click on the thumbnail to see a full-size image. The interior shot shows the column in the owner's home, where I also built the earthen corner fireplace and plastered the walls and ceiling. . . .
School murals / the joys of mud
Murals offer a quick and dirty way to introduce a school to the joys of mud. Unlike play sculptures and benches, they require no foundation, minimal prep, and not much mud, either. The typical approach to murals demands a narrative theme -- on my first one, I suggested "creation and the four elements" (we were working with earth, air, fire (sun), and water, after all...). It worked fine with the kids, who made something that looked much better than the industrial brick wall under it. Some parents got a bit worked up, but by the time I heard about it, a creative volunteer had welcomed . . .
Michael Pollan, a Cob Oven, & the NY Times
Six cooks, no spoilt broth: Mike Emanuel built the oven. Aya Brackett took the photo for the NYT; see link below for the rest of her slideshow. "Communal table: A 36 Hour Dinner Party" The NY Times Magazine recently published this article by Michael Pollan about a 36 hour dinner party cooked in a mud oven. Best, for me, was how he explained the purpose of the oven: The idea is to make the most efficient use of precious firewood and to keep the heat (and the danger) of the cook fire some distance from everybody's homes. But what appeals to me about the tradition is how the communal . . .