The Lost Art of Plaster
Images by Brette Little
The age-old art of plaster is not a craft that seems to be well-known these days, but Edward McKeever wants that to change. After studying beneath an Italian mentor, he’s become an expert in the art of plaster, which is made with earth-friendly materials like lime, gypsum or clay and can be used to finish walls and other surfaces. Prior to WWII, most walls were finished with plaster. It’s a craft that requires knowledge and finesse, so when there was a shortage of workers post-war, drywall skyrocketed in popularity because it was easy and fast to install.
Strong River offers four main pillars of service: plaster, gold leaf foil, painting and wallpaper, “each of them its own whole universe.” Edward has done work for nightclubs, casinos, restaurants, but some of his favourite projects have been Gulf Island private residences.
”I love to hear what people see in their mind's eye and to see if we can actually bring it into reality.” He has a beautiful technique for getting to the bottom of his clients’ or students’ vision: “I ask someone, if they could go get on a first class ticket anywhere in the world, where would they go architecturally? It's wild to hear what people say. For some people it’s Greece, for some people it's Japan, some people it's Egypt. But they immediately know what they want to see in the texture [of that place].”
On using foil for building or decorative purposes, Edward feels that this technique really infuses a sense of magic into the piece. In some of his work he’s using real 24karat gold foil, 4 microns thing and totally moveable for shaping. “There’s something really magnetizing about gold. Your brain wants to investigate,” says Edward. “And gold paint next to real gold? It looks like baby food.”
When asked about some of the challenges he’s faced in his career, the main thing that comes to mind is people’s perceptions. They’ve been seeing through the lens of glossy architectural magazine images, with environments devoid of real people. “If people love back alleyways in Greece, it's because of the wear and tear. It’s Wabi Sabi, for things not to be perfect. And the longer I do this, the more I realize I'm sort of like a rough cut. I actually like a bit of roughness.”
We spoke about the sense of urgency that’s become inherent to our life and work, something Edward credits to the factory-fueled efficiencies of the assembly line and the mass production of sheet rock that has enabled home builders to DIY. “The idea of seeing a beautiful hand-done medallion with a chandelier in a Brooklyn brownstone, that some beautiful old soul immigrant made by hand…like that took time. I think it's okay to give each other permission to have time again. Slow food, slow clothes…people are really yearning to just slow it down. Even half speed. You know, we got to live somewhere. It might as well be beautiful.”
Edward touches beautifully on the notion of quality over quantity, on restoring and treasuring heirloom pieces over the too-common cycle of buying new and throwing away. He sees an intrinsic value in preserving heirloom pieces, and by extension, he wants the quality and treasure of his on work to last. “Do your best, with the best materials.” To Edward, this seems to be the noblest of pursuits, and something he carries not only into his work as a craftsperson but also as a teacher and mentor.
“Do your best, with the best materials.”
-Edward McKeever
When you enter Strong River and feel the cool textured materials, the walls a pastiche of wallpaper, foil, paint and plaster, it’s easy to get inspired. And Edward makes himself readily available to offer advice and even workshops for those who want to get their hands dirty and learn these long-lost arts. “It's really nice to do a workshop, let your hair down and be able to make mistakes. Too much of adult professional life is you got to be perfect all the time,” says Edward. “There's architects and designers that take these workshops, and they get emotional. They're like, ‘I've been wanting to do this for 15 years. Thank you for putting the tools in my hand.’ It’s okay to get your hands dirty and mess it up.”
He’s found lots of inspiration from teachers throughout his life, and gives credit also to the local contingent of Mud Girls, a natural building collective. If there’s one thing he thinks the generations of folks in the 15-45 year old range need, it’s to work with their hands more. “Don't be shy. My number’s on the door. I'm just happy to answer questions, people are really starting to bounce cool ideas off of me. It's nice to be of service,” he smiles.
