PLASTERED...OFF THE WALL! Plaster Works and Decorative Painting with a Twisgt by ART A LA CARTE.

<h1>PLASTERED...OFF THE WALL! Plaster Works and Decorative Painting with a Twisgt by ART A LA CARTE.</h1>

by catherine simms

<div align=justify>PLASTERED…OFF THE WALL! WITH ART A LA CARTE 
 
Plaster is rich in History: the Ancient Egyptians used plaster in the making of the Cheops Pyramid, which is thought to be built between 2589 and 2566 BC! 
From the Middle East to India, Egypt to China, to Greece and the ancient Roman Empire, plaster of some kind was used almost everywhere in the Old World. 
 
Techniques have been developed to give plaster an incredible range of different effects. With imagination and skills, refinement of techniques, these unique surfaces can be used in many home style decors, such as Old World, Traditional or Modern. 
 
Today, plaster walls have caught the attention of architects and interior designers- and the reason is...? Have you ever marveled the gorgeous plastered walls in Italy? These ancient walls which grow even more beautiful with age were plastered with a technique the Italians call "Decorative Stucco". 
 
If you would like to unleash your inner interior designer and refresh your wall treatments with beautiful plaster finishes, Catherine Simms from ART A LA CARTE has been called "the go-to artist" for specialty plaster finishes... 
 
Born and raised in Brittany, France, Catherine Simms is an artist based in Stamford, Connecticut. She studied The Arts at l'Ecole des cadres in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris), France. She has been working with interior designers, architects and home owners in Fairfield, Westchester counties and Florida for many years. 
Her work has been featured in different publications such as the Robb Report Luxury Home, the Westchester Home and Garden and the Stamford/ Greenwich Advocate Home magazines. 
 
She specializes in one-of-a-kind plaster finishes, using a wide range of organic aggregates for unusual textures, and then washes the walls in warm, Mediterranean color glazes in the manner of an "Aquarelle", resulting in a beautiful, somewhat transparent appearance. She then, oil, wax or buff them to a warm, antique patina, depending on the effect desired. 
 
"No matter what the final touch is, the walls always end up revealing Catherine's ingenuity, says interior designer Anna Bickford of Interior Details of Greenwich, Ct; she's always looking for ways to evolve, to add new elements, to reach new levels as an artist...” 
 
You will recognize Catherine Simms artistic signature; the walls will show her distinctive hand through subtle variations in texture, color, sheen and style. 
From her fiber and grass plasters, her seeded and coral ones, the French blue hand-painted Damask to her favorite one "Molokai Red Dirt ", Simms' plaster works are unique, artfully created tactile surfaces and always a conversation piece. 
 
"Her unique and beautiful wall treatments seem to add depth and movements to a space...the colors influence my mood on a daily basis...when you touch the walls, you can feel that "je ne sais quoi” element..." a client says. 
"And there is nothing fake about it! This is the real thing, this is true Art..." another one claims. 
 
This is not your typical manufactured "plaster faux-finish in a can” says Simms, which is usually just a very thick acrylic paint which is applied in simple manner and does not require any special training. Its attempt to mimic the appearance of stone or marble can be very deceiving, because it looks like what it is: fake!</div>

Article source: <a href="http://www.ArticlePros.com/home_care/interior_decorating/article-83879.html">ArticlePros.com</a>
 
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		About the author
		Catherine Simms is an artist/ designer for <a href="http://www.artalacarte1.com/"> ART A LA CARTE </a> Plaster Works with a Twist. <a href="http://www.whineranddiner.net/"> WHINER AND DINER </a> Dog Dishes and Dog Beds. <a href="http://www.lionheartdogscats.com/"> LIONHEART PET ADOPTIONS </a> in Pound Ridge New York. 
This article may be freely republished providing its content, information and links are retained and left active. 

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