Mixing Earth Plaster by hand.
Students learned about harvested and mixed a clay-sand subsoil from the land to create a sculpting mix called Cob, which we sculpted into models and used to create a new shelf on our interior project space. We also made Earth Plaster from a similar mix of clay-sand subsoil, which
Earth plaster over painted drywall.
The Earth Plaster was applied about 1/3″ thick over existing painted walls walls of the east wing in the main house, to look like hills in the background. Starch paste – made of white flour and water boiled to a thick, sticky consistency – is added to the finish plaster for hardness & durability. Starch paste can be made of any number of starchy substances. It is also a main ingredient in the Adhesion Coat, which attaches the earth plaster to flat surfaces such as painted drywall. Sand, or some small texturing material is mixed in about equal parts with the starch paste, then smeared thinly on the wall and allowed to completely dry before applying the plaster. It creates a sandpaper effect, and the plaster grips to it.
Sculpting with Cob
We also made and sculpted models with Cob and created a shelf in a corner of the East Wing.
Strawbale Studio 