Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm

I finally finished one winter project. I Venetian Plastered the walls of my small foyer.

Venetian plaster (or Stucco Veneziano) is a faux painting or faux finishing technique using thin layers of plaster applied with a spatula or trowel and then burnished to create a smooth surface with the illusion of depth and texture.

I put seven layers of different coloured plaster on the walls starting with a light ochre and progressing through a dark green, purple and finally the chocolate brown. I wanted the walls to be more ochre or golden yellow. But by the seventh coat of troweling on the plaster/paint, I just wanted it finished.

Click on the photos for a larger version.

If you see the walls up close, the trowel marks are quite definite. I tried the burnishing technique with the edge of the trowel but it didn’t give the walls the lustre I wanted. So taking a handy tip from the famous Debbie Travis, I bought beeswax floorwax and slathered it on the walls. I used many yards of cheesecloth and handrubbed the walls to give them the bright shine they have.

Now I want to redo it with something else. Go figure.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 1:04:02 AM and is filed under CREATIVE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.