Story-telling: Part One

Over the years, my hands have explored a brilliant spectrum of surfaces, textures, and forms. They have dove into emotion, action, and reflection. All of it spawning from story.

My first encounter with art-making came to me at 7, fresh out of my last hospital stay with asthma. That day, I went back to my safe place, where I would always wander. With just some metal clips, sticks, glue, and paper, I had my first kinetic sculpture..other-wise known as a windmill. I still have no answer to my parents for where I came up with the idea. Perhaps artists are simply mediums for materials.

 

Recently, my work has found itself discovering a higher intent...that the purpose of art-making is simply to tell a story.

In the world of plaster artistry, I often get calls from clients who are going through an important mark in their life..a birth, a graduation, a desire to have beauty after tragedy. It's always an honor to create. Starting in one room and going to the next. Stroke after stroke, I watch my client's outlook transform.

This year has delighted me with an abundance of opportunities to not only to create beauty in spaces, but also use my skills to illuminate and preserve a family's legacy through glass.

 My client, Ted Lagreid, comes from a rich line of sculptural talent. Either through building the observation tower at Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island or constructing the stone pillars at the Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden, both his father and grandfather were master stone masons.  Taking the best earthen artifacts and placing these forms and textures for all to enjoy was something that they were driven to do.

In honor of the Lagreid family, I am creating a series of casted glass hearts. This heart shape was generated from a mold I made off of a very precious rock from one of the pillars at the Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden, another sacred site from my client's ancestry.

As I continue to use my own hands and skills to transform and capture this history, I realize I am beginning to tell my own personal narrative about the importance of texture in our lives.

As time passes, technology quickens its pace. Objects and processes continue to be faster and smoother. If the towers and pillars that the Lagreids constructed nearly a century ago would have been built today, they would probably be erected in record time...but would they have been sculpted with the same amount of love, care, and patience?

....Here's to the blessing and gift to tell story through texture!

Designing Texture!...Thoughts on Spec'cing

This is my treatise to wall treatments!! It's been 7 glorious years as an earth-plaster professional.

Hands, fingernails, and pant legs....caked and crazed with all sorts of pigments and aggregates. Wear and artifact from the layers of my steel hawk mirror...tall ceilings, narrow planks over stairwells, dead tired moments, and tales of great victories!

Over this time I have applied the earth. Clay, lime, marble, and sand have all spoken to me as the materials I respond to with creative intensity. My senses are delighted. I will admit my bias. I love things from the earth. AcryliCKS and plastic stencils have no place in my palette.

So when I receive a new client call, how do I determine the right earth plasters to use? Creative bias + knowing material properties is the formula for successfully specifying the "right finish for the right space."  It's important to know the differences between finishes whether you are a DIYer, interior designer, or architect. Before you pick up the trowel, consider these factors:

Damage will happen regardless of material.
Identify high-traffic areas and design accordingly. Wood, metal, or stone/ceramic tile have much higher impact resistance (psi) than common wall finishes so design a wainscott height (4'+) wall treatment and plaster above it. Also, if you are in the "space planning" stage, consider designing larger corridors or openings to allow for better traffic flow.

Repairability? Wearability?
Softer materials like clay are easier to apply and repair than lime-based materials. For an unsealed clay wall, you infill "ding" with product, let set then blend out with water. This is great news for the DIYers since you can easily and quickly fix your own walls. No toxic peel spray either! Clay is easy to apply and a great way to begin your creative journey.

But what about repairing clay with a large commercial space? It can be a "punchlist" nightmare. For heavier-use projects, go with a harder lime-based material. Lime has a higher psi (pounds per square inch) than clay. A stronger surface overall will not dent or ding as much as a softer one, so your maintainence costs will be less. Interestingly, lime plaster derives itself from limestone, so this plaster is essentially a stone veneer on your walls.

Functional Considerations
Paint is a coating. Plaster is dimensional. Earth plasters allow spaces to breathe, regulate humidity and even carry negative ions to neutralize electromagnetic charges from common office and household equipment. Paint carries a positive static charge so dirt gets readily collected on your walls. Earth plasters are bio-resonant so dirt and dander are actually repelled away from these surfaces.

Lime plasters are great for wet spaces to absorb and release moisture. Think Venice canals...viola! Venetian plaster was born. Then there is sumptious materials like Tadelakt, an ancient Moroccan plaster used in the centuries-old bathhouses. Go ahead, plaster your shower with this!

Eco-Faux
Personally, I think "faux painting" is outdated. Sponges, rags, and all sorts of other painting tools are used to decorate, gild, and ornate. Glazes, stencils, and murals all have their place but have a tendency to lend a more traditional Baroque look.

One reason "faux painting" turns me off is that alot of the products are acrylic and petroleum based and off-gas like your worst household cleaner! Give me a tannin stain, lime wash, or milk paint and it's a whole new beautiful world!

Earth plasters reflect the environment rather than copy it. Their chameleon-like textures can either reveal as ultra-contemporary or more casual and rustic. A nice contrast between ancient and modern. All take their roots in nature and that's what delights the senses the most!

Favorite Picks
I finished my first wall in 2001. As time goes by I continue to gravitate towards earth-based materials. Somehow the tubes and tubs of acrylics have become buried deep in the confines of my garage.

Here are my top picks for natural paints and plasters:

Your own hands...use your extra coffee or cabernet to make a tannin stain! Clearcoat with beeswax!
Stucco Italiano Lime Plasters: www.stuccoitalianoinc.com
American Clay Plasters: www.americanclay.com
Bioshield Natural Paints: www.bioshieldpaint.com
Real Milk Paint: www.realmilkpaint.com
Unearthed Purely Natural Paints: www.unearthedpaints.com


I enjoy sharing my experiences and knowledge with you! What a great journey this has been! These days my hands are still callused and stained and it's my continued mission to help educate and inspire the seasoned applicator or the one who just picked up the trowel and is feeling the new magic within. Thanks for reading! Trowel On!

Hey World!

I am proud to share my collection of creations with you! Since I began my plastering adventure years ago, I have had the opportunity to work with many different plasters and develop vast technique. Expiramenting is key. If you have more to offer, then why not offer more? Being surrounded by other like-minded artisans is crucial so I am glad you are here! I hope to share any tips or tricks I discover with ya in the days, months, and years to come! Cheers - Sherri