I got to tour  the Watts Towers this week in south central Los Angeles.  Simon or “Sam” Rodia called the sculpture in his backyard Nuestro Pueblo, or “our town.”  Spires of ferro-cement, tile, shells, found objects, broken glass mosaics.  Crafted meticulously over the course of 33 years (1921–1954).  I’m inspired and in awe of what one man can do.  A drop in a the bucket adds up to something big in time and that’s what Simon intended to do – make something BIG.  You can’t help but wonder about the man behind the art while wandering the space.  It would take months to even observe all of the details etched into the intricate monument.  A video called I Build Tower documents the story of Simon and his work ( preview on IMDB ).  I like where he says “You gotta do someting, thata they never got ‘em in the world”.

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Carole Crews has published the long awaited book Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints and Preservation.  It’s now available on her site only!

Carole grew up in the Northern New Mexico culture where working with mud ( adobe, cob, or earthen building) is still very much alive.  She shares the history of the area and her experience melding art and mud with over 25 years of professional experience and experimentation.  In the true do-it-yourself spirit Carole wrote and designed the book her self. Offering  a unique wealth of knowledge and collection of photographs.

I took a little excerpt from the book, since Carole is famous for her alis finishes…

Carole’s Favorite Alis Recipe

6 qt. batch ( approx 150 sq. ft.)

Measure one gallon water into a bucket
Whisk in 5 qt powered kaolin clay
2 qt fine sand and /or ( preferably) whiting
2 qt mica ( fine flakes or powder )
1 handful of chopped straw ( optional )
1 handful of mica chips ( optional )
Slaked pigment as needed for color ( optional )
1 qt. cooked starch paste  ( wheat, rice or cornstarch ) or 1 cup casein or butter milk or a combination of binders

I was fortunate to visit Joshua Tree this weekend. I met up with friends made at the Water Woman Festival in October.  During the festival  I didn’t really take any photos… to busy plerking ( play-working ).  This time I made sure to take some!

There were 4  building projects during the festival.  A temple led by Sun Ray Kelly; a cob bench and shade structure led by Kata Polano; Ray Cirino’s cob bench with built in rocket stove cooker; and a pond built by Gregory Glenn or the “goddess dipping pool”.  The temple and pool are complete, though the two cob benches are still under construction.  We were working on that this week end.

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“Joan” the lizard cob bench sits on the side walk tucked into the front yard of the Los Angeles Eco Village ( LAEV ), in Korean Town.  Where they have transformed the lawn into gardens growing fruit trees and edibles.  The lizard bench was conceived by Ray Cirino, LA  resident, artist and Water Woman Project visionary.  Who has a knack for blending art and ecological design in inventive and playful ways. This bench was built in 2006 by Ray, eco-villagers and friends.

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Since 1993, the quarterly journal The Last Straw has been sharing news and developments from around the world about straw-bale construction and natural building.  You can now find selected articles available online!  How great is that?

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