Stuckmarmor - Stucco Marble Columns

Theresa Cheek wrote a fine article entitled "Scagliola and Pietre Dure" for her blog "Art's The Answer!" Stuckmarmor is one of many Spachteltechniken and so is Scagliola.

Marble columns made with Stucco technique.

More commonly known Spachtel (trowel) techniques are Tadelakt and Fresco, shown above. Frattazatto, Marmorino, Stucco-lustro, Rasata, Calcerasata, Stucco Veneziano, Stucco Rasante, Spatolato Veneziano, all fit into the lime based trowel techniques.

Tools of the trade. Mostly differently shaped trowels (Spachtel) cutting tools, polishing tools. Lime (calcium carbonate) mixed with organic powder pigments and kneaded. More colors added and stacked. Some cut into scheiben (slices) and then into cubes.




Large masses of colored stucco is applied onto a base. Smaller veins of conglomerates (cubes) are troweled onto and in-between applied stucco panels.



High spots are removed with special blade. Open areas are filled with stucco slurry. Numerous polishing procedures from rough to the very fine. Then a last coat of poppy seed oil and wax.

Staatsoper, Dresden

All photographs are taken from the book by Martin Benad entitled "Das 1x1 der Spachteltechniken".

The author and his wife, Ursula, live in Munich, Germany, where they often conduct workshops for decorative painters. You may contact them for additional information.

Gina

Daisies, simple and fine

It's the single daisy which catches my eye; not the flouncy, floppy, double and over hybridized daisy




If you want more daisies, just toss their spent flower heads wherever you want them to grow.


Mine grow everywhere, . . . "beside the lake beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze" (Wadsworth).


And down the lane, along the fence, by the wall, along the stone path, by the chicken coop, by the barn, by the Misthaufen (what is a Misthaufen you ask?). Let me know when you figure it out.


Have a lovely weekend, my dear blogging friends.


Gina

The all important center motif and a Thank You

A good place to start, when painting ceramics, is in the center





A huge THANK YOU to the fabulously talented Linda Merrill who featured my ceramics on her blog this week.

Gina

And the winner is . . . .

Lynne Rutter http://www.ornamentalist.net/ Ornamental Painter "who is on a mission to beautify the world".





Lynne suggested "a series of awnings that can be retracted" to provide shade for our new pergola.


Lynne will receive a signed copy of the book entitled "100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go" a book by Susan Van Allen.


Thank you Lynne,


Gina

HELP, please and a prize

My dear blogging friends. I need a little advice. My new pergola is almost finished. However, it does not provide enough shade. Do any of you have a solution?


We have a lot of snow in the winter. Solutions which work for fair weather areas will not work here.




I am offering a prize to the person with the best idea. The prize is a signed copy of Susan Van Allen's new book entitled "100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go". Gosh, I'm even mentioned in Susan's book.


So, please put your thinking caps on. Your efforts will be rewarded and I would be so grateful.


Gina

A walk around my house

These are a few of my favorite things . . . .

Oh, what stories these pieces could tell . . . . .

I need to mention the rabbits. It is a belt buckle which my Father hand carved for me.

The Madonna painting I purchased, many years ago, from a very charming friend and Art Collector. We had an office in the same building. He would visit often but never mentioned how much I still owed him. I would pay him a few dollars, when I could, and he would acknowledge receipt on a small slip of paper (which I kept in my desk).

And then one day, the painting was paid in full and it was mine, all mine.

Gina