From Moab, we arrived in Talpa, New Mexico to visit Carole Crews in her 300 year old adobe home.
It includes an adobe addition
that she built on to bring in more sunlight and which required only her one coat plaster.
Carole Crews is a plaster master. Many folks will tell you of times that by being generous with her knowledge and skill she has come to their aid.
Within her home, I was especially taken with the effect of mica on her walls. As a day’s light moves across the room, different flecks will glitter and shift with it.
Carole is an artist of many mediums. Rather than talking about restoration, she was most interested in focusing on the importance of creativity. My hope for her section in the book is to showcase some of the many works of art that she’s done, often using natural materials. Many times Carole has even built up an earthen base to shape and inspire the artwork on top.
She also often incorporates sacred symbols in her work.
Carole’s has a new book, Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints, and Preservation. It’s being freshly distributed by Chelsea Green. The book covers both adobe’s history and her own in Taos. It explains in detail many restoration tips, as well as recipes for plaster, aliz and other finishes. She aims to share her knowledge and pass on the ability to do this work. Threaded throughout, her personality shines through, which by itself is enough for me to highly recommend it.
Carole is an amazing woman and was one of my first earthen plaster teachers. I really LOVE the Clay Culture book and I highly recommend it to any one looking to learn more about the craft.
[…] (It was my second visit to see her. Here’s last year’s post about her dome and artwork.) Carole […]