Earthen Plastering in New Mexico
Earthen Plastering Workshop
in Espanola New Mexico
A 2-day workshop teaching how to plaster with mud over adobe walls. Join us as we plaster our family’s new adobe house, and learn our specific clay basecoat and finishes.
We will be covering the some of the most important plaster mixes for finishing an earthen home including:
- Basecoat – learn the craft of preparing clay-rich and high-fiber basecoat, ideal for bulk leveling uneven walls and providing sculptural elements.
- Midcoat/Finish Mix – a very versatile plaster that is perfect for leveling walls and can be smoothed out as a textured finish, with exposed straw and sand.
- Materials and Tool overview – gain an understanding of the individual properties of the mixes, using clay, sand, and straw. We also provide guidance on how to source materials, adjust ratios, and troubleshoot when making plaster mixes. We will show the essential plastering tools, how to use them in the appropriate applications, and their proper care and maintenance.
By the end of this workshop, you’ll leave with practical hands-on skills and understanding of natural plaster mixes, and confidence to apply earthen finishes in your own projects — all while contributing to restoring a family adobe home.
Logistics
DATES: This course begins Saturday October 4 at 9am, and ends Sunday October 5 at 5pm. Full day program runs from 9am-5pm each day.
LOCATION: Espanola, New Mexico. Set in the unique environment of northern New Mexico, this workshop offers insight into local adobe traditions.
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodations are not provided as part of this workshop. There are some local Airbnb’s and more options in Santa Fe 30 min drive away. Let us know if you want a list of local campsites in the area.
MEALS: Homemade lunches will be provided daily. Please let us know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Water
- Sunscreen & Hat
- Comfortable clothing that can get muddy
All tools and materials will be provided. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the workshop site.
COST: $300, including lunch on both days.
Full workshop payment of is due upon registration to secure your spot in the workshop. Read how to pay your deposit here.
Workshop Syllabus
- How to use Hawk & Trowel
- Plaster theory
- Mixing & applying basecoat
- Hands-on leveling
- Mid-coat mixing
- Applying mid coat, smoothing & finishing
Instructors
Athena Steen grew up building with clay and adobe. She loves creating sculpted spaces that connect form with function, and walls rich with pattern, texture and color.
Through the Canelo Project, a small non-profit organization, Athena has been teaching workshops for over thirty years, in strawbale construction and earthen building. Focused on simple, low-skill, low-cost methods that build community between people, culture and nature.
Co-author of The Straw Bale House, Small Strawbale, and Built by Hand, her influence in the natural building world has been wide-spread. When Athena does not have her hands in the mud, she also enjoys publishing and designing books.
Benito Steen is a builder and artist, who strives to find the connection between space and beauty, shelter and nature, the hand and materials.
Born and raised in southeastern Arizona where his parents teach natural building, Benito comes from a long lineage of artists and makers and grew up surrounded by people from around the world coming in with new skills and crafts every day. Homeschooled, he gravitated early on as teenager towards the trades and arts such as: plastering, blacksmithing and woodworking.
He has taught natural building and timber framing throughout the US, Latin American, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. Always learning and experimenting he mixes old techniques with the new, to create beautifully sustainable and healthy houses. He and his brother Kalin also run the successful YouTube channel the Nito Project, inspiring people of all ages, across the world, to learn about Natural Building and crafting with earth