AUTUMN 2015
ADDING IMPACT WITH CUSTOMISED FINISHES
CREATIVE COOPERATIVE BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
A LITTLE PIECE OF HINTERLAND HEAVEN Autumn 2015
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The Natural Artisan
AUTUMN 2015
CON TENT S 04
COMFORT ZONE: SALLY STENT
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Hand-shaping cob for a Wood Fired Pizza Oven at a community workshop in Caloundra, Queensland. Photography: Rebecca Park
CREATE. DO. INSPIRE
Autumn 2015
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ADDING IMPACT WITH CUSTOMISED FINISHES
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CREATIVE COOPERATIVE BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
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YOU MUST LABOR WITH YOUR HEART AS WELL AS YOUR HANDS
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A LITTLE PIECE OF HINTERLAND HEAVEN AUTUMN ISSUE
Cover Image: Customised finishes add impact to Mark Kennedy’s home. See story page 08 Cover Photography: Ross Eason
EDITORIAL
Editor: Rebecca Park
Design: Tiam Whitfield
Contact: editor@thenaturalartisan.com
The Natural Artisan: bringing together ‘the creators’ of all kinds to celebrate and share the art of crafting beautiful spaces and objects. We do this with a collective intention to live in tune with nature. As Tolkien said in The Fellowship of the Ring: “We put the thought of all that we love into all that we make.” A ROCKCOTE Publication 3
COMFORT ZONE
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The Natural Artisan
FIVE DIFFERENT FINISHING TECHNIQUES! We just love this artwork, “Bundy Ablaze� by Ray Hall, the Modern Artisan. Ray has created his interpretation of a sugarcane fire in Bundaberg using ROCKCOTE Venetian Plaster with oxides. Five different finishing techniques were used in this 1.5 metre wide sample. The Modern Artisan feature wall gallery is located at Shop 5, Number 8 Woondooma Street, Bundaberg Queensland. More at The Modern Artisan Facebook page
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The Natural Artisan
“In the commercial world we live in today, having the knowledge and skills to construct from the earth is what constitutes a true artisan.” - Natural Designer Homes. Congratulations to the winner of our Summer 2014/15 Issue competition to win a copy of The Natural Artisan Yearbook by responding to the question “What defines an artisan?” in 25 words or less. The above response was penned by the winners, Natural Designer Homes. Nice work! Some of our other favourites were: “The Artisan is part of a creative collective of craftsmen, using quality ingredients, traditional methods and imaginative expression, to humbly fashion dreams into material reality!”
“An individual thinker prepared to combine fresh ideas with timeless methods. Who can visualise and craft a piece that stands the test of time.”
- Peter Holmes, Tadelakt Sydney.
- PJM Artisan
“Defining an Artisan can be summed up in one word, “Respect”. Respect for the product, respect for the clients and self respect, in that no work is truly complete until the Artisan, him/herself is satisfied with the outcome.” - Raymond Hall, The Modern Artisan
NATURAL MATERIALS TRAINING
OTSUMIGAKI PRODUCT RELEASE
Are you a tradesperson interested in leaning to work with natural building materials? Join ROCKCOTE’s team of artisans for a hands-on weekend workshop. Lean about natural materials and coating systems and how they can benefit modern buildings.
ROCKCOTE has drawn inspiration from traditional Japanese interior finishes to develop a brand new product in the Natural Materials range, called Otsumigaki.
This is an opportunity to learn different application techniques and finishes using specialist trowels under the guidance of skilled artisans. These workshops are for licensed tradespeople. Upcoming Artisans workshops at Nerang: • 27-28 March
• 17-18 April
• 22-23 May
More at www.rockcote.com.au/workshops Autumn 2015
Otsumigaki (meaning “polished and compressed”) is an extremely versatile product made predominantly from clay and lime that can be used in interior high traffic areas such as entrances, stairwells and halls where a more durable finish is desired. Whether you are seeking a burnished polished look, a more natural, textured clay wall or a smooth and undulating finish, Otsumigaki can deliver, along with the character that goes with a natural product. More at www.rockcote.com.au/products/otsumigaki 7
ADDING IMPACT WITH CUSTOMISED FINISHES by Rebecca Park
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The Natural Artisan
Artisan and artist Mark Kennedy spends much of his working life creating striking finishes inside luxury homes so when it came to his own home, there was no shortage of inspiration.
This project was a perfect opportunity to use Venetian Plaster on a large scale, where the natural light on the ceilings maximises its sheen and texture. Autumn 2015
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his recently completed project was designed as a spacious family home and a showcase of Mark’s customised trowel on finishes.
Such was his labour of love that Mark personally hand finished almost 400 square metres of interior walls and ceilings.
After living in suburbia for several years, Mark’s family was ready for a change and had been seeking the right block in close proximity to the Gold Coast but quieter and with more room for a family of five. A one and a quarter acre block bordering the Mudgeeraba forest was the perfect starting point for Mark to design a u-shaped home with substantial living areas, an entire wing for the three children and a separate wing for adults and entertaining. Paul Tidmarsh from PT Pole Homes was instrumental in bringing the concept to life, drafting the plans and making the building work with the contours of the land. Paul’s exterior combination of cedar, weatherboard and Colorbond works effortlessly with the colours of the forest. An undercover pavilion and vast swimming pool between the two wings maximise the bushland views and outdoor lifestyle opportunities. Mark, Paul and labourer Myles worked tirelessly on construction and fit out for ten months, completing the project in January this year.
A juxtaposition of elements Mark intentionally sought to juxtapose elements of the interior for impressive effect. “I wanted to keep it earthy and natural but modern as well. I love bold, sleek features like black architraves and skirtings that have an impact when you walk into a space. Soft looking walls that contrasted with the bolder fixtures and furniture were an important part of connecting the home with its natural surrounds.” CONTINUED 10
The Natural Artisan
Mark intentionally sought to juxtapose elements of the interior for impressive effect with a Venetian Plaster ceiling, Whiteset walls featuring marble chips and striking black architraves and skirtings. Autumn 2015
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The earthy ochres and browns within the marble capture the light and contrast the natural white of the Whiteset.
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The Natural Artisan
The centerpiece of the interior is a gabled ceiling that spans the width of the kitchen, lounge and dining areas, crossed with striking black painted beams and hand finished with ROCKCOTE Venetian Plaster. Mark, who owns Custom Art Finishes, has been specialising in customised art work and trowel on finishes as well as gold leaf since 2007. His work features in multi million dollar homes, movie sets and theme parks. After using Venetian Plaster on several large private projects and restaurants, he knew the product well and wanted to try something different. “I really wanted something unique, with lines that followed the contours of the exterior roof. The cavity is lined with gyprock and then hand plastered. It was a perfect opportunity to use Venetian Plaster on a large scale, where the natural light maximises its sheen and texture,� he said. The 153 square metre ceiling took three weeks working day and night on a scaffold, applying the plaster by hand in three coats then polishing with a trowel.
Bringing life to the walls True to the intention of creating soft looking walls, Mark hand shaped all interior joints by plastering gentle, smoothed curves. ROCKCOTE Whiteset with marble chips was then applied to walls in the living room, kitchen, dining, hallways and bathroom. CONTINUED
Close-up of the Venetian Plaster ceiling that took three weeks to complete. Autumn 2015
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“I haven’t seen this finish done before. I trowelled on two coats of Whiteset and then sanded it back to expose the marble chips. I just love the earthy ochres and browns within the marble which really capture the light and contrast the organic, natural white of the Whiteset,” said Mark ROCKCOTE Marrakesh continues the soft theme in the shower walls, polished with ROCKCOTE Black Olive Soap to provide protection and a deep lustrous finish. Mark reflects on the vibe of his new home. “It’s beautiful, relaxing and so very private. Having plaster and clay walls, there are no strong smells from the finishes and the big open windows allow fresh air to flow throughout the house.” Mark credits his early days as a signwriter, where he developed hand painting skills and brush work for his love of beautiful finishes: “I am lucky that through my hands I am able to bring an idea to life, learning, experimenting and customising what I know to create something truly unique for every situation.”
PROJECT DETAILS:
Family home in Mudgeeraba, QLD Owners: Mark and Cheree Kennedy 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
375 square metres with separate studio Artisan: Mark Kennedy, Custom Art Finishes 0402 987 905 Walls: ROCKCOTE Whiteset, natural colour with marble chips Main ceiling: ROCKCOTE Venetian Plaster
Bathroom walls: ROCKCOTE Whiteset, natural colour with marble chips; and (shower walls) ROCKCOTE Marrakesh polished with ROCKCOTE Black Olive Soap. 14
Photography: Ross Eason
The Natural Artisan
Whiteset with marble chips creates a soft look for interior walls while Marrakesh continues the theme in the shower (wall with towel rail). Autumn 2015
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Creative cooperative BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES
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ward-winning craftsman, Carlos Sanchez has brought together his love of creating and passion for community development in a new venture that supports a remote community in the Philippines.
Carlos’ creative journey has taken him from training as a joiner in California to teaching building skills in Paraguay and Costa Rica as part of the Peace Corp in the 1980s and onto Australia where he established a thriving business making sculptural works for private and commercial clients.
Carlos created the two initial lamp designs while the cooperative members came up with the patterns and taught themselves how to string the beads. One member had some experience with beadwork and shared her knowledge with others. Another was a skilled seamstress and took ownership of sewing the fabric.
Carlos is known for his unusual combinations of materials such as metal and timber and later adding acrylics into the mix. His thousands of pieces of work include stunning timber and metal tables, immense doors for prestigious properties and abstract sculptures including two first-prize winning sculptures at the Gold Coast’s Swell Sculpture Festival.
“Mothers and children work together around a table, creating the beading for each lamp. It’s wonderful to watch the children taking part and the skills being shared across generations,” a delighted Carlos said.
“I enjoy mixing up and using different mediums because like people and cultures you can get great results through artistic integration,” explained Carlos. Through his work in the Peace Corp, Carlos learned it was possible to make anything and that if people had the passion to learn, they could be taught anything. When he moved to the Philipines last year, a project started brewing, one that would engage him creatively and help support the new community in which he lived. From this Enso Functional Art was born – a cooperative that provides employment, skills training and collaborative opportunities for members of an isolated community on the beautiful island of Panglao. The cooperative’s first body of work consists of 25 vibrant sculptural floor lamps which are being marketed in Australia and will be introduced into Singapore and Hong Kong later this year. At 1.6 metres tall, each piece is remarkable and as much a piece of art at it is a source of light. 16
“We looked at a lot of different project ideas. The women tended to have the most free time and limited, low-paid work opportunities. I wanted to give them the chance to do something creative but still have the flexibility to attend to their children.”
A handful of skilled metal workers living on the island had only even been employed in industrial-type work and this project has given them the chance to diversify into the creative arts. “Three members of the same family worked on these designs and they loved it. The metal work is intricate and their attention to detail really stands out,” said Carlos. “This initiative is about locals putting their heart into the concept of working together as a unified body collectively creating art and learning how to gain a good livelihood through the process,” said Carlos. The cooperative is intended as a long-term initiative and it is hoped that sales from this project will help fund the next venture. For more information, check out the blog at enso-functional-art.blogspot.com. A large variety of colour combinations is available for sale. The price of $750 includes free air express shipping to anywhere in Australia. Lamps have been designed for easy assembly after shipping. The Natural Artisan
Neing Umambao, Nemia Bulatete, Liza Tuazon and Marilyn Baggot work on beading for the lamps.
Angeline Batalya pictured with the intricate beading.
Carlos Sanchez (right) with cooperative member Orlando Rulida. Autumn 2015
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“YOU MUST LABOR WITH YOUR HEART AS WELL AS WITH YOUR HANDS” AMERICAN ARTISAN JOURNAL, 19 DECEMBER 1866
by David Ogle
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s early as 1866 an un-named American Artisan wrote a short essay about the honour and respect that should be afforded an artisan who labours with his body and hands. In particular, he tells the story of a ‘mechanic’ who, tired and dirty, throws down his tools, ‘his day’s work but half completed’. The worker’s actions reflect his dissatisfaction ‘with himself and with his employment’. And that worker could be you or me: a carpenter, plasterer, bricklayer, tiler or stonemason. They could be a chef, a painter, a builder or gardener. It could be anyone that labours with their body and with their hands to take rough raw materials and turn them into something far more valuable. But the American Artisan reminds us that the workers’ tiredness and dissatisfaction is not with the work, with the trade or with the tools. Such passing dissatisfaction,
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comes from within us when, ‘There are perhaps many occupations that seem to be more desirable to you than your own chosen trade; but did it never occur to you that in these callings that you so much covet there are those that are as dissatisfied as you are, and they would gladly lay aside the clerkship or the pen, and would almost deem themselves free men to labor with their hands, and thus relieve their overtasked and wearied brains?’ Indeed. We all weary whether we are a midwife or teacher, plasterer or carpenter, writer or truck driver. Yet, ‘when you look at our own trade or vocation in its true light, you have yet to love it, and have yet to learn to cherish it as the goose that lays for you the golden egg you have yet to learn that you must respect your employment and it will bring honors to you. Elevate your trade, and it will in turn raise you a step or two above your present condition’.
In other words, in 1866 an un-named American Artisan understood that we are each capable of producing forms of substance and beauty, but to do so we need to love and respect our labours, and when we love what we do - when we work with our hands, our bodies and our hearts we elevate the work and ourselves. And it’s true isn’t it? Who hasn’t The Natural Artisan
Photography: Tiam Whitfield
Who hasn’t known the satisfaction and inherent joy of being ‘in flow’ with our work where we are fully engaged? felt uplifted – at least once – after a good day’s work where we have given ourselves to our labours? Who hasn’t known the satisfaction and inherent joy of being ‘in flow’ with our work where we are absorbed and fully engaged? We are reminded by reading this essay not to seek respect and honour from the outside world for the work we do, but instead to respect our work and it will reflect respectfully on us, bring us joy and the work will sustain us. Autumn 2015
This insight is echoed again and again in the words of artisan’s and pioneers the world over. When Steve Jobs argued that ‘Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do’ he was reminding us to ‘Learn to love it and all connected with it, and you will be surprised at the mighty result this feeling of contentment will produce’.
References:
Jeff Burks, Lost Art Press Mistaken Vocation, 3 March 2014, blog.lostartpress. com/2014/03/03/mistaken-vocation Steve Jobs, Commencement Address to Standford University students, 12 June 2005, www.news.stanford.edu/news/2005/ june15/jobs-061505.html
And this is it why we strive to labour well. As Pearl S. Buck advises ‘the secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it’ she echoed the American Artisan’s insight that ‘working with love brings love to the work and to the self.’ David Ogle is an industrial designer and furniture maker who thrives on the pursuit of quality and excellence. His passion is working with timber, which gives him a tangible challenge for excellence. David is also the National Sales and Marketing Manager for ROCKCOTE.
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hen Suzy Worrall first set eyes on a tired cottage at Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland, she instantly knew it was her dream renovation project.
The dark cedar exterior was indicative of a musty and gloomy interior, one that needed a substantial amount of work. What could have been daunting for some was motivating for Suzy who could see the potential and knew it was a place her family could call home. The four bedroom, two bathroom cottage is situated on 1000 square metres of rainforest brimming with native birds and wildlife including possums and pademelons. It’s an idyllic location that Suzy calls her “little piece of heaven”. From the rear deck, the fresh mountain air enlivens the senses and the birdsong provides a soundtrack for a slowerpaced existence. From the outset, Suzy identified several elements critical to the renovation: structural adjustments to increase natural light; mitigating the dampness caused by high annual rainfall; and extensive repairs to damaged walls and fittings.
“The home was very run down, damp and smelly. Layers of wood, damaged panelling and dark timber doors made the place feel melancholy. There was water damage in one of the bedrooms and living room,” Suzy explained. A motorised skylight was installed in the living room to provide light and fresh air year-round. Removing a dividing wall opened the upstairs bathroom and major repairs were made to walls and doors. Suzy and her daughter Kristy worked alongside building professionals to complete the interior renovation in less than three months. Suzy wanted to use natural, non-toxic finishes that would look beautiful and help improve indoor air quality. ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Décor in a smooth finish was selected for the walls to help absorb moisture and complement the natural surrounds. CONTINUED
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The Natural Artisan
A LITTLE PIECE OF HINTERLAND HEAVEN
Suzy’s living room featuring ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Décor walls in natural colour. The ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Medium fireplace surround contributes to the cosy feel of the room. Autumn 2015
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ROCKCOTE Marrakesh in its natural warm white brings textural warmth and a seamless flow to the bathroom walls.
ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Décor in a smooth finish was selected for the walls to help absorb moisture.
“I like to walk down the hallway and touch the clay walls, feeling the texture and temperature. I had a friend come to visit who could not stop touching the walls and commenting how beautiful they were. It has an effect on people because they have so much more character than paint which is what most people are used to.” ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Medium in its natural colour was used to create an earthy and unusual fireplace surround that contributes to the cosy feel of the living room. ROCKCOTE Marrakesh in its natural warm white brings textural warmth and a seamless flow to the bathroom walls and also helps to prevent mould. “The home now smells clean and fresh. Mum and I are asthmatic and have noticed a real difference in our health. Mum would always have sneezing attacks and take antihistamines which she rarely needs now.” 22
The view from the rear deck looking out over the rainforest.
“I believe in trying to do what you can for the environment. I only have this little cedar cottage but if we all do our bit and choose options that are better for our health and the planet, it has to make a difference,” Suzy reflected.
PROJECT DETAILS:
Hinterland heaven at Springbrook Owner: Suzy Worrall
Artisan: Recommended Render
Walls: ROCKCOTE Clay Plaster Decor, natural colour
Fireplace surround: ROCKCOTE Earthen Render Medium, natural colour Bathroom walls: ROCKCOTE Marrakesh, natural colour
Ceiling and trims: ROCKCOTE EcoStyle Paints Photography: Ross Eason
The Natural Artisan
“... if we all do our bit and choose options that are better for our health and the planet, it has to make a difference.” - Suzy Worrall
Suzy’s carefully selected furnishings come alive against a backdrop of Clay Plaster Décor in its natural colour. Autumn 2015
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