Natural paints and plasters are wonderfully simple—but they aren’t simple by accident. How do you know you’re not just throwing mud at the wall? What makes a finish beautiful and built to last? This hands-on class explores natural paints and plasters as architectural finishes for walls. Drawing on two decades of experience in natural building and conventional contracting, instructor Anna Wolfson will guide participants in mixing and applying a variety of paints and plasters using both bagged and locally sourced clays, sands, pigments, and other natural materials. Along the way, participants will become acquainted with the materials that make up natural finishes and discover how each contributes to color, texture, and performance. This class also explores recipes, surface preparations, and application techniques. Participants will leave with a collection of samples to take home for future reference. Whether for natural building, creative home projects, or simply the pleasure of working with the colors and textures of the earth, this course offers a practical foundation for working with these timeless finishes.

Required Tools

• Work Clothes and shoes
• 6-9" drywall knife
• Notebook

Optional Tools

• Trowels
• Hawks
• Apron