Bas relief plaster cast – grasses

Bas relief plaster cast - grasses  - a unique, one-off decorative item suitable for any colour scheme or style of home decoration.

These bas relief plaster casts are time-consuming to produce but combine my need for exercise with the joy of what I find while I am out!  I walk early every morning with a friend and her dog collecting plants often still covered in dew.  They have to be inspected and cleaned of small bugs or other 'imperfections' and allowed to dry. Meanwhile the clay is rolled out and smoothed ready for me to press the plants onto the surface. The clay I use is very fine quality, picking up a lot of detail. I always try to press the plants within a couple of hours of picking to ensure the best possible results and it is amazing the details that is picked up.

The next stage is to carefully lift the plants off the clay and using fine tweezers and a needle I pick off any stray seed or dirt and then frame the image in the clay and seal the edges ready for the plaster to be poured in.  Again, the  plaster I use is a very fine grade so few details are lost.  The plaster is left to set for approximately two hours. It does in fact set in less time than that but is more susceptible to damage if handled too soon. Anyway, this gives me time for breakfast!

I unclamp the frames and peel the clay off the plaster to reveal the lovely impression underneath. It delights me every time!  Sadly, the clay mould is almost always destroyed by peeling it off the plaster so it is rare to be able to make a second impression from it.  Even when I can, the first and second impressions will be subtly different but this means each is totally unique.

After further drying -  I usually leave them for 24hours - the cast is scrubbed to clean off the clay and any remaining plant 'debris', the edges are sanded and the corners rounded. A hole is drilled in the back to hang it from a simple picture pin.

Plaques are particularly suited to areas where there is high humidity (kitchens and bathrooms) and where light is too strong for a painting, as in a conservatory.

They make lovely wedding or anniversary gifts or for a new home as being white they don't conflict with any home decor and suit both contemporary or traditional homes.