I was introduced to the world of clay-plastering and adobe/cob sculpture from a friend I knew while living in Taos, New Mexico. Carole Crews is an artist who is an expert in the world of earthen finishes. When I discovered that she was teaching a workshop on clay plastering at her home in Tres Piedras, I knew I had to get involved. Little did I know how much this course could change the way I look at buildings and art. In fact, I am realizing that I have a very strong response to art which is wed to architecture. Carole's completely hand-built home is an artwork in itself, as it has unique details that no manufactued home can beat. A hand-built earthen building feels warm and welcoming. Its surfaces invite touch. It breathes, it flows. And it uses the earth in a gentle way, wedding its design to its natural surroundings.

While I was involved in various projects that involved the use of different types of clay finishes applied to her adobe and strawbale walls, I was also strongly attracted to the sculptures that were built into some of the walls. I volunteered myself to restore these, as they were cracked and deteriorating from sustained exposure to the harsh environment of the mesa sun and snows.