![]() ![]() We did the only thing we could do to keep it safe. Just the guys we warned you were going to try to steal the Declaration. I actually had to pay for the souvenir and the real one, so you owe me $35, plus tax. I thought it'd be a good idea to have a duplicate, turns out I was right. If this is the real one, what did they get?Ī souvenir. Chase, to be a little more civilized in this instance. You're still shouting, and it's really starting to annoy. See? Okay? Now could you please stop shouting? Yeah, well I'm not all right! Those men have the Declaration of Independence! We had yet another feather to our plaster caps as we leave our “mark and vestige” on the building trades continuing the legacy of lime.Still a little on-edge from being shot at but I'll be okay, thanks for asking. Carrying on his father’s legacy, Will Gaches proudly pronounced that we now had even more cause to be proud. The simple three-day class had further inspired our desire to create even more beauty in homes. As we walked down the gentle grade of the property amidst the robust canopy of trees to our car, Gabe and I discussed our upcoming projects with Will and Jude Gaches. We are all craftsmen and women, and he was honored to extend his knowledge into our hands so we could not only grace Ateliers Pradals with our personal touch, but we could carry on the legacy of traditional lime plaster installations around the world. He thanked us all for traveling from far and wide to learn his technique that his father had shared with him years ago. With kind words of encouragement, Philip’s culmination speech was an extension of his initial address to the class just a few days earlier. The three-day class was finished with all smiles. We relished in our setting and luck to be able to work alongside such an expert, in such an amazing structure steeped in history. His confident demeanor and gentle descriptions of the medium instilled faith and pride in all of us. We watched as Philip casually glided coat after coat of plaster with ease, until a beautiful cornice appeared. The gypsum plaster was “gauged” or augmented with lime to slow the set and run in several coats. ![]() Philip wisely walked us through the “stock,” the “rabbit,” the “slipper,” the “brace,” the “profile,” and the “muffle.” Together, these tools shape the cornice in place over several coats. He then brought the profile to France, where we were able to mimic the other cornices in the home. To execute the install, Philip made a profile from a piece of the cornice sent to him weeks earlier by Tobias and Sarah. The cornices in Pradals were applied “in situ” meaning “in place.” Philip Gaches is a modern-day master of “in situ” cornice running. Most of the cornices we have seen in The United States are made from pre-cast molds and topically applied after the room is complete. ![]() On our second day, the class was introduced to cornice moldings. We visited Champs-Elysees and The Louvre, commenting on several occasions that “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a city as beautiful as Paris shouldn’t be toured in a day.” With sleepy eyes and eager minds, we combated the time change and rapidly toured the beautiful city. We met in Paris, France on the morning of October 16, 2022. It was imperative that we attend and embark on this adventure together to increase our collective knowledge base. Together, we strive to boost efficiency amongst our installations while maintaining similar hand-crafted looks that according to Gabe “reveal the artist’s hands.” Throughout our many conversations, Gabe alerted us of a restoration plaster course in southern France. Our friendship developed out of a passion for plaster and is steeped upon solid communication, creativity, and the transparent sharing of individual knowledge. It didn’t take long for us to start working together around the country and to begin sharing our coveted trade secrets from different sides of the country. His posts revealed carefully crafted and sculpted walls that celebrated the beauty and soul of the homes that he works in. We first met him in 2017 through Instagram.
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