Richard's Firestarters

04/29/2026

Mark your calendars, everyone! It's HEATIN' UP! Midwest Fire Fest less than 2 months away!

11/06/2025

New ceramics debuting at ArtWorking Gallery Party 2025, Nov 14th & 15th!

Friday, there will be live music and beverages, so come groove to some tunes and do some holiday shopping with me!

Saturday, the store is open from 10-4, which is the only weekend shopping day of the season!

Hope to see you there for ceramics and firestarters galore!

07/09/2025

My debut Artist Talk & Try it Class is TOMORROW at the ArtLitLab in Madison!

It's FREE! 4-6:30 pm, there will be clay, conversation, pizza, ice cream, and me!

I am really excited to have this opportunity to show my process and get to make things with other people.

You have to pre-register at https://www.hisawyer.com/arts-literature-laboratory/schedules/activity-set/1517174

07/03/2025

I will be at the ArtLitLab in Madison next Thrusday, July 10th, from 4:30-6pm, giving a craft talk and demo of my ceramics process! It is free to register, and there will be pizza and ice cream!

You can also grab some clay yourself and follow along while I demonstrate how I make my famous Faz Vazes!

The event is free, but you have to register to save your spot! You can use the QR code on the flyer to take you directly to the registration page, or you can go to the ArtLitLab website and find the Adult classes and workshops under the education tab.

Sending my love!

ArtWorking artist, Richard Berkholtz of Richard's Firestarters, will be doing a demo and craft talk with a participation component!

Next Thursday, July 10th 4:30-6pm

Register for free using the QR code here or at the Arts + Literature Laboratory website by clicking Adult Classes/Workshops under the edcution tab.

The event will begin with a Faz Vaz demo, and an optional follow along component. After the demo there will be a chance to hear about Richard, his story, and his craft, followed by a Q&A portion.

Pizza and ice cream will also be included!

Spots are limited, so register now to save your spot!

10/02/2024

Anyone have a good source for custom printed water activated shipping tape that isn't Stickermule? Not finding great pricing on less that a case worth. We only need increments of 250-500ft.

04/03/2024

June 8th! See you in Cambridge!

Send a message to learn more

07/19/2023

Meet your fire artists! Richard Berkholtz is the owner and operator of Richard's Firestarters. Richard lost his sight in 2015, and since then, he has stayed creatively active by making art and starting his own business. Over the past seven years, using adaptive equipment and natural materials, Richard has developed his own process to design, manufacture, package, and sell his firestarters. Richard works with ARTWORKING, a Madison area nonprofit program that provides career development and support for artists and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Check out Richard’s Firestarters at Midwest Fire Fest!

07/19/2023

Come see me at Midwest Fire Fest in Cambridge WI this Saturday, July 22nd! I will be demoing and selling firestarters and pottery at Fire Fest on Saturday ONLY from 10-7.

There will be live demos by tons of local artists and craftspeople whose work centers around the flame. You'll get a chance to check out blacksmiths, glass blowers, fire dancers, potters, and anything fire-related you can think of!

We have been working hard ARTWORKING the last few months and I am pretty sure I will soon be buried in firestartetrs... so come out and tell your friends!

I am so excited to be part of this event, and I hope I get a chance to say hi to some of you in Cambridge this Saturday!

12/10/2022

Last chance for Saturday shopping at ArtWorking! Firestarters and ceramics available!

03/24/2022

Hi Firestarter Fans!

As we are getting ready for camping season coming up, we wanted to share some other things we have been up to!

As some of you probably know, I do more than firestarters. I am also a ceramic artists making sculptural and functional work out of clay! Last week I got a chance to join other ARTWORKING artists and staff at the SGCI conference. The conference is for printmaking, and we went to a talk by artists about printing in clay. It was even cooler than we could have dreamed!

I got to meet amazing artists who are using tactile and accessible techniques of making cool sculptures in clay. They even asked me to test drive some new tools designed specifically for visually impaired users, and give feedback. It was a totally unexpected but electrifying adventure!

Check out some of the cool tools and things we saw!