Carole Crews
As a child of the 50’s growing up near the famous St. Francis de Assisi Mission in Ranchos de Taos and less than seven miles from Taos Pueblo, making buildings out of mud was a foregone conclusion. It was traditional among all the local cultures and our homes were cozy in winter, cool in summer and looked beautiful with their soft curves and simple earthen plasters often topped with alis finishes made of pale earth brushed onto the surface. I never dreamed I’d have a career in mud, but after graduating with an art degree from UT, Austin in 1972 and moving to Santa Fe, fabric art and acrylic paint lost its appeal when I was given the opportunity to build an adobe house. Early observations came back to me as I got the feel of making and laying adobe bricks and learned to plaster them. My favorite art material became sculpted earthen plaster plaques colored with clays and pigments and murals upon earthen walls. After moving to Taos, I collaborated with Lori Lawyer, developed a new variation of clay paint, and with her, started Gourmet Adobe.
Our modern alis caught on and I have taught many people this simple way of creating beautiful clay finishes over the years. I also built an adobe dome with many extensions as a place on which to experiment, hold workshops, and play with color in a multitude of materials. While continuing to work in the field of interior finishes and create artwork from earth elements, I have also written down all I know in order that it be accessible to all who wish to get creative with earthen architecture and art.
Carole Crews' new book, CLAY CULTURE: Plasters, Paints and Preservation, is now available from her website, www.carolecrews.com.
Continuing education contributions by Carole Crews to
CEU-HQ.com include: