Natural Plasters & Floors

With Michael G. Smith, Avani Leitz and Blair Phillips

July 13th - 21st, 2024

The course will be 7 days of intensive learning (14th-20th). All participants are required to come on the 13th to get settled in and stay through the closing circle on the 21st.

Families are welcome. Inquire for kiddo participation.

In this week long intensive course, get your hands muddy and leave with the skills to plaster and floor almost any building with the non toxic beauty of the earth.

We will start with the basics of how to source and identify appropriate materials and understand how they work together in a successful plaster mix. Learn to mix plasters by hand and using machines including hand-held and rotary mortar mixers. You will get hands-on experience with applying every layer of plaster from base to finish plasters and natural paints. This workshop will have a special emphasis on proper tool selection, care and usage.

Daily hands-on plastering sessions will be supplemented with lectures on theoretical background and critical design considerations to make your plasters into durable, crack-free works of functional art. Additionally, we will take you on a trip through space and time with slideshows showing the arts of plasters from all around the world.

This workshop is appropriate both for beginners and for experienced builders who are ready to take their plastering skills to the next level. The teacher/student ratio and their hawk eyes for detail will refine your technique for life!