Turning mud into beautiful artworks

<p>Miguel “Micah” Elliott feels a connection to the earth as he turns mud into beautiful works of art.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Elliott's business, Living Earth Structures in Petaluma, builds structures and conducts workshops. He uses only a mixture of mud and clay, called cob, a material also used in Petaluma's historical adobe structures. </p><p>“I was inspired by seeing General (Mariano Guadalupe) Vallejo's adobe structures when I was 10,” he said. “I saw how much cooler it was inside those buildings on a hot day.” </p><p>Elliott learned to work with the same earthen material, though he does not restrict himself to using only adobe bricks. Instead, he freely applies cob onto a foundation, allowing him to sculpt rounded, artistic pieces. </p><p>Once out of college, he began using his cob skills around the world. </p><p>“I started traveling,” said Elliott. “I built a Waldorf kindergarten in Argentina. I worked on community building in Thailand. By that time, I was a fanatic about cob — I called myself ‘cobsessed.'” </p><p>After traveling for 18 years, Elliott returned to Petaluma. For his first project back in his hometown, he built a bench surrounding an oven in the shape of a Luma, a fictional bird. </p><p>“I wanted to honor Petaluma,” he said. “There is an old saying that you can pet a cat and you can pet a dog, but you can't pet a Luma. I wanted to show that you could pet a Luma and get hugged and warmed by a Luma.” </p><p>Elliott shares his knowledge with the community by teaching workshops about working with cob. </p><p>“Working with cob is a great way to get the community involved,” he said. “It feels great to build and accomplish something. Working as a team adds so much to the experience.” </p><p>Working with about 10 to 15 people, Elliott keeps the community members involved in the process of building. </p><p>“If there are too many people, I'll have some make models and adobe bricks. I will go through the benefits of working with cob, in a discussion with everyone,” he said. </p><p>Elliott found success teaching about cob when he worked with a group of Latino gang members. </p><p>“I hired the kids to work with me,” he said. “I told them the hardest workers would have the most chance of getting a job. Getting muddy was a prerequisite. Instead of fighting, they were soon stomping in the mud together.” </p><p>In addition to teaching, Elliott continues to travel and learn about the art of natural building. </p><p>“I went to Africa to learn from the masters of Adobe building,” he said. “I learned how to build a dome from them.” </p><p>He found a use for his new talent and, on July 18, he unveiled a recent project: an Adobe Meditation dome. Mayor Pamela Torliatt came to the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the dome. </p><p>“It was my first dome,” said Elliott. “It was so satisfying to build and go inside of. The entire dome was built out of earth from an Indian lady's back yard.” </p><p>The building code does not cover structures made entirely out of cob, so he must legally keep his projects less than 120 square feet. Nevertheless, using cob as a building material has several important benefits. </p><p>“If you use earth, there is no need to buy any materials,” explained Elliott. “You don't need cement, which is a toxic material, and its production causes pollution. Environmentally, cob makes a lot more sense.” </p><p>He believes that working with cob can help children understand and appreciate environmentally friendly lifestyles. </p><p>He even wrote to President Barack Obama, proposing that schools incorporate natural building into their curriculums. </p><p>“The green movement today is centered around technology, which is expensive and hard to relate to,” explained Elliott. “Cob is cheap and children can be involved in the process.”</p><p>Elliott hopes to use his talents with cob to help improve Petaluma's community. </p><p>“I'm talking about building a phoenix oven at The Phoenix Theater,” he said. “It would be a great way to get people together. You could cook the pizza in the belly of the phoenix.” </p><p>Elliott has a comprehensive list of the advantages of working with cob. The entire process is fun, cheap and easy to learn. </p><p>“Natural building brings you back to your grassroots,” he said. “It is empowering to build a structure with your own hands and feet.”</p><p>(Contact Kathleen Schaefer at argus@arguscourier.com)</p>