WASILLA — Glowing bright orange, molten metal oozes from the blast furnace while flames shoot from a vent in its top. Covered head to toe in heavy, heat-resistant wear, workers catch the 3,000-degree iron in a heated bucket and pour the metal into molds.

One of the highlights of Saturday’s Art on Fire event at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, the foundry demonstration drew an attentive crowd. One of the leaders of the demonstration, Palmer artist Patrick Garley has been casting bronze, aluminum and other metals into art for about a decade. Working with basic elements like fire and ores mined from the earth is a primal experience, he said.

“Fire is basic to the beginning of man, and so is art,” Garley said. “The caveman putting his hand on the wall, that’s art. Potters were the first to use fire for art.”

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In addition to watching the foundry work, event participants were treated to other fire-based arts, including Raku pottery, blacksmithing and glass work. At the pottery area, children learned about how the pieces are made from clay and fired in a kiln. Then, they were given pots of their own to glaze, which were fired again.

“I think the pottery stuff is my favorite,” said 7-year-old Ellie Wrigley, visiting the museum with her older sister and mother. “I have art classes, and I think I’ll plant flowers in it.”

Ellie’s older sister Emma, 9, slathered generous amounts of glaze on her tall clay pot. Although a grayish-blue at first, the glaze would change color when fired.

“It’s gonna be kind-of violet, and that part’s going to be blue,” she said, adding she has the same plans for her work as her sister. “I want to try to put flowers in it. I thought that’d be nice. This is very fun.”

Also having fun was blacksmith Dawnavan Crawford of Wasilla. A large, barrel-chested man who has the crushing handshake of a blacksmith, Crawford swung his 2.5-pound sledge hammer with ease while demonstrating the art of making blades. On Saturday, he displayed about a dozen of his knives and swords while working to turn old railroad spikes into letter openers.

The heat of the coals, which needs to be 1,760 degrees or higher, and the rhythm of the hammer “is therapy” Crawford said. “This is a dying art form. You’re not going to see much of this anymore.”

Although he’s been blacksmithing for 16 years, Crawford said. He said there are only 98 master blacksmiths in the United States. He enjoys events like Art on Fire as an “opportunity to educate people” about blacksmithing.

His blades can take about 40 hours to make, while more involved projects like swords can take six months to a year to finish, Crawford said.

Bringing varied art media with the fire theme is one of the highlights for the Valley Arts Alliance, which sponsors Art on Fire with the museum, said Carmen Summerfield, an alliance member.

“I like that it’s permanent,” she said of the works. “You cast in iron, and it’s there to stay. You can leave it outside, and that’s OK too. The same with pottery. You make it, bake it, glaze it and it’s permanent.”

Bruce Mahan of Palmer said his family was impressed with the exhibitions. Even his dog found plenty of squirrels to chase, he said.

“This is pretty exciting,” Mahan said watching the foundry work. “We came out to see the welding and cast iron a little bit.”

Back at the foundry exhibition, the workers break for lunch, including Djean Jawrunner, an artist and instructor from Tucumcari, N.M., who first taught Garley. That foundry work is primarily a man’s domain is a common misconception, she said.

“There are actually quite a few women,” she said. The female foundry sorority is not so different from the Martha Stewart crowd. “We just burn things a little more often.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.