The
Conferences of the Traditional Paint Forum:
1995
The First Annual Conference
‘What is Traditional Paint?’
(Inaugural
Conference)
The Georgian Group, 6 Fitzroy Square, London 1995
The first conference of the recently established
Traditional Paint Forum was held at the new headquarters of the
Georgian Group in a fine Adam terrace in London.
‘What is traditional paint?’ was the questioned raised
at the conference. A variety of speakers ranging from curators,
analysts, paint manufacturers, housepainters and conservators
explored this theme and the history and development of house paints.
A range of practical demonstrations, including analytical techniques
and painting techniques and materials was also provided.
A highly entertaining after-dinner lecture was provided by Jocasta
Innes
1996
The Second Annual Conference
‘The Victorian Dwelling’
held at the Institute of Advanced Architectural
Studies, University of York,
York 1-2 November 1996
The
Traditional Paint Forum is indebted to the Institute of Advanced
Architectural Studies at the University of York who provided the
venue of the Forum’s second conference.
Many
of us live in Victorian houses and may wish to establish how they
were originally decorated. The conference considered all aspects
of the decoration of the ordinary house during the nineteenth
century and asked how we should be decorating them today.
Programme
1 November 1996
-Welcome and Announcements, Richard Ireland
-The Victorian Dwelling, Peter Hood
-The Needs of the Building Fabric, Alan Gardner
-Victorian Traditions and Available Materials, Patrick Baty
-Painters and Tradesmen, Patrick Baty
-David Ramsey Hay, Ian Gow
-The Investigation of Victorian Decorative Schemes: Illustrated
Case Studies,
Helen Hughes
-A Victorian House in America, Jack Braunlein
-‘Compositions’, Ivan Hall
2 November 1996
-Paint Manufacture and Processes, Peter Hood
-Paint Application, Kevin Howell
-The Housepainter and Decorative Painting, Paul Humphries and
John Nevin
-Restoration or Replication, Kevin McCloud
-Statutory Considerations, Giles Proctor
-Practical Experience of Recreating Victorian Schemes, Dr Ian
Bristow
-Open Forum Discussion
1997 The Third Annual Conference
‘The Redecoration of Adam Interiors’
Syon Park, Middlesex
7-8 November
1997
The
two-day conference was organised in collaboration with the Georgian
Group.
This examined Robert Adam painted interiors and
how they are presented. It took place in the magnificent Syon
House, the London home of the Dukes of Northumberland famous for
its Adam interiors.
Programme
7 November 1997
Paint Materials & Technology
-Plaster Substrates in the Eighteenth Century, Richard Ireland
-Eighteenth-century Distempers and Oilpaints, Peter Hood
-Eighteenth-century Pigments, Patrick Baty
-A Practical Demonstration of the Manufacture and Application
of Paint,
John Nevin & Paul Humphreys
-Recent Use of Tradtional Distempers and Lead-based Oilpaints,
Dr Ian Bristow
8 November 1997
The Redecoration of Adam Interiors
-Historical Background, Prof. Alistair Rowan
-Syon House, Richard Pailthorpe
-Adam Revivals, Ian Gow
-Robert Adam in the Hands of John Fowler, Peter Hood
-Historical Research on Adam Interiors, Eileen Harris
-Osterley House, Anthea Palmer &Tina Sitwell
(Guided tour of Syon House)
-The Lansdowne House Drawing Room in
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Marigene Butler
-The Drum, No.8 Queen Street, Edinburgh, James Simpson
-The Entrance Hall, Kenwood House, Helen Hughes
-The Worth of Robert Adam’s Drawings, Dr Ian Bristow
1998
The Fourth Annual Conference
‘Paint in the Jazz Age’
Tradition and Change in the Early 20th Century
Eltham Palace,
6
November 1998
The
one day conference was organised with the kind collaboration of
English Heritage.
The recently-restored interiors of Eltham Palace
provided the venue for the Forum’s Fourth Annual Conference.
The subject this year was a consideration of the ‘traditional
paints’ and tastes of the early twentieth century.
Programme
-Building in the ‘Jazz Age’, Alan Powers
-The Courtaulds and Eltham Palace, Dr Michael Turner
-Eltham Palace: the 1930’s Restoration, Iain McLaren
-Paint in the 1930’s with Reference to Eltham Palace, Patrick
Baty
-A Comparative Study of White Pigments used in the ‘Jazz
Age’, Peter Hood
-Tour of the Palace
-The Manufacturing Process in the 1930’s, Colin Mitchell
Rose
-The Art and Craft of the Painter: Developments, Memories and
Anecdotes,
Mike Pryor
-Pavilion and Pullman Court, Helen Hughes
-Lutyens: the Lighter Side, 13 Mansfield Street, London, Dr Ian
Bristow
1999
The Fifth Annual Conference
'Kelmarsh Hall 1926-1954'
The Presentation of Historic Houses before
and after the Second World War
Kelmarsh Hall, Northampton
19-20 November 1999
The conference and workshop was organised in collaboration
with the Kelmarsh Hall Preservation Trust.
The house and grounds of Kelmarsh Hall provided
a beautiful location for the Forum’s Fifth Annual Conference.
The interiors of the Hall, last decorated by Nancy Lancaster and
John Fowler, served as a focus point for a wider discussion of
the presentation of historic houses before and after the Second
World War. The two-day conference discussed decorative painting
techniques and the materials used and the legacy of the period
on today’s historic interiors.
Programme
19 November 1999
-Introduction to Kelmarsh Hall, Phillip Hartley & Peter Scott
-The Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler Objective, Peter Hood
-‘As it might have been but never was’ – English
Country House Style, Louise Ward
-The Kelmarsh Craftsmen of the 1950's, Marienne Suhr
-The Kelmarsh Conservation Plan, George Feruson
-An Investigation of the Painted Decoration at Kelmarsh, Ian Bristow
-Conservation Legislation, Ian Bristow
-The Signifigance of John Fowler - Discussion
-Practical Demonstrations: Jim Smart and Owen Turville
-Video – ‘Nancy Lancaster’
20 November 1999
-The Recreation of the Plasterwork , Jeff Orton
-Materials of the Period – Today’s Options, Patrick
Baty
-An Introduction to the Practical Sessions, Alan Gardner
-Practial Sessions
-Materials and Techniques used by John Fowler Greenings of Donaster
-Concluding discussion led by Ian Bristow
2000
Special Conference
'Inspired by the Past'
'Inspired by the Past'
John Fowler’s Approach to Decoration and Restoration in a
Changing World
London Scientific Studies Lecture Theatre, Savile Row, London
4 July 2001
English Heritage and the T
raditional Paint Forum
collaborated to host a one-day conference to discuss the work
of John Fowler (1906-1997), the eminent interior decorator. He
is remembered as one of the founder members of the influential
firm Colefax & Fowler. In the course of his career Fowler
had a dramatic impact on contemporary styles and the presentation
of historic buildings. His interpretation of interiors has become
a recognised period style in its own right and it is in this context
that a range of speakers discussed his career, methods and lasting
legacy.
Programme
-Welcome and Announcements, Helen Hughes
-Opening Address: The legacy of John Fowler, Sir Neil Cossons
-Working with John Fowler, Peter Inskip
-English Country House Style, Louise Ward
-Fowler and the National Trust, Tim Knox
-Recent Investigations of Fowler’s Schemes, Tina Sitwell
-‘Inspired by the Past’, Patrick Baty
-Colour in Historic Houses in Public Ownership, Dr Ian Bristow
-Fowler’s Work at Kelmarsh Hall, Marianne Suhr
-Conversation with the Painter: Recreating a Fowler Scheme (video
footage)
Ken Cowens, Frank Garbutt & Tom Greening
-The Hall at Kelmarsh, Dr Ian Bristow
-Presenting the Historic Interior, Julian Harrap
2001 The Sixth Annual Conference
‘Coming out in their True Colours
19th Century Polychrome Decoration
The BP Lecture Theatre, The British Museum, London
9 November 2001
The springboard for the conference was the recent
restoration of the original 1840’s scheme of the polychrome
decoration in the Entrance Hall of the British Museum together
with the 1850’s colouring and gilding of the Reading Room
in the Great Court. The conference also considered other important
large-scale nineteenth-century polychromatic schemes in publicly
accessible buildings in the UK, which have been restored or were
in the course of investigation or conservation.
Programme
-Welcome and Introductions, Una Richards
-Building the British Museum, Marjorie Caygill
-The Restoration of the Entrance Hall of The British Museum, Dr
Ian Bristow
-Investigation and Redecoration of the Reading Room in the British
Museum,
Richard Ireland
-Revival of Polychromy at the British Museum, Chris Terrey
-Redecorating Knightshayes, the First Thirty Years, Hugh Meller
-Recent Investigation of the Entrance Hall of the National Gallery,
London
Ian Crick & Michael Smith
-Burgess at Cardiff Castle, John Edwards
-Holmwood House, Glasgow, Una Richards and Patrick Baty
-The Cast Courts at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Jo Darrah
-Royal Holloway College, Peter Riddington
-Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Kate Crowe
2002
The Seventh Annual Conference
‘Faking It’
The History, Techniques and Conservation
of Marbling and Graining
Hampton Court Palace
7-8 November 2002
This
two-day conference was kindly hosted and supported by Historic
Royal Palaces.
It reviewed the long history of the use of paint
to imitate wood and marble. A wide range of papers discussed the
history, aesthetics, materials and techniques of the painted imitations
of these more exotic and expensive materials. The second day of
the conference provided demonstrations of marbling and graining
techniques and allowed delegates to try their own skills imitating
several different styles of wood graining. Specialist guided tours
led by palace curators and decorative finishes experts focussed
on the wide range of extant examples of graining and marbling
which can be seen within Hampton Court Palace.
Programme
7 November 2002
-Welcome and Announcements, Una Richards
-Faking It at Hampton Court: ‘Why we are here’, Jonathan
Foyle
-‘The Lure of a Fine Figure’, Dr Ian Bristow
-Marbling in Medieval Wall Paintings, David Park
-Graining and Marbling in Renaissance England, Anthony Wells-Cole
-The Use of Graining and Marbling (and other imitative effects)
in the Seventeenth Century, Helen Hughes
-The Investigation and Recreation of the Marbling in the Wren
Library, Lincoln, Nigel Leaney
-The Late-eighteenth and Early-nineteenth Century – Changes
in Materials and Techniques, Ian Bristow
-The Nineteenth Century - The Kershaw Panels at the Victoria and
Albert Museum, Alan Gardner
-Grained and Marbled Wallpapers and Other Illusions, Allyson McDermott
-The Training of Grainers and Marblers in the Twentieth and Twenty
first Centuries, Charles Hesp
8 November 2002
-Welcome and Announcements, Una Richards
-Practical Demonstrations, Frank Garbutt, Tom Greening, John Nevin
-Palace Tours, Jonathon Foyle, Susanne Groome, Richard Roberts
2004 The Eighth Annual Conference
‘Influences of the Oriental’
The Royal Pavilion, Brighton
February 26th - 27th 2004
This two-day conference was kindly hosted
and supported by the Royal Pavilion, Libraries and Museums of
Brighton and Hove City Council.
The TPF are particularly grateful to the Royal
Pavilion staff whose help in organising the co
nference and willingness
to take tours and be involved in practical sessions greatly contributed
to the success of the event.
Programme
Thursday 26th February:
-Welcome from the TPF: Ian Bristow, Chairman for the Conference
-The Brighton Pavilion: An Overview of the Architecture and Designs:
Andrew Barlow
-Orientally Influenced Decorative Effects and Techniques: Margaret
Ballardie
-English and Chinese Pigments Used in the Royal Pavilion: Janet
Brough
After lunch the delegates split into three groups and, in turn,
saw the following:
- Tour of the Royal Pavilion Decorative Effects
(including graining and marbling): Jon Latham
- Examined Cross-section Samples, from the Royal Pavilion, under
the microscope Janet Brough
- Practical Demonstration of the Stalker and Parker Recipes:
Margaret Ballardie
Friday 27th February:
-Chairman’s Introduction: Ian Bristow
-Orientalism: ideas and practices - an overview: Patrick Conner
-Hand Painted Chinese Wallpaper and its Conservation: Alyson McDermott
-The Redecoration of the Chinese Pavilion at Stowe: Jonathon Berry
& Emile Debruijn
-Redecoration of the Liberty Cinema, Southwell (London): Louise
Henderson
The delegates were then split into three groups and, in turn,
saw the following:
- Practical Demonstration of the Royal Pavilion
Graining and Marbling: Jon Latham
- Tour of the Painted Glass at the Royal Pavilion: Anne Sowden
- Examination of the Historic Wallpaper Collection at the Royal
Pavilion: Heather Wood
Background on The Brighton
Pavilion:
The complex development of the Royal Pavilion can be split three
principal phases: the Marine Pavilion extension of an existing
more modest house by Henry Holland in 1787; enlargement from 1801
with the building of the stables and other alterations with the
involvement of Porden, Holland and Repton and, finally, with the
engagement of the Architect John Nash in 1815, further extension
and transformation until 1823.
A brief outline of just one room will give an indication of the
splendour of the venue and its suitability for a conference on
Orientalism. John Morley describes the building of the Royal Pavilion
under George III in the guide book and, in particular, describes
the Music Room as:
“… perhaps the most remarkable of all the rooms in the
Royal Pavilion. The prose of a less abashed age does it full justice:
“No verbal description, however elaborate, can convey to
the mind or imagination of the reader an appropriate idea of the
magnificence of this apartment; and even with the creative delineations
of the pencil, combined with all the illusions of colour, would
scarcely be adequate to such an undertaking. Yet luxuriously resplendent
and costly as the adornments are, they are so intimately blended
with the refinements of an elegant taste that everything appears
in keeping and in harmony.” These decorations, as elsewhere
in the building, are in materials that admitted no compromise.
All are of the highest quality; the details of carving and painting
are superb. The cockleshells of the dome, decreasing in size as
they approach its apex, give an impression of loftiness that belies
actual dimensions. The wall paintings, said to have been done
by Lambelet, are elaborate chinoiserie confections in red, yellow
and gold; many details originate from Alexander’s Costumes
of China.
Frederick Crace and his firm, who controlled the work done in
the Music Room, accomplished the task in a remarkably short time,
often working throughout the night. The total effect is somewhat
like that of a great lacquer box; some details, especially those
of the upper part of the central gasolier, approach in refinement
the spirit of contemporary French decoration despite their exotic
elaboration. The room is as a whole more “Chinese” than
perhaps any other apartment in the Pavilion.
… the total cost of the room was £45,125.15.10 (sums
such as these should be seen in their context; the net produce
of the whole Kingdom, in the year of the King’s accession,
amounted to £74,769,196.4s.3.75d.)”
Traditional Paint Forum
2005 Conference
“10 Years on – What lessons
have we learnt and what have we achieved”.
The Brompton Oratory and The Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
October 7th & 8th 2005.
This conference reviewed some of the changes that have taken place
since the Traditional Paint Forum was founded in October 1994
and discussed what the Forum should seek to achieve in the next
decade. Many of the papers also looked at different approaches
to using information from traditional paints to help informed
conservation.
Programme
Friday 7th October:
-Academic studies of painted finishes – are they being used
effectively?: Dr Ian Bristow, President, Traditional Paint Forum.
-An historical introduction to the V&A: Christopher Marsden,
Senior Archivist, V&A Museum.
-Colour at the V&A: Gwyn Miles, Director of Projects, V&A
Museum.
-Applying the lessons of Newhailes: Ian Gow, Curator, National
Trust for Scotland.
-The Red House – A novel collaborative approach: Christine
Sitwell, Conservation Adviser, National Trust.
After lunch, delegates had a private tour of the V&A Museum
visiting some of the areas highlighted in the previous papers.
Saturday 8th October:
- Traditional Paint Forum AGM.
- Danson House – Solving the mystery and recreating the glory:
Helen Hughes, Senior Architectural Paint Researcher, English Heritage.
- Rediscovering Phoebe Anna Traquair’s murals at Mansfield
Church, Edinburgh: Ailsa Murray, Wall Painting Conservator, Historic
Scotland.
- The restoration of the Royal Pavilion at the railway station
in The Hague: Roos Keppler, SRAL, Maastricht.
- Smaller projects – Can I afford APR and what will it contribute?:
Alan Gardner, Alan Gardner Associates.
- Smarter Strippers – Advances in paint removal techniques
and materials: Clara Willett, Building Conservation & Research
Team, English Heritage.
- The new Institute of Conservation – What will it do for
you: Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive ICON.
- Report on the Copenhagen Conference – The search for a
European Code of Practice: Colin Mitchell-Rose, Chairman, Traditional
Paint Forum.
After lunch, there was a wide ranging discussion by delegates
on the future direction of the Forum. In particular, concern was
raised that the lack of understanding about what traditional paint
was and could contribute, together with reluctance to use it for
financial or safety reasons might lead to those few remaining
manufacturers deciding that continuing to supply these paints
was not worth while. The discussion concluded with the strong
message that the founding purpose of the Forum “Towards the
better understanding and appreciation of traditional paint”
was even more important today.
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