When thinking about matching colors, I’m reminded of a scene from the classic movie, “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.”
In this scene, Myrna Loy describes the colors she wants her rooms painted, “I want a soft green, not as blue-green as a robin’s egg, but not as yellow-green as daffodil buds. Now the dining room, I’d like a gay yellow. If you’ll send one of your men to the grocer for a pound of their best butter and match that exactly you can’t go wrong! This is the paper we’re going to use in the hall. There’s some little dots in the background, and it’s these dots I want you to match. Not the little greenish dot near the hollyhock, but the little bluish dot between the rosebud and the delphinium. Is that clear?”
“The kitchen is to be white. Not a cold, antiseptic hospital white. A little warmer, but still not to suggest any other color but white. For the powder room I want you to match this thread…as you can see, it’s practically an apple red, somewhere between a healthy winesap and an unripened Jonathan.”
The contractor: “You got that Charlie?”
Charlie the Painter: “Red, green, blue, yellow, white.”
The contractor: “Check.”
There is nothing more subjective and harder to explain than color. Some carousel painters are as particular as Mrs. Blandings, while some just paint “red, green, blue, yellow and white.”
This classic movie scene brings up the old argument of “restoration” vs “repainting”.
In the past, “park paint” has been tolerated by the historically minded carousel fan because we were just happy when carousels remained intact for public use. Today, with the wealth of information and experienced carousel restorers available, there is little excuse for any park, municipality or collector to settle for a substandard paint job. After all, the paint is the first thing that everyone sees.
I liken it to automobiles. Your eight year old Chevy needs a fresh coat of paint, so you take it to the local body shop to get the best modern finish. But would you take your vintage Bentley to the same shop? Will he even know the proper paints and colors for restoration painting? Carousels, like cars, are working artifacts, that if cared for properly, can last far beyond their intended life span. And, like cars, an unresearched paint job can lower its value as an antique.
I am very disappointed to see beautiful work my fellow restorers, (whom I highly admire), become obliterated by well meaning, but uninformed painters. I cannot believe we have not come further in our reverence for these artifacts nor for the artists dedicated to true preservation. Although modification of colors on each figure may seem subtle to some, I assure you, when viewing the carousel as a unit, these subtle changes are magnified and often ruin the overall look of the ride.
How many colors does it take to match this saddle for touching up? In the end, five. This is a clearer example than strip room charting, since it’s only a repaint job for a ten year old restoration. This restoration clearly shows extreme fading from having only one thin layer of paint and getting full sunlight. Note the dull silver paint in the mis-matched stripe. You often find more “amateurish” carving on the off side, since this is where apprentices learned the craft.
Occasionally I am faced with the misconception that repainting may be quicker or cheaper than painting a “museum quality” restoration. It doesn’t take any more time, effort or money to paint figures using the correct colors than to paint them in random colors. For example, substituting metallic paint for real metal leaf dulls the whole sparkling visual effect of a carousel. Because metallic paint tarnishes, it requires frequent touch ups therefore saving no cost in the long run. But many hired to paint a carousel are unconcerned with longevity and simple leafing techniques are a mystery, so it’s not even offered.
When starting in restoration I quickly learned only certain pigments were available at the turn of the century. All the variations are blended from those twenty base colors. It’s not difficult, you just have to learn to work with the pigments’ different properties…as in the case of purple which was not available right out of the can. Cobalt blue makes a very different purple than Prussian blue and will make a huge difference when matching color.
Why use Japan Oils? Because Japan oil paints were commonly used by every major carousel manufacturer during the golden age. We are at a disadvantage in that there is no longer lead in the paints, requiring two or more coats to cover properly. And every coat gives you another chance at getting that color reproduced accurately. And good quality Japan Oils are a varnished based paint and every layer is an added protective coat to the wood. Oil paint is organic and “breathes” by expanding and contracting along with the wood and is less likely to crack or peel than synthetics.
When restoring a piece, having original colors is like having half the work done for you. Once you have gained experience and know your colors’ properties, very little time is spent on research or choosing what colors to paint where. I feel a sense of responsibility to record all the pieces I’ve seen in original paint because most likely we’re the last generation of restorers to document these original color schemes. Ideally, it’s preferable to preserve all original paint found, but in many cases only the smallest traces of the paint remains in obscure areas. And in too many other cases, original paint is disregarded and stripped away for expediency of the process.
When stripping and recording colors, sometimes only a quarter sized sample is found beneath several paint layers and wear. You learn quickly to “read” from areas that get the least wear; the side that faces into the center, under the saddle cantle, under the chin, in the pin striping grooves, etc. I have often found trappings with one color on one side of a figure and a wholly different color on the other side! Colors often overflow beyond the carved area and rarely have hard lines or mistakes.
I have however, discovered what appeared to be putrid color combinations – I’ve seen a lot of chartreuse on PTC’s, chrome yellow & sugar pink on Carmels, hot pink trimmed with orange on Dentzel’s. But as soon as those colors are painted back on the piece, you see exactly the look they were going for. But, some are kind of unusual and difficult to reproduce. And everything is up to interpretation, depending on the physical acuity of the viewer’s eyes. Colors can often be distorted by yellowed chemicals, staining from overlapping layers, fading from sunlight, room lighting and the like. Previous documentation and knowledge can give that extra fighting chance for accuracy. When stripping a Dentzel and finding pink, I know exactly what shade of pink that is and just how to mix it from three base colors of Japan Oil paint.
Technique is important, as well. Old photos are a most valuable research tool. Even though black and white, old photos can clearly show painting techniques, metallic leaf, shading and contrast. Technique of paint application is often determined by factory preference, and often by time period. Some painters and shop paint techniques changed over time, just like the carvings often do. It certainly doesn’t cost any more to do it correctly. It just takes knowledge.
Once you’ve done several “touch ups” and matched colors, your eyes get educated on pigments and you have a better idea where to start. And once you’ve built up a library of color charts and photographs, it becomes even easier to discern colors and where they should go.
Remember too, that none of us have seen it all, with all our knowledge there’s always an exception. In all my years restoring I’ve never once seen any figure in original paint sporting a blue saddle. (possibly a seaweed type saddle on a sea creature?) And if you have a picture of one, I’d love to see it and be proven wrong.
I’ve found all shades of brown from a peachy buff to chocolate, black, wine, oxblood red, even a mossy brown, but never any shade of blue. Maybe a blue saddle looks good on a palomino horse, but until I see one in original paint, I’ll stick to proven examples.
So how do you remember what you’ve seen several weeks later after the woodwork and primer are completed? Before any work begins, I find mixing the color directly on the surface and writing the formulas on a chart most helpful not only for me, but also for my apprentices and clients.
Once you start compiling books full of charts showing tints and color formulas, you’ll find the same colors used over and over by each company. This even helps determine colors on rounding boards and other trim. At first it seems odd carousels were sometimes “color coordinated.” But giving it some thought, it makes perfect sense that when “Joe” was using a great green, he’d paint the trappings of one, then the blanket on another and then use the remainder on another figure’s trim. This way, the carousel would look somewhat unified instead of a jumble of bright colors. According to old photos, some carousel companies even coordinated the figures row by row!
When you get a single collector’s piece already stripped to the wood, these charts can show your customer authentic color schemes and combinations to choose from. Although my favorite quote is, “I want you to use historically authentic colors, but it needs to match my couch.” I inwardly chuckle thinking of Mrs. Blandings and her wallpaper. I encourage all my apprentices to keep logbooks of color formulas to use until they are memorized. I look forward to the day all this information is available for younger generations whom have never seen original paint, to learn from. Maybe then, the days of blue saddles, silver paint and strangely painted horses will really be a thing of the past.
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