[Strawbale] Reflections on Summer Plastering - A short tale

[Athena & Bill Steen]

I'm not sure if this is list material, but hey, it has to do with  
plastering and since SB buildings take a whole lot of plaster I  
thought I would share my experience working on Athena's sister's new  
gallery in New Mexico. The building was a four story adobe tower,  
granted it wasn't straw bale, but since the walls were so uneven the  
differences were minor.

There's been a lot of discussion about the about the advantages/ 
disadvantages of applying plaster to SB walls either by hand or  
mechanically.  I don't have an opinion either way as to one being  
better than the other, I think that each set of circumstances brings  
it's own solution depending upon timing, labor force, resources, etc.

In my/our case, being northern New Mexico, Athena's sister still  
living in Santa Clara Pueblo, lots of teenage kids available and  
mostly because we don't know any better or haven't ever done it  
differently - we mixed and applied all the plaster to the interior of  
this building by hand.  Simply said, it's the way we love doing it.   
I guess the reason that I am sharing this here is that the whole  
event took on a character so different from the way things are  
increasingly done in the age we live.  I suspect that what we did  
wasn't much different than the way things were done a hundred years  
ago in Northern New Mexico except that the trowels were of better  
quality.  Anyhow, if it catches your interest, I put this out as a  
contrasting experience.

Our job during the months of June and July was for Athena and I to  
lead the plastering effort and in the process coordinate a group of  
all ages to get the building plastering in time for a gallery opening  
the middle of August.  The ages of our crew ranged from 6 to 75 with  
a bunch of teenagers/early 20s types clustered in the middle.  They  
ranged from moderate plastering skill levels to none at all.  One of  
the great things about the mix of people was that it included  
Athena's extended family from the Pueblo, our three boys, college age  
interns and talented young girl from Mexico. You could sort of call  
it North American cultural mix of sorts.

One major task was to develop a mix and method of application that  
all could easily apply, wouldn't crack and give the gallery a unique  
and beautiful feel that was consistent with what Athena's sister  
Roxanne wanted and that was very northern New Mexican. Actually it  
would work anywhere, but it fit the place.  What we tried to do was  
create walls that would make her sister's work stand out, make the  
place feel incredible and yet almost not be noticed. I think we were  
successful.

All the plasters were mixed on site from a combination of local clays  
with the exception of a lime plastered panel to be used for viewing  
slideshows and movies.  I will say that if you haven't watched a  
movie on a curved lime plastered wall then add it to your list of  
things to do/make. There wasn't anything extra special about the  
mixes, basically a blend of local clays, a little sand and chopped  
straw.  The important thing is that they were easy for all to handle,  
made a hard surface and didn't crack or dust. And I guess that I  
should add that the plasters were developed from two truck loads of  
clay soil and therefore we avoided having to pay some ridiculously  
expensive price for commercial clay plaster.

It was a monumental effort, the plaster was mixed by hand in plastic  
mixing tubs, the stairs hadn't been built so the plaster was moved to  
different rooms via pulleys, ladders and stairs in the end. The  
teenagers came in handy at this point. Tiny children played in the  
sand piles, those who didn’t want or know how to plaster, mixed.  The  
hours were long and hard, but clearly a good option when it comes to  
other forms of exercise.

The cost?  Plastering isn't cheap, but even paying generous wages to  
the young kids, we came out slightly under the bid from a local  
plastering contractor and now that I look back at what the project  
took, he would have lost a bunch of money.

I guess that's enough said except that it was one of those special  
experiences that one never forgets and makes life a whole bunch  
richer.  Like all hard undertakings, there were difficult moments,  
but I guess that's part of the richness of it all.

If you would like to see images of this process you can check into  
our website at:
http://www.caneloproject.com/pages/currrent%20projects/tower% 
20gallery.html

Roxanne Swentzell, Athena Steen’s sister, is internationally known  
for her clay sculptures and limited bronze editions.  Her work is  
extensively exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. The  
gallery is a four story adobe tower built in the early 1990s, never  
finished and sat vacant til now.  Roxanne and her husband Tim Star  
took on the task of finishing the tower and converting it into her  
gallery. It is located at the Poeh Center of Pojoaque Pueblo, New  
Mexico (eight miles north of Santa Fe) on the Taos/Espanola highway.   
www.roxanneswentzelltowergalery.com

Bill
Athena & Bill Steen
The Canelo Project
HC1 Box 324
Canelo/Elgin, AZ 85611
absteen at dakotacom.net
www.caneloproject.com