Author: waszut_barrett@me.com

“And it must be born in mind that distemper colors change greatly in value as they dry out, especially those carrying white in the admixture, which dry lighter or higher in value.  ..the student must not let a few failures discourage him. True “color deductions” will come with experience, and unless trials are conscientiously persisted in, and in connection with the study procedure set forth in this manual, your progress cannot be other than slow.”

Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916, page 167)

For me, dry pigment is never an exact science – every step is based on intuition and experience.  I have always had a good eye for color, but all of the standard color mixing rules are thrown out of the window when mixing dry pigment colors.  The color, the manufacturer, and the age of the color all determine the final result.  Swatches of every colors is imperative to commence the overall restoration process.  Each step of color mixing is carefully analyzed before an application occurs.

Starting a  new composition from scratch is one thing, but matching colors on historic drops is something else. When amateurs have attempted minor repairs and painting on old backdrops the result is often disastrous – to the extent that a wrong color will continually to reappear after multiple layers are applied to the top.  In this case, the only option is to seal the entire surface and start from scratch.

SOME AMATEUR RESTORATIONS ARE IRREPARABLE AND IRREVERSIBLE.

I have encountered this unfortunate occurrence in all areas of the country where “cheap and inexperienced” artists caused the final repair to be four times the anticipated amount – far exceeding the expense of hiring a “professional” to start with.  There is a reason that conservation and restoration requires a great deal of training, understanding of historical scenic art techniques, and experience.

Below is a picture at the Danville, Virginia, Scottish Rite six years ago – I was color matching a damaged section on a drop.  Their collection suffered form severe water damage and was extremely tricky to touch up. Dye rings necessitate a series of steps to conceal them.  Add the challenge of a roll drop and the work becomes even more of a challenge.  It was my 20+ years of working with dry pigment at that time that greatly contributed to the overall success.

Unless you have studied dry pigment extensively, please leave it for those who have studied it.

From “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (Frank Atkinson, 1916, page 30):

“In the preparation of sky tints, it will be observed that they are graduated in intensity by a greater or less quality of tone…and in laying them in, we place the strongest of them at the highest part of the sky, making them paler or higher in value and less intense as we descend to the horizon, where the use of blue is discontinued and other tints are used, suitable to the character of composition and the mood of the day.”

The image below is from the Scottish Rite theatre in Winona, Minnesota (Sosman & Landis design for the 3rd degee – Seacoast near Joppa).  It is currently in a storage unit with the remainder of the scenery collection on the stage.

From the handwritten diary of Thomas Moses for the year 1931:

“May 12, 1931, Thursday

Went to Pasadena a little late today and put in a lot of time at the Consistory visiting. I must get over there again to see some of the works. I have to keep in touch with all sorts of work. The Cathedral is well kept and it will be good for a number of years.”

Below is the picture of the Cathedral that Moses is referring to – still hanging in the Pasadena Scottish Rite.  When he wrote this entry, he was 75 years old, struggling as a scenic artist, and enjoying sketching trips with artist John Englehart.

“The imitation of different fabrics depends chiefly upon the character of the folds and, in the next place, upon the appearance they present as rough or smooth, dull or brilliant.  This is evident by their easy representation by various means, such as simple crayons or the strokes of the graver.  Even their texture, as coarse or fine, is denoted in the same manner; so that the color has but little or no part in their indication.  This is as a general rule, of in case of satins, velvets, and some other stuffs of silk, we perceive that the configuration of the folds, though important, does not hold the principle place.  Thus satin, with its large, sufficiently remarkable folds, is distinguished still more by its singular brilliancy and the beauty of its reflection.”

Excerpt from Frank Atkinson, “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916, page 60)

Below are two Scottish Rite drop details depicting drapery. The first is from Fort Scott’s Treasure chamber and the second is Salina’s front curtain.

Sometimes hidden treasures can be found on the back of drops.  Things completely unrelated to the composition or destination location for the scenery installation.  On the back of one Scottish Rite scene from Winona, Minnesota is a map to Fox Lake.  In Thomas Gibbs Moses’ typed manuscript he discusses visits to Fox Lake in 1907:

“June 1^st, I made my first trip to the Palette and Chisel Club camp at Fox Lake, Ill. Helped to put up the tent. A new experience for me, but I enjoyed it. I slept well on a cot. Made a few sketches. A very interesting place. I don’t like the cooking in the tent and there should be a floor in the tent. I saw a great many improvements that could be made in the outfit and I started something very soon.

A short trip to Kansas City for another contract returned me to Chicago just in time for me to catch the train for Fox Lake, so I didn’t allow business to interfere with my pleasure. We opened our annex studio at 19 W. 20^th Street in July, and Ansel Cook went there as a manager. He did some very good work but was a long time doing it, which, of course, didn’t pay us.”

“…it has been said [George Fuchs] had much to do with the development of “relief theatre,” where the aim is to accentuate the decorative value of the moving figures, by the use of a very shallow stage and a very flat background. Further, George Fuchs was reported to have said, “ Let the stage painter, too, be content to stay in his own domain. He should not attempt to give the illusion of depth by depicting the three dimensions. He has enough to do if he confines himself to his proper problem of lines and planes.” In this University of Minnesota MA Thesis from 1951, James R Thompson (“Influences of Modern Painting on the “New Stagecraft”) uses a quote from “The New Stage Art” (1914, page 75).

“To make an acceptable scenic or bulletin artist, you must be able to draw, as well as paint, almost every conceivable object in Nature, as well as articles of manufacture, embracing a great many mechanical objects which must be represented with truthful fidelity as to detail and form.”Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916, page 69)

Same song, second verse…I am always astounded at the various skill levels at Sosman & Landis.  Yesterday, I posted a detail from the Winona, Minnesota, Scottish Rite with the scales of justice. The proportions of the figure and the drapery are not well done at all.

Here is another example of the same composition from the Wichita Scottish Rite in Kansas.  A far superior artistic created this version of the small drop for the Vision Scene (17th Degree in the Scottish Rite).

“In making full-length drawing of a female figure in costume from nature, arrange the drapery to give a final impression of the contour of the figure.  Do not have the figure entirely hidden away by heavy folds of cloth.  A poor draftsman usually shows a female figure as a mass of drapery, with head and feet obtruding from it.  The thing is to make the gown appear as if it were really enveloping the human figure; to suggest the figure underneath by carefully drawing its every curve and line an arranging all the folds of the drapery to bring out this point.”

Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916, page 68.

Attached is a perfect example of the figure drawing by a “poor draftsman.”  This small drop is for the Vision Scene (17th degree) currently in storage at the Winona Masonic theatre.  Although the figure painters at Volland Studios (St. Louis) were far superior to those at other studios, this example is particularly bad for a Sosman & Landis scenic artist.  Over the years, I have recorded some of the worst figure-drawing examples in these small scenes. They typically fall behind the temple ruins in the Volcano drop and are fairly obscured by the surround and the dramatic lighting.  This is the scene where the thunder rumbles, the lightening flashes, and the volcano explodes – sending rivulets of lava down the mountain.  Pretty fun!

It does makes me wonder if these small drops were intended as a training ground.  However, maybe they just indicate busy times and unskilled labor.

The Presidential debates in the United States of America brought the color of French Mineral Orange to mind!  Here are details from Hades at the Pasadena Scottish Rite, ca. 1902 – Sosman and Landis (refurbished and installed in 1925).

It is important to understand human anatomy…and always take drawing classes.  Otherwise, the human skull may become a bowling ball.  For me, this makes the hell scene just a little less scary…