Godfrey Blount's Free-Hand Plasterwork

One of Godfrey Blount’s most enduring artistic legacies is his plasterwork, which must still exist in buildings in the local area.

Free-Hand Plasterwork Bird Frieze by Godfrey Blount, The Craftsmen, Vol 12, April 1907-September 1907

The Craftsmen in 1907 devoted their ‘Our Home Department’ section to Blount’s plasterwork.  They report that Blount described his free-hand plasterwork as “impressionism in plaster”.  The Craftsmen noted that “in complete contrast to the careful and academic friezes, cast piece by piece, and afterward fitted into place, the work in this case is all done on the wall.

Free-Hand Plasterwork by Godfrey Blount, The Craftsmen, Vol 12, April 1907-September 1907

The design is sketched in, and with the wet cement the whole work is carried out there and then.  There can be no alterations, no niggling; the work must be done swiftly and surely, for the plaster sets very quickly.  A trowel, a palette knife and few hog-hair brushes, such are the simple tools required, but more important than the tools are the hand and eye. 

High finish, of course, cannot be looked for in such work and is not wanted.  What can be attained is a delightfully fresh and spontaneous effect, which, especially in work which is placed high, like a frieze, is much more pleasing than elaborate finish.  The work can be left the natural colour of the plaster, or which adds much to the richness of the effect, may be coloured after the plaster has set. (‘Godfrey Blount’s Free-Hand Plasterwork for Interior Decoration’, The Craftsmen, Vol 12, April 1907-September 1907)."

Sample design in free-hand plasterwork by Godfrey Blount,
showing foundation and method of working,
The Craftsmen, Vol 12, April 1907-September 1907