Host: GreenWorks Building Supply Where: 386 W. 8th Ave Vancouver BC When: Thursday April 22nd 2010 - 7PM to 9PM Cost: Free Registration: (604) 685 3611 or email
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– space is limited
Speakers: Randy Orr – Distinct Interiors (Vancouver BC) Carol Baumgartel – American Clay (Albuquerque NM) Michel Couvreux – St. Astier Lime Plasters (Petaluma CA) Aaron Cohen – Stucco Italiano (Seattle WA)
Description: As part of GreenWork’s Thursday Night Seminar Series, this discussion is meant to be informal and interactive. There will be a general introduction to the various plasters but there will also be a chance to mix materials and briefly review application techniques with company representatives. It is an incredible chance to meet some of the most knowledgeable sources for natural plasters in North America.
Sage Artistry LLC- American Clay Plaster Installation
This video shows American Clay being installed by Sherri Gamble and Shannon Fadness on the San Juan Islands project.
American Clay Enjarre Demo Part 1
http://www.plastererslocal66.org This is part 1 of an American Clay Enjarre application. You learn how to apply the first coat, mixing and more. More video will follow until completion of this project.
Phone:425-417-8238
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website
American Clay is proud to announce that Sherri Gamble is our American Clay applicator of the month.
This is what Sherri had to say in our short web interview:
Tell us about yourself? A: My name is Sherri Gamble. My love for giving surfaces dimension and substance brought me into the world of plaster artistry. Born and raised in the South, I slowly made my way out West and have been a Washington resident for 14 years. Having creative genes also helps as my elders were also artisans.
My motto is “Creativity with a Conscience”. I love to use earth based plasters and plant based glazes. Innovation is the main ingredient. I am constantly blending these materials into my artwork and always enjoy cooking up new concepts and techniques!
Q: How long have you represented American Clay? A: I have been using American Clay professionally since 2006. During the Seattle Street of Dreams 2006, I had the opportunity to work with American Clay with team of artisans. This inspired me to “take a leap” and launch my own plastering business. I wear my texture with pride! There is nothing better than to come home with the plaster color of the day on my hands and jeans!
Q: What do you like the most about American Clay products? A: From an artistic point of view, I love to explore the possibilities of materials and discover new techniques. American Clay has such a wide range of products that it allows me an open canvas on which to create and innovate. For the professional, American Clay’s line can also scale to big production while at the same time, it can also be used artistically. One of the main attributes of American Clay’s plaster is the re-workability of it. Some artistic techniques I have created really celebrate that subtle, forgiving quality of the plaster. I enjoy painting, drawing, and sculpting into the plaster, so if I don’t get that line right the first time, I can always mist and re-work it.
Q: What finish do you prefer to work with? A: I love mixing Enjarre and Marittimo together. Enjarre is really affordable and provides a great aggregate base. Marittimo contains oyster shells to give a “one two punch” for the finish: additional hardness & strength plus a beautiful surface patina! ….and I am really excited to use the new Lime Putty for some color washes. WOW!
Q: What are your most popular jobs? A: Over the years, the most requested material has been Marittimo. Clients enjoy the rustic look that it gives a space. Lately, requests for Enjarre have increased due to its affordability. I love it that you can now buy it per bag rather than pallet, so I am using it a lot more now. In terms of color, the most popular pigments I use are Nantucket Sand and Tucson Gold. These colors are warm and cheerful but still neutral so just about any interior furnishings can work well with them.
My favorite jobs really have to do with my clients. I have had the blessing of working with clients who are open to artistic possibility and are really passionate about natural plasters. Often to choose colors and textures, I’ll go directly into nature. Perhaps gathering stones from the local area, or drawing inspiration from native vegetation. My favorite time was when a client went for a hike and came back with a cedar branch. While I was plastering her walls with American Clay, she pressed the cedar branch into the plaster and viola! a memory was born! I deeply appreciate these opportunities!
Q: What has made you successful with American Clay? A: As American Clay has continued to innovate, I have tried to echo that spirit. From the first time I used American Clay in 2006 my instinct was to experiment. I started layering different colors on my finishes, then discovered the artistic possibilities of waxes and sealers. Focusing on strokes and troweling techniques was next. Currently, I am very excited about sculpting and drawing into the material to mimic the graphical patterns found in tile and textiles.
If you have more to offer than why not offer more? I am constantly trying to expand my skills to always offer my clients both technical expertise and cutting edge artistic technique. Last year I finished a 3 year degree in Interior Design from Bellevue College. I incorporate my art and design skills in my projects so that I can dig deeper and look at how all surfaces are working in a space to ensure a great result.
Q: What have you done that has increased your business over the last year? A: Cultivating great relationships with clients and professionals has been paramount to me growing my business. Utilizing the internet and social networking tools is a great way to both share your work and also become inspired by other artisans. Visiting Carrie’s Color Blog has become a daily ritual for me! I am so inspired by seeing how other artisans are using American Clay. In the coming year, my vision is to build a stronger alliance of artisans, teach and inspire others. The more information we share, the more we get in return!
Jill's Paint 3534 Larga Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90039 USA Phone: 323-664-9067 Fax:323-664-9068 website
This is what Peg McCloud, owner of Jill’s Paint had to say in our short web interview:
Q: Tell us about yourself? A: I'm the owner of Jill’s Paint, the Los Angeles neighborhood paint store where customers are offered samples from a 60-bottle, temperature controlled refrigerator full of cabernets, merlots, and chardonnays from Napa Valley vineyards. I grew up in a small town so I wanted the store to have that small-town atmosphere of hospitality. It’s all very casual. We’ll offer a customer a glass of wine and if they like it and want to talk about it, I’m more than willing to do that. We want to be like an old-fashioned paint store in a small town. If I have my way, there will always be a wine bar in the store.
Blending my professional life with my longtime obsession with wine was a natural evolution for me, I attended the University of California at Davis -- one of the top winemaking schools in the country -- where Louis Martini’s granddaughter was my college roommate. After graduating from UC Davis and earning a master’s degree in psychology from Humboldt State, I shifted gears, turning my summer stints as a housepainter into a successful painting and restoration business.
Our business is roughly 30% contractors and 70% homeowners. Decorators already know about good paint; we’re here to educate home owners and contractors to the merits of using better paint. The environmentally friendly paints contain lower levels of VOC, which reduce the harsh smell associated with lower-quality paints. Benjamin Moore’s newest lines are typical in that respect. It’s an extremely durable, low odor paint that’s often used in hospitals. Fine Paints of Europe are similarly low in VOC and the American Clay Natural Earth Plasters offer fantastic environmental benefits allowing you to earn up to eight LEED credits.
Go to the web site, jillspaint.net to view a current list of products and special events happening at the store.
Q: How long have you represented American Clay? A: We have represented American Clay for almost 4 years.
Q: What do you like the most about American Clay products? A: We like that the American Clay product is a “green” product. This helps to differentiate us from other retail paint stores and helps us to give our customers options that other stores cannot offer, especially products that are environmentally friendly.
Q: What do your applicators say about the product? A: Our applicators really like the product.
Q: Who are your best customers? A: The best customers are the ones who have seen the American Clay product in person. Once they do, they understand what a beautiful and unique product it is.
Q: What has made you successful with American Clay? A: What really helps us in selling American Clay is when Carol does presentations in person such as with ASID and the booths at the Dwell and Alt Build Shows.
As more and more applicators use Enjarre, and we get feedback, we want to share what's being done.
Applicators are pushing the limits of this product in wonderful ways. Most are using it as a textured finish with a cat-face look, or a skip trowel kind of a look. Some are finding that they can deliver a Loma-like finish.
Most are achieving the smoother finishes by "skimming and doubling back". Basically running a grain thickness coat, then doubling back on it after it has firmed up a bit or maybe at leather hard ( "in love" or "en amore" as the Italians say). This allows them to control trowel edges, and smooth out unwanted texture. Then a smoothing pass is done with water (sprayed, sponged, or using a blister brush (felt)) at leather hard or when the Enjarre has "brown cowed" (where you start seeing some dry spots).
This is a great way to run Enjarre by hand, AND it ensures that you are achieving the desired thickness which is 1/16”. Most plaster folks hear 1/16 and imagine 1/8” and it gets applied a little thick which results in some checking. We’ll talk more about thickness in a bit.
Most distributors are inventorying the base color (if they are inventorying it at all), and if you want a close color match to Loma, you need 25% more color than one pack. Or you could just give your customers a lighter color and use just one color pack. Custom colors are still available of course, and you can have American Clay match any of our standard colors and send you color packs so that they are 1 color pack to 1 bag of Enjarre.
Thickness is the main issue I see and hear about with Enjarre. Because it covers so thoroughly, most projects are applied too thin. This creates a problem we call “roll out”. It is basically when the product is applied at slightly over “grain” thickness or “just so it looks right” and when pressure is applied to the wall surface the aggregate literally bounces off of the wall board behind it and tolls out. To avoid this, apply your Enjarre at 2 credit cards thick.
Too thick can also be a problem, but it is a cracking (checking) problem and is usually taken care of with the compression of the material.
The last thing that I have seen is what I call “surface drying”. This is when a film of either Mud Glue or ADD MIX dries at the surface and does not allow the wet plaster underneath to dry from the substrate out. It of course dries through the film, but as the water evaporates, the shrinkage tension causes the surface to check. To avoid this, don’t place fans on the product until the surface is at least leather hard.
LAST... KEEP HUMIDITY LEVELS BELOW 50% AND PRIME YOUR NEW WALLBOARD. MORE ON THIS NEXT MONTH.
As more and more applicators use Enjarre, and we get feedback, we want to share what's being done.
Learn how to apply American Clay's finishes for yourself. Take a workshop and see how easy it is!
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