With little more than the earth below our feet, we can create beautiful, sculpted surfaces that make us more—not less—connected to our natural environment. Join us on Saturday, August 8 in Lincoln, MA for an introductory workshop in clay plastering.

Our canvas will be the cob oven that was part of last weekend’s workshop: we will be applying our freshly made clay plaster to the oven to create a sculpted, smooth finish. This is a great example as we will be plastering both flat and curved surfaces.

This workshop is suitable for anyone curious about natural building, whether you’ve never built anything, or you’re an industry professional looking to understand earthen building materials. Natural building is for anyone who wants to more deeply connect with the earth and our means of living!

We won’t just plaster an oven: we will have a complete educational experience, covering:

• What makes each ingredient: clay, sand, and fiber, work in the matrix that is plaster.
• Ways to mix, both 100% human-powered and electric-assisted.
• A brief overview of the history of plastering
• Applications: what can you clay plaster? (Probably more than you think!)
• Local material sourcing
• Different plant fibers
• Colors and pigments
• Additives and what they do

Lincoln is 12 miles from Boston, accessible by commuter rail, and there will likely be carpools aplenty! Bring a friend and enjoy this full-bodied experience in natural building.

Cob Oven Workshop Recap

We had a beautiful weekend in Lincoln, with great weather and a shady grove that kept us cool and comfortable. Several kids were in attendance and had a great time stomping in the mud and helping us build. Our group did an amazing job building a 27″ diameter cob oven, including:

• Finishing up the dry-laid stone plinth that the oven sits on
• Laying firebricks in a bed of sand and perlite
• Forming a perfect 63% sand dome to define the hollow inside of the oven
• Mixing a big batch of cob and building up the 3″ thick dense layer that forms the inside of the oven
• Mixing clay slip with perlite to insulate the outside of the oven

Our amazing site host prepared gourmet lunches for the group each day, featuring veggies and edible flowers from the homestead’s garden! We are so lucky to be building here—don’t miss this last oven-related workshop in August!