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(continued from page 82) 83 has teamed with Casci on four or fi ve recent projects in the same neighborhood. "We use plaster in just about every project we do," he says. In 2001, British architect Quinlan Terry hired Casci to create a massive 20-foot carved plaster ceiling from his design for Dallas billionaire John and Lyn Muse's spectacular, neoclassical Preston Road estate. Casci also did the plasterwork for Dallas philanthropist Nancy Dedman's French-inspired house, along with a vaulted ceiling for a private library inside Harlan Crow's historic residence. "Plaster is like a ballet company or symphony," says Wilson Fuqua. "For it to survive, you need patrons to support it." The beauty of plasterwork, especially with intricate molding, is that it's often more cost effi cient A silicone mold for a plaster gargoyle Saws from every decade, dating to the 1930s Hemp has been used for centuries to give plaster strength. Casci buys its hemp from Panama. Mark Marynick, left, and Porter Fuqua, in their offi ce at Casci Plaster and accurate than carving wood, Marynick says. An artisan only has to carve the design once for the plaster mold; it can then be replicated many times. Plaster is also more stable — hemp is added to give it strength — and won't shrink and split with temperature changes, as happens with wood. It can be gilded, lacquered, or painted to look like wood, making it appropriate for historic restoration projects and ideal for fi reproof mantels. Marynick plans to build on the business Casci has already established. Its fi rst website, casciplaster.com, has recently launched, and there's a trip to London in the works to discuss a licensing partnership of historic plaster designs with the Sir John Soane Museum. "I think Porter and I will own Casci forever," he says. "It's something to be proud of."