“If rubber set brushes are not used, care should be taken that the ordinary glue set brush is not plunged into hot water, size, or glue. When brushes used for distemper work wear down so that the bristles get to short to hold sufficient amounts of color, they will be found of excellent service in dye work where a short, stubby brush works to the best advantage…Always clean your brushes well after using them in a flat tray where the bristles do not become mussed up and disarranged….Brushes that are frequently used can be kept soft between working hours by being laid in a tray of trough filled with a solution of part linseed oil, part coal oil and part gasoline.”
Excerpt from “Theatrical Scene Painting” (Appleton Publishing Company, 1916)
Author: waszut_barrett@me.com
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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