Tornato

I am back. I have been to Santa Fe for a workshop with EcoNest. I became part of a house building team. During a four day workshop, we built light clay/straw walls, walls that breathe. It was an amazing adventure to mix clay and straw, pack temporary wall forms with the mixture, then stomp the mixture down. As we did our two step stomping dance, the walls climbed higher. When I arrived at the building site, three coyotes crossed my path. I am sure this was a good sign. All the team members were wonderful, the scenery was great and Robert Laporte was generous with information on this amazing and ecological way to build a house.

In the mid 90’s I read Robert’s small 1993 booklet, Mooseprints. After reading about clay plasters, I began mixing papermaking fibers (in lieu of straw) with clay slips and pressing this into molds to make my sculptures. Finally, I have experienced building large scale with this technique. I am sure it will change my sculpture in intangible ways. Mooseprints is no longer available, but see the new book, EcoNest, Creating Sustainable Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw, and Timber by Paula Baker-Laporte, architect specializing in healthy and ecological design, and Robert Laporte.