Deanna Peddle is Just Kiln Time
The kids were unusually quiet as they sat around the busy crafts table at "Just Kiln Time" in the heart of Wawota. On this occasion as the small group of young people huddled over their creative work, concentration clearly showed on their faces. One was finishing off a multi-coloured teapot, another was working on a cute little elf figure, while a third added paint to a large elk.
To the left were multiple rows of shelves filled to capacity with ceramics of every description. There were nativity scenes, cups, pots, containers of every shape and size, an endless variety of animals, and even a quirky RCMP officer with a big smile on his face and a skunk hidden behind his back. They all stood silently in rows, waiting for the loving attention of someone who'd take them home.
Love - Does that seem like a strange word to use in connection with a business? It really does apply here; it was obvious while watching those young people, even more evident when speaking with the business owner, Deanna Peddle. She was first introduced to ceramics by a work colleague who had a shop in her basement in Moosomin, and she quickly learned to love the hobby. For a few years she travelled with a friend to a studio in Virden, but somewhere along the line the intention developed to open something closer to home.
As it turned out the first location of the business in 2003 was indeed home, at their farm a quarter of a mile out of Wawota. Then in 2004 a substantial brick building on Main Street became available. Over the years it had been home to various enterprises, the Royal Bank, an accounting office, even the thrift store, and now it was empty again. Deanna bought the building and opened "Just Kiln Time" in September of that year.
Right from the start it had been her desire to offer a unique service to the people of Wawota and the surrounding area. Initially the clients were former hobbyists returning to the activity, but as word got out folks began trying ceramics for the first time. It was therefore a natural move to begin offering afterschool classes for children from grade five upwards.
"It's fun to associate and work with someone who loves to learn," says Deanna. "I enjoy it when someone says it's too complicated, then we walk through the steps and they find they can do it."
Fun and enjoyment? Yes, that's what it's all about. Deanna's own love for the hobby is transferring to those whom she teaches. Her clients of all ages are there because they want to be. Young people are discovering that there's joy in learning, something they don't always find at school, and for adults there's a relaxing interlude to the regular pace of life, where the cares of the world disappear in the gentle sweep of a paintbrush and the simple companionship of like-minded friends.
Deanna holds open "drop in and paint" sessions for adults every Wednesday afternoon between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Classes for kids are also held on Wednesdays immediately after school. More formal adult classes begin at 7 p.m. on alternate Mondays and Thursdays. So if you or your children are looking for something new to try, give her a call at 577-8737.
