 ovens all over the world. Her work merges functionality with artistry: vibrant colour, sophisticated clean lines, and architectural sensitivity have become hallmarks of her work.
Jessica and Mario will be building one of our Muskoka Stoves over the course of the week. The Muskoka Kachelofen is a small freestanding Kachelofen/Grundofen. It is named after a regional municipality in Central Ontario that is famous for its lake houses, cottages and stunning wilderness. The footprint of this stove is remarkably compact at only 63cm x 53cm x 208cm (24in x 20in x 80in). It is available in a number of colours. The demo unit will be glazed in a gorgeous deep green colour. It will be available for purchase at the conference.
Seelaub Green is a hand mixed glaze developed by SHKO.A completed Muskoka Kachelofen glazed in Caramel.
