ken wildes Plaster Art

I first read about Ken Wildes in the Boston Globe and was intrigued and called him. He was between jobs and designed a beautiful medallion for a Waterford chandelier He used arcs to match the 6 arms on the light fixture. He used a shell design to match a shell corner corner cabinet. It was a masterpiece. A year later he returned to design a oval medallion for my living room. The background color being the Adam colors light green and rose. These colors where part of the room decor . It resulted in a breath taking architectural masterpiece. Many guest shave sat and admired it at parties in my house . You never regret having Ken work in your home. He is a true artisan .

Ken Wildes of Plaster Art is a true professional. He and his team were honest, reliable, fastidious and creative. The job took 9 months to complete. We were building a house from the ground up and it was amazing to watch them make over 5,000 plaster pieces that were put together to form a fabulous design. It was a very pleasant experience dealing with them.

Ken is truly the master in Plaster Art. It's been a pleasure to have him as part of the team in restoration of Belcourt Mansion in Newport.

I have known Ken Wildes since about 1995 when I read in The New York Times that he designs, builds, and installs Robert Adam style plaster ceilings. After meeting with him and checking on some of his previous work, I hired him to do the ceilings in my new, not-yet-built Georgian colonial house. Not only did the beauty and quality of his work meet and exceed my expectations and even my hopes, but I went on to use him on all new or renovated construction with which I have been involved in building or designing since that time. The workmen building my home were so impressed with Ken's work that they told me it forced them to do their best work to meet the very high standard Ken was setting. The final product has given me nothing but joy since its completion about 20 years ago. He has grown as an artist over that time, and his later works are even more magnificent than were his earlier pieces. I have told him many times since his first project for me that he is an artist, not just a craftsman. Ken also possesses extraordinary sensibilities, taste, and vision. The attached photograph of my office in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan is a case in point. We were faced with a seemingly impossibly feminine space and a directive to incorporate, not discard and replace, the predominantly purple, red and white fabric covering the walls. Completely on his own, Ken came up with the hunter-green, trimmed-in-gold center surrounded by a ruby red border for his newly designed ceiling that magically transformed the space into a room with the distinct feel of an English gentleman’s club or library, a design and color scheme which I promptly and gratefully approved.

Years ago I saw an article and photos in a national home decor magazine featuring Ken Wildes, up on stilts and doing amazing plaster art on an elegant ceiling. I saved the article, never imagining that long afterward, that creative, artistic man would load up his son, car, and a trailer full of rubber molds and hit the road to California. He turned the living room in my small home into a showpiece! It's been on many home and holiday tours, and the comparison to a mini Versailles is not uncommon. I just couldn't be happier with the results. His design and workmanship were unparalleled. Ken, and his son KJ were at all times friendly and professional. Let him do his thing and he can transform your home. Please view the photos!

I have worked with Ken for many years and he is very professional, talented, and a pleasure to work with. He is, as they say, an old word craftsman that takes great pride in his work. He is a specialist in what he does and an artist in his own right. I would recommend him without hesitation for any project, whether it is new construction or restoration.

I have been fortunate to have worked with Ken. He is a dying breed. Very Special Artisan. Ideas, Ideas, Ideas. Detail, detail, detail. Highly recommend him.