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…
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.
General Hints on Scenic Colors
“A good, quiet, general tint may be obtained by mixing Dutch Pink with black, Prussian blue, or blue verditer”
“Light ochre with green lake or emerald green gives a rich green and may be changed into cool green by adding Prussian blue or indigo.” (Frank Atkinson, Scene Painting and Bulletin Art, 1916, page 165)
Tonight’s Guest Speaker
I am the guest speaker at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center tonight for the Forest Lake Lodge stated meeting! It is a wonderful opportunity to talk about my artistic and intellectual contributions during the planning and construction stages of this fraternal complex.
This new complex includes a 425-seat jewel box theatre, currently awaiting the Scottish Rite scenery collection from the Fort Scott, Kansas. I supervised the removal and transportation of this historic collection eleven month ago and consists of 92 drops. This 1924 collection was created by Thomas Gibbs Moses (at the age of 68) and will one day hang from dedicated line sets that were designed by Dan Culhane at SECOA for the theatre consulting firm of Schuler Shook.
Detail images of this stunning collection will frequently appear on this page in the upcoming months!
French Ultramarine
“French Ultramarine: extremely powerful and semi-transparent; the accepted substitute for the more expensive genuine ultramarine; indispensable, permanent; non-poisonous.”
(Frank Atkinson’s “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art,” 1916, page 20)
The Binding Medium – Extra Strong Size
“The medium for binding distemper is known as “size,” or sizing. For making it, gelatine is preferred, although the best grade of White Cabinet Glue answers very well and is most commonly used. Drop four or five pounds into the cauldron, cover it with water, and fill the water vessel two-thirds full of water. Apply the heat, and when the glue is melted you will have extra strong size. One dipper full of strong size with four dippers of clear hot water will produce working size.” Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art” (1916, page 154).
Advice from Wendy: My glue supplier is Bjorn Industries out of North Carolina. I have discussed my need for animal glue during restoration projects with their chemist and we decided on their product HC351. Rabbit skin glue is my second favorite to work with as an alternative. Also, NEVER put size water in plastic – only metal or glass. Also, do not seal the jar, cover loosely. Otherwise, you create your own little science experiment, allowing the glue to begin a rotting process.
Profile Cuts on Netting
“Profile Cuts on Netting” (Frank Atkinson, Scene Painting and Bulletin Art, 1916, page 194)
“Wings with much profile are very expensive, and it is difficult to join them to the borders, since they must be painted separately; so, in place of them, we render wings and border complete on a full-sized stretch, and when finished we take a sharp knife and cut out the entire creation and all of the openings found inside the principle outline in a most elaborate manner. The center of the stretch is, of course, wasted, and can be used for for covering small set pieces in other productions.”
Below is a picture from the Winona Scottish Rite netted leg drop for the Rebuilding of the Temple scene (16th degree design by Sosman & Landis Studio of Chicago). Obviously, the individual in charge of cutting for netting missed a section. This image always makes me smile as using bright orange to make the “X” identifiable didn’t work!
Lemon Yellow
“Lemon Yellow: a beautiful, light, vivid color; in body and opacity nearly equal to Naples Yellow, but much purer and more lucid in color and tint, and at the same time not liable to change by damp, sulphurous, or impure air, or by the action of light, or by steel palette knife, or by mixture with white lead, zinc, or other pigments; this makes it a valuable addition to the palette. It is principally adapted to high lights and produces agreeable effects when glazed over green.”
From ScenePainting and Bulletin Art by Frank Atkinson, 1916, page 18
Yellow Ochre is “King of the Palette”
“Non-poisonous colors are colors which work agreeably in all admixtures with other colors, with true affinity.
Yellow Ochre: ‘King of the Palette’; good everywhere that one may chose to use it; it is indispensable in ‘carnations’ of flesh tints; absolutely non-poisonous; can be mixed with any color on the palette; quite opaque; permanent; dries fast.”
Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s Scene Painting and Bulletin Art (1916, page 16-18)
Poisonous Colors
“A poisonous color is a color that materially changes itself, after a short lapse of time attacks neighboring colors and alters them. When this action takes place it is termed “poison” in artists’ vernacular, and the result is a “false note” in the “poisoned area.” Excerpt from Frank Atkinson’s 1916 book, Scene Painting and Bulletin Art (page 20)
Chrome Green – deep, medium, and light: Very poisonous and not in favor.”
Colored rendering and detail from Twin City Scenic Co. Collection, box 2 (University of Minnesota Libraries – Performing Arts Archives, scenery collections).
Vandyke Brown, a Permanent Color
“A permanent color is a color that retains the hue recorded at the time of painting. Among the permanent colors are a number that intensify or deepen the value and quality. This is due, not so much to their chemical composition as to the action of the oil used in the reduction, which has a tendency to deepen.” Excerpt from Frank Atkinson, Scene Painting and Bulletin Art (1915, page 16)
Vandyke Brown: (bituminous earth) a rich, transparent pigment; permanent; slow drier.
