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, is an artist, author, natural builder, and plaster guru near Taos, New Mexico. She has worked with mud and finishes for earthen buildings professionally for 25 years.  She is also the creator of this incredible earthen building.  The Dome is a work of art. Never before have I seen a building quite like this – it’s magic.

The Dome is 16 feet in diameter and roughly 550 square feet. All made of adobe and cob.  Carole started the project back in 1992, working sporadically over the years.  The adobe bricks were laid one by one, cut to specific shapes and leveled with pea stones and adobe mortar or cob forming the adobe dome. Over time extra space was added including a kitchen, bedroom, and a outdoor space.  The outdoor space, which is around 200 square feet,  was originally meant to be room for her daughters, but in the end was left open-air. What a nice place to hang out and take in the view of Taos Mountain.

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I had the good fortune of roaming around Portland, Oregon for a few days after my friend’s wedding. Surely I wanted to see what’s been happening on the cob and public art scene there, since it’s been so long since I’ve lived there. The Portland Hostel gazebo was new to me. It is similar to other artfully crafted places created by City Repair, though I’m not sure it was one of their initiatives. Fantastic! I love seeing cob art on the streets of a major city. This was particularly well done and a comfortable sanctuary off of busy Hathorne Blvd.

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On a winding alley road in downtown Taos stands a magnificent work of art. Carole Crews, Taos resident and earthen plaster guru, created this mural with Lori Lawyer over 16 years ago. The adobe wall is set on a stone stem wall and capped with cement tiles. The roof has done a great job of protecting the resplendent earthen finish.

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1. It’s sculptable. Almost any shape can be created with cob.
2. It’s non-toxic. It’s friendly to both you and the earth.
3. It’s available locally for cheap or for free.
4. You can re-work it. It’s both additive and subtractive.
5. It’s sticky and malleable when wet and dries like stone.
6. Colors- You can use different colored clay and tints.
7. Finishes – If you’re one for patinas there are hundreds of recipes for finishes. Bee’s wax, lime plasters, manure, paper-cob, straw-flakes – oh the list goes on and on.
8. Plays well with others – You can use cob with wood, metal, cement, earthbags, strawbales and other materials.
9. Recycle it. Once your cob object has reached the end of its life span – recycle it. No special accommodation needed. Let it melt away into the earth from which it came.
10. It feels good… squish.