Sunday, October 13, 2013

A Color Faux Pas

Nature never seems to have issues with color. Even deliberately bad color combinations forced by a gardener often lack the discord to cause offense.





















That is not the case when it comes to paint. Despite the rain last night, the threat of rain today and perhaps things not being quite dry, I could not resist getting started on staining the porch decks.

What is with this 'Midnight Blue'? I notice discord.





















I had all my color swatches. I checked them thrice before deciding on 'Midnight Blue'. The flow is off.





















I am having a hard time liking this color choice in relation to all the other colors of the cozy cabin. It works alright with the 'Artichoke gray, but it isn't right with the 'Waterloo' blue.

Or maybe I am just in color shock from having the decks painted after all these years.

I'm already half way done. Even if I decide to change it, I'll need the same base coat over the whole thing so I have to finish it now.





















The color swatch in the brochure was way darker than this. The swatch was like a charcoal blue, really dark. This is not dark. It gets a touch darker as it dries, but not charcoal dark. Maybe a second coat will get the dark color of the swatch.

Now it is raining. I doubt everything I painted today is dry enough for a good rain. I may have a 'Midnight Blue' wash on the edges in the morning.

I am contemplating a Jackson Pollock style drips and splashes of paint on the decks using all the other colors of the cozy cabin. That might make this "Midnight Blue' flow better.





















Nature never has these color troubles. The forest has really started to turn and I don't worry at all that the colors will end up all wrong.


2 comments:

Cheryl K. said...

swatches lie. particularly with deck colors. And the same color in a different can won't be the same, particularly with deck colors. I hope the saving grace in our mismatched deck situation is the sun will shine brightly and fade it all into something different - still mismatched but less so. Eventually.

Christopher C. NC said...

Cheryl I have used seven or eight colors inside and out on the cozy cabin and the deck stain is by far the most off from the swatch and what I was expecting.