Tell us about yourself and your background.
My name is Carolyne Chardac, I live in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I have always been a creative girl since I was young. I was born and raised in the south near New Orleans, I grew up going into opulent historical homes, always being impressed with decorative arts and I feel this subconsciously led me to where I am today. In my free time, I love nature and find my peace traveling to Utah and Wyoming to hike and explore. I love to discover wildlife in their natural habitat. I am a huge advocate for the American Bison and conservation of this national mammal. I am the proud mother of an English Mastiff named Winston and two sons. I enjoy listening to music while I work and you will find my Spotify list is long and varied.
Describe your specialty or area of expertise.
Ornamental and decorative plasterwork
What made you decide to become a plasterer
Truthfully, the moment I made a firm decision to change the trajectory of my life was shortly after my mother passed away in 2018. I realized how short life is and how quickly it passes. I knew I needed a change and fast! I had always worked in an office job- a part of corporate America and I was so fed up with this career. My education was based in the arts, yet I had never had a chance to pursue anything in that field. Life had another plan for me, but like I mentioned in 2018 something snapped and I decided to pursue an education in plasterwork and learn everything I could about it. I loved the idea of being hands on, learn a trade that is essentially dead in the states and be a part of creating beautiful ceilings. I attended the American College of Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina. The school opened the doors for me to meet amazing people in our field and the architectural knowledge I needed to perfect the understanding of my craft
Share one project you are most proud of.
It is hard to pinpoint one specific project, but I would have to say it was my final school project. We were required to create a project that would incorporate the key principles I had learned in plaster over the past 4 years I had spent there learning. I chose to create a “Decoratif Panneau” based off the interior of Madame du Barry’s apartment at Versailles. I consulted with Baptiste LeBoufnoir of Auberlet et Laurent for accuracy and guidance on the correct measurements and mouldings to choose when designing this wall. I did the entire project in metric, which you know is completely different than the imperial system we use in the states That in itself was somewhat challenging I cut the knives, ran meters and meters of mouldings, configured them and installed. Once it was all up, I gilded the entire project in 24 karat gold. This project is permanently on display at the American College of Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina
Do you mentor or collaborate with others in the trade?
Yes, I worked with Philip Gaches in 2022 while in the UK. During my externship with him we worked on a private residence in the Cotswolds where we created a custom art deco motif in plaster for a bathroom We also did a harling project at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. Learning the traditional methods was an amazing experience for me and to be a part of the conservation process was a true honour. I hope Bess of Hardwick was happy with the new exterior. There were many other jobs and experiences while I worked with him, but those two stand out the most to me Philip encouraged me to study under Maurizio Feliziani who has a workshop outside of Rome to learn scagliola. I spent a week working each day learning how to work with pigments and plaster to create faux marble. Maurizio is a true master and it was a great experience for me to learn from him In 2023, I travelled to France and worked in the atelier of Auberlet et Laurent, based out of Paris. I learned traditional French methods of creating moldings, making silicon molds, repairing original ornamental pieces, installation and casting. I created custom mouldings for a private residence in Paris and installed them as well.
In the USA, I have worked for Decorators Supply out of Chicago, which is one of the oldest ornamental studios in the United States. I did basic casting and mould making. I also was allowed to work with making decorative composition and pressing this into moulds I am currently working independently and have been hired by Evergreen out of New York City to assist on one of their largest projects, The Latter Day Saints Church Temple in Salt Lake City. On this job, I was asked to install and tool ornamental plaster as well as gilding. I have worked on this project on and off for almost two years. Multiple rooms within the temple. Currently, I am on assignment installing and tooling ornamental plaster in a major restoration project at The Grand Theatre, located outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
What advice would you give to someone just starting in the plastering or heritage trades?
Do it! I wish I had the knowledge when I was much younger to pursue ornamental plaster. I told a friend recently that maybe God brought this gift to me later in life so I could and would appreciate my craft. I think if I had started as a young girl, maybe my perspective wouldn’t be what it is now. Embrace the challenges and learn from as many people as you can, everyone you work with will give you something to add to your knowledge and understanding.
Anything else you would like our readers to know?
I hope to return to the UK once more to work and learn. I consider the UK the motherland of ornamental plaster and everything I saw there from Jacobean to Adams style was absolutely stunning!
Lath and Plaster 