Old Art Studio, Ornamental Plaster & Restoration
Four Decades In The Craft · Charlotte, North Carolina

Forty Years
In Plaster

Old Art Studio is the workshop of Vyacheslav “Nick” Dohuzya, a master plasterer who models, carves and casts ornament by hand, in the way the old masters did.

40+Years of Craft
100%Made by Hand
Clay to PlasterThe Classical Method
Vyacheslav (Nick) Dohuzya with the Lion and Unicorn clay model
Hand-carved ornament in the studio
Nick fitting a cast ornament to a ceiling
From The Studio ArchiveModelling · Carving · Installation
A Word From

The Master
Plasterer

Nick Dohuzya Vyacheslav (Nick) Dohuzya Master Plasterer & Founder

I have spent forty years working in plaster: modelling, carving, casting and running ornament by hand. It is slow work, and it should be. A ceiling or a medallion made this way carries something a machine-made copy never will.

Old Art Studio was built to serve architects, designers, decorators and homeowners who care about that difference. Whether we are creating a new piece from scratch or restoring a hundred-year-old cornice, the standard is the same: the finest traditional materials, honest craftsmanship, and detail that rewards a second look.

Every original begins in clay. Only when the model is right do we take the mould and cast in fine plaster, then finish each piece by hand before it leaves the workshop.

Every piece leaves this workshop only when I would be proud to hang it in my own home.

The Classical Method

How A Piece Is Made

Four stages, each done by hand, the same sequence used in the great workshops of Europe for centuries.
IDrawingProportions are set to the room. Profiles and motifs are drawn full-size before any clay is touched.
IIModellingThe original is sculpted in clay, leaf by leaf, until the light falls across it correctly.
IIIMoulding & CastingA mould is taken from the model and the piece is cast in fine, fibre-reinforced plaster.
IVFinishing & InstallationSeams are dressed, detail is sharpened by hand, and the work is fixed in place by the studio.
IOur Philosophy

Ornament Is Architecture’s Memory

We work in the classical tradition of clay, moulds and fine plaster, shaped by hand and finished by eye, because the traditional way is still the best way to make ornament that lasts and moves people.

IIOur Mission

Made To Outlast Us All

To offer custom ornamental plaster of the highest quality, from ceilings, walls and panels to bas-relief, medallions and mouldings, and to restore and conserve historic ornamental and sculptural works so they survive for the next hundred years.

OLD ART STUDIO PRINCIPLE
Every wall, every ceiling, every ornament: begun by hand, finished by eye.
Four time honored stages, refined through decades of craftsmanship. Every piece is completed by hand to feel as though it has always belonged.
1 Drawn Each composition begins with proportion, scale, and detail considered for the architecture.
2 Modelled Ornamental forms are sculpted by hand to establish depth, movement, and character.
3 Cast Fine plaster is moulded, cast, and carefully refined piece by piece.
4 Installed Each element is fitted, joined, and finished so it becomes part of the room.
New Commissions

Work With The Studio

New commissions and restorations are taken on throughout the year. Tell us about the room and the ornament you have in mind.

Begin A Commission Or call +1 (704) 234-6608