Part One The Professional Scenic Artist

Part OneThe Professional Scenic Artist

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Mural detail from the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,designed by David Birn, painted at Cobalt Studios by David Zinn and Rachel Keebler.


Chapter 1

Training and Workingas a Scenic Artist

Being a scenic artist is an unusual and highly reward-ing career. One thing that makes scenic artistryunusual is the physical scale of the work. Stage paint-ings are often enormous relative to an artist’s canvas.One-thousand-square-foot canvases knocked out inone, two or three days (or even hours) are not thestuff of everyday life, except for the scenic artist.Another thing that makes scenic artistry unusual isthe apparent anonymity of the artist to the public.The fact that the apparent “credit” for the canvasgoes first to the scenic designer may seem odd.Imagine Michelangelo allowing his staff to paint theceiling of the Sistine Chapel from his sketches—it’sunfathomable. Yet the value of the artist these daysis less emphatically on the skill of the artist than thecreative idea. It is the norm in theatre that the scenicdesigner has the public face as the creator when itcomes to stage scenery. However, those of us whowork in theatre know well that scenic artists areas much a part of the creative process as designers.Just as Broadway producers insist on such gifteddesigners as Tony Walton, John Napier, and HeidiLandesman (to name but a few), it is inconceivablethat any of these great designers would venture intoa “painted” design without being assured that onlytop scenic artists would be available. Great painterslike Joe Forbes, Rachel Keebler, Doug Lebrecht,Nancy Orr, Jane Snow, and Mary Heilman are equallyin demand for high-venture stage productions as arethe better-known scenic designers.

Scenic artistry is profoundly rewarding, too. Howmany young artists dream of living off their painting?This is what the scenic artist does, for it is a career ofpainting, plain and simple. That scenic art is also hardlabor becomes apparent all too quickly to the young(and old) practitioner. And sometimes this reality isthe thing we find hard to overlook. Yet who can denythe rich pleasure of the act of painting? When the can-vas is primed and fresh, when the cartoon is ready andthe colors mixed, it is exciting to lay down the firstcolor on a drop. There is an immediate reward of abrush pulling on canvas and the proper stroke ofpaint. Does this not reward us in some profound way?

Most fundamentally, a scenic artist is a highlyspecialized painter who works on very large-scaleand often realistic paintings. Yet this sort of paintingis by no means all that scenic artists do. In fact, itis difficult to state exactly what type of painting ascenic artist will be required to do during the courseof any given day. All scenic artists are certainlyexpected to be capable of painting large-scale back-drops, once the principal output of the trade.Contemporary scenic artists are also expected toadeptly paint two- and three-dimensional scenery byemploying a wide array of painting techniques. Fauxfinish techniques on three-dimensional surfaces areas common now as the traditional trompe l’oeilpainting that is the foundation of scenic art.

Scenic artists paint on canvas, linen, wood, plas-tic, foam, and metal as a matter of course. They paint

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vertically in front of them and horizontally below themusing hundreds of colors, a variety of mediums, andvarious finishing products, and they are expected to beexperts in the use of these materials. They paint withbrooms, sprayers, rollers, pumps, sponges, rags, and, ofcourse, brushes. Sculpture and carving are skillsexpected of many scenic artists, especially in regionaltheatres (though at the top levels of the craft there aresculptors who do exclusively that). Thus, knowledge of assembling and carving wood, foam, fabric, metal,and other materials is also essential knowledge for thescenic artist, although not the focus of this text.

Scenic artists must be able to not just reproducewhat is given them, but to transform it. Usually, scenic artists are interpreting the work of a scenicdesigner from a very small scale into a large sizeappropriate for the theatre. The key to the craft is theability to interpret. Most anyone can learn to trace ormechanically reproduce an image. Scenic artists must

interpret visual information received from thedesigner, not just by surface appearance but also byhow that information relates to the overall stage pic-ture. Thus, scenic artists must understand the scenicdesigner’s artistic intentions. This ability to interpretcannot be understated. This is increasingly true asscenic designers who provide the information fromwhich scenic artists must work are themselves work-ing less and less by painting and more and more bydigital collage. The bottom line is that scenic artistshave to paint scenery with a brush—or somethinglike a brush—and make the image happen no matterwhat form the information comes in. Good scenicartists must also be able to remain neutral in theirown painting style in order to absorb the style of theart they are expected to interpret.

Thousands of people around the world havecareers as scenic artists, and the profession has existedsince the Italian Renaissance. In fact, scenic paintingexisted as early as Classical Greece, but it is in thelast 500 years that it has flourished and been refined,and practitioners have prospered. The fact that sce-nic art is a career has two profound implications: oneis that a person can make a very good living at it, theother is that it is a business as well as an art form.

It is undeniable that more job opportunities existin professional scenic painting now than ever before.This is certainly true if one includes scenic artistswho work in television, film, and decorative arts. Itis also true that there are many more paths by whichone enters the profession now then there were in thepast, even the recent past. This is most true in NorthAmerica, where a sprawling private and public uni-versity system provides good exposure and, in somecases, excellent training in theatre practice. The tra-ditional training format was an apprentice system,one in which women were rarely admitted. This haschanged significantly in the last 100 years, in part asa result of the universities mentioned earlier and theappearance of very specialized private schools and stu-dio training. The American union for theatrical artists,United Scenic Artists (USA), also has recently insti-tuted an apprenticeship program for scenic artists.

No matter how one begins to develop scenicpainting skills, it takes time—often a lot of time—tobecome an accomplished, independent artist. Evenafter advanced training at a university, it may takeyears of experience to attain the skills required toproficiently paint one challenging and diverse projectafter another. Almost every successful scenic artistcan point to one or two people in their career who

4 ● THE PROFESSIONAL SCENIC ARTIST

Figure 1.1 19th-century painting techniques. Fromthe Lyric Opera of Chicago/Northern Illinois UniversityHistorical Scenic Collection (Courtesy of The School ofTheatre and Dance, Northern Illinois University,Alexander Aducci, Curator).


took them under their wing and trained them. Thoughapprenticeship is no longer the only way in to theprofession, it is almost always a critical part of a sce-nic artist’s development. There are always extremelygifted painters who seem to understand exactly howscenic painting works even after minimal exposure tothe art form. However, the rest of us must keep inmind that being a good scenic artist takes time. Thereis much to learn artistically, managerially, and prac-tically. Another important aphorism to keep in mindis that scenic artists never stop learning. Everyencounter with the physical world is another oppor-tunity for the scenic artist to better understand thepractice, techniques, and art of the profession.

TRAINING TO BE A SCENIC ARTIST

It takes an enormous amount of experience tobecome proficient at theatrical painting. This chapteris meant to help beginning scenic artists understandhow and where to get this experience as well as whyit is so important.

What a Scenic Artist Should Know

Successful scenic artists, like many artists of the the-atre, need a wide array of skills and knowledge toserve them in their profession. Of course, good scenic

artists must draw and paint very well. Scenic artistsalso must know their tools—paint and brushes—aswell as the surfaces they are called on to paint andthe hundreds of products used in painting, staining,dying, sealing, texturing, thinning, extending, or chem-ically drying paint. Scenic artists also must possessknowledge in the areas of scenic design, drafting, cal-ligraphy, and sign painting. In this profession, wherevisual images are reproduced on a large scale, suchexpertise is the foundational skill set.

In addition to these skills, exceptional scenicartists will have acquired a wide base of knowledgeto support the visual images and effects that they areasked to create. Knowledge in the areas of art and arthistory, architecture, architectural and theatrical his-tory, photography, printing, mechanical imagereproduction, and geometry and the natural sciencesare all part of the body of knowledge that contributesto the day-to-day work of the scenic artist. A keencuriosity and good powers of observation will helpput this acquired knowledge to work. Travel andexperience certainly contribute to the ability to syn-thesize one’s knowledge of the physical world.

Drawing and drafting are the tools scenic artistsuse when beginning a scenic image. All convincingimages, particularly trompe l’oeil, begin with a sounddrawing. The drawing of architecture relies onthe rules of geometry and perspective to guide it.Geometry is essential because it provides a rational,

Training and Working as a Scenic Artist ● 5

Figure 1.2The scenic shop at CobaltStudios.


Figure 1.3 A scenic artist must know art history and style. Chaucer, Scenic Art Studios.

mathematical basis for the visual arts. Most artistsneed comprehensive drawing and drafting skills aswell as a sound understanding of perspective toreproduce a complex image like a perspective streetscene. This is especially true when laying out a full-stage drop. Scenic artists painting a drop must be incommand of the overall perspective while drawing itout in small manageable pieces. But, beyond draw-ing, even the simplest wet blend of one color toanother must have correct proportion to look balanced. Classical Greek ideals of proportion andform are based on geometric rationality. These aes-thetics of proper proportion and ideal form are thecore of many of the visual images we see today.

More specialized forms of drawing include calligraphy, lettering, and sign painting, which shapeletters and words, perhaps the most precise set ofgraphic images in the world. These images are familiarto all viewers, who instinctively recognize good or poorlettering. Scenic artists should thus have a workingknowledge of the construction of common serif andsans serif style lettering as well as an understandingof calligraphy and sign painting. Calligraphy andsign painting rely on brush techniques as well as theform of the letters themselves and are specializedskills that scenic artists must at least comprehend.

As noted earlier, scenic artists are dependent firstand foremost on their skills as painters. These skills

must be based in the fundamentals of painting andcolor theory and a variety of painting techniques.Sound understanding of color is critical for scenicartists, as they will mix paint colors based on theirunderstanding of how colors interact to achieve theirtarget color. Manipulating the application of coloron a painted surface so it appears to be one hue at adistance even though close up it might be a combi-nation of hues is a skill based on understanding colorand human optical perception.

Scenic artists also must be well versed in howpainting techniques have evolved. Scenic artistry is aprofession in which artists might be called on to recap-ture the soul and substance of art from all eras in his-tory. In one production, a scenic artist may be called onto recreate in a very large scale Rembrandt’s The NightWatch, whereas in the next production, the challengemight be to create wallpaper in the style of AndyWarhol. Scenic artists must understand the methodswhereby these works were originally created to recre-ate them on stage. Furthermore, they must be able torecreate these images very quickly. Scenic artists cannotreproduce The Night Watch with the thickly appliedoil-based pigment that Rembrandt used or turn to silkscreening as Warhol did. Instead, they must rely ontheir knowledge of modern mediums and alternativetechniques to recreate the same effects quickly whilefulfilling the vision of the scenic designer.



Knowledge and understanding of the histories ofart, architecture, and theatre also are essential tounderstanding what scenic artists are called on topaint. Scenic artists need to have a thorough knowl-edge and understanding of the scenic designer’s artis-tic intent behind the use of classic and artisticreferences in a design so that the intent comes throughclearly in the contemporary execution of it. Theatreis tremendously reliant on history and historical ref-erences. We work with 400-year-old plays as a mat-ter of course. Although the statement a productionmakes is obviously contemporary, the elements of

expression often are drawn from history. Many sce-nic designers describe their work in terms of otherartists or artistic movements, even if no direct imita-tion is involved. Because designers often rely onphrases to evoke a scenic vision, such as “the coolcontrolled world of Vermeer” or “the dark quality ofRomanesque architecture,” all the while describing adesign for The Life and Death of King John, scenicartists had better know what these coded wordsmean. These references are a way of describing theintangibles of design. Sometimes, the best way to putwords to an image is to bring to mind the memory of


Figure 1.4Scenic artists will be asked toemulate many different paintingtechniques and styles. EnchantedApril, Scenic Art Studios.


a well-known image as a vehicle to convey style andintention.

Photography is a useful means to observe theworld because it asks the careful photographer to con-sider light, both natural and artificial, in an objectiveway. Light reveals all visual images. Understandingand reproducing how surface, form, and atmosphererespond to light is the mark of a proficient painter.The very act of photography helps anyone retain thememory of a place. A stock of photographs can serveas a fabulous personal resource for scenic artists. Forexample, an album of cloud and sky photos willcome in handy for scenic artists painting sky dropsand landscapes. This is evidenced by the ubiquitouspresence of Judy Juracek’s marvelous publicationsSurfaces, Natural Surfaces, and Soft Surfaces in sce-nic studios and on scenic designers’ shelves. Thesethree publications are rich collections of high-qualityphotographs of common and uncommon objects andsurfaces that designers and artists use in the theatre.

Knowledge in the technology of related craftshas direct application to scenic art, particularly withcomputers and mechanical image reproduction.Copy machines and the computer are now irreplace-able tools for most scenic designers and scenic artists.Complex signage is easily cartooned or actually cutinto many commonly used materials with the aid ofa computer-guided router, commonly called a CNC(Computer Numerical Control) machine. Stencils ofany type can be made in the same way, and a com-puter will help in the registration process. Digitalimage manipulation can aid a scenic artist in adapt-ing paint elevations to odd sizes or in creating moremechanical printing “looks” like dot screening.Scenic designers use photocopying and digital imag-ing extensively to make paint elevations. Large-formatcopy machines and printers provide a source to scenicartists for finished, or nearly finished, color imagesfor stage use. Ultra-large-format painting machinesare widely used for full-stage drops or large paintedsurfaces. The very presence of these machines forcesa debate as to the relevance of the scenic artist versusa machine that paints. One cannot expect that thesimple and marvelous human gesture of painting canever be cost-effectively replaced, but it is a good ideafor scenic artists to be fully aware of how suchmachines work and what sorts of binders, pigments,and application processes they employ.

Natural sciences such as geology and geographyare a means of rationally defining our world.Geology and cartography certainly are removed from

the study of painting and theatre, but for an artistresponsible for painting representations and aspectsof the world we live in, there is no area of knowledgethat will not at one time or another prove invaluable.For instance, scenic artists are often called on to real-istically paint stone. Thus, the ability to paint mar-ble, limestone, and fieldstone is needed in the scenicartist’s repertory. Understanding the science of thestructure of the earth will help artists in creating afaux drift marble finish as much as geometry willhelp them understand architectural shapes. The samecan be said of taxonomy, the classification of allorganisms; anthropology, the study of the culturaldevelopment of humankind; and geography, thestudy of the earth’s features—all areas of knowledgethat will be of great value to scenic artists.

The experience of travel certainly is an obviousasset for any scenic artist, as it is an important meansfor understanding the world one lives in. Travel hasbeen, and still is, an important component of highereducation for university students. It is revealing thefirst time one goes to Italy and sees the blue sky therecontrasted with the red tile roofs. Once one has seena vista with these elements in it, the aesthetic rela-tionship of these colors to the Italian landscape makessense. Add in the recognition one has at seeing umberand sienna in their native state. It is as much a part oftheir world as the “purple-mountained majesty” is apart of the Americas. So many aspects of the world


Figure 1.5 An example of turn-of-the-centuryAmerican scenic painting elevation, Twin Cities ScenicCollection (courtesy of the Performing Arts Archives,University of Minnesota Libraries, St. Paul, Minnesota).


cannot be fully captured in a photograph, such as thediminutive size of an old European village or themassive quality of Manhattan building details. Travelis not just leisure time for scenic artists; observing thevariety of the world builds integrity into their work.Time and time again, scenic artists are called on tofill in the blanks, make up a detail, or flesh out apiece of trim. Having a personal reserve of experi-ence will make that work all the more interesting andauthentic.

The qualities of a good chef are not unlike thoseof a good painter. Good cooks take individual ingre-dients and make a mixture that is better than the sumof the parts. In fact, relatively simple ingredientsmake magnificent dishes, like a cassoulet or a risotto.In the same light, a painting is, after all, just so muchpaint. Part of what makes painting and cooking sim-ilar is the craft behind them. Good cooking startswith solid technical skills: chopping items correctly,making a simple béchamel sauce, using ingredients atthe right temperature, and so on. Then one actuallycooks each element of a dish in the correct manner—not too long, not too quickly. Then one seasons withrestraint to allow the inherent flavors to emerge. It isnot magic, just good practice. The same is true ofpainting; if one takes all the correct steps in orderand does them well, the result is sound. I was taughtearly on that every step of the painting process needsto look good, and that a poorly done step cannot becovered up by better work later. Best to correct thingsthen and there. Good painters, like good cooks,know that painting too much—overpainting—candestroy good work just as too much salt can ruin adelicate dish. Part of learning to paint is learningprocess and practicing restraint when appropriate.

That Special Something that MakesYou a Scenic Artist

Ultimately, scenic artistry is basically a visual art.Besides the vast array of technical and organizationalskills they must possess, scenic artists must be able tosee and interpret the world. The word seeing here isdistinguished from the word looking. Developingpainting skills becomes part of every waking momentbecause these skills are directly related to the skills ofobservation. Scenic artists must learn how to see theworld around them, constantly exercising theirobservational skills by breaking down every form orvista into the components necessary to translate theminto two-dimensional images. How is the depth of

field described in line work? How would the linework be constructed to represent the foreshorteningof forms? How can a texture be recreated? Whatbase coat should be used? Which elements would bepainted first? What painting techniques would beused? Where would the shades be located? Whathighlight color would complement the cast shadowand describe the quality of light? If this image wereexecuted in an impressionistic style, what would thepalette of colors be? Because scenic artists are first andforemost visual artists, these exercises are preformednumerous times each day—almost unconsciously—because the artists are always seeing and improvingtheir paint skills, whether there is a brush in handor not.

Scenic artists must be conversant and fluid inmany different styles of art. These skills are alsoreflected in the scenic artist’s ability to recognize andunderstand the skill and stylistic fluidity of otherartists. Whether walking through a picture gallery,looking through a book, or observing the work ofpeers, scenic artists perfect their skills by scrutinizinghow other artists have solved cartooning problems,applied color theory, and utilized painting techniques.When scenic artists are in the paint shop, these skillsof observation are reflected in their accurate draftingability, chroma and value consciousness, stylistic flu-idity, and ability to recognize the accuracy of essen-tial visual elements in the work on the shop floor.

Formal Training for Scenic Artists

Until the 20th century, training in the art of scenicpainting was available only to the sons of establishedscenic artists and young men willing to work under along apprenticeship. Often, children began to learnthe craft in scenic studios at the age of 12. Thischanged considerably in the 20th century, principallydue to the power of labor unions that humanizedworking conditions, improved pay scales, and per-mitted the inclusion of women in the craft. Equallysignificant is the vast expansion of training opportu-nities in the theatre through the American universitysystem. There are dozens of university programs inwhich terminal Master of Fine Arts degrees are avail-able to performers, artists, and technicians of the theatre. Few offer degrees specifically for scenic artists,but many offer training in scenic art. Even more uni-versities have undergraduate degree programs in the-atre offering Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Artsdegree options. These programs prepare students for



advanced training or provide ambitious students withenough information to continue their own training asapprentices or full-fledged scenic artists.

University Programs

The population boom in the United States during the20th century created a large university network, mak-ing post-secondary schooling available to millions ofstudents. As noted above, many universities in theUnited States have adopted practical training for the-atre craft into their curricula. The growth of this sys-tem has taken place at roughly the same time as thegrowth of unions representing the theatrical trades.Some of the first influential American scenic designersestablished the first theatrical training programs at

American universities. Yale University establishedthe first training program for scenic designers inthe 1920s under the direction of Donald Oenslager.1

Yale Drama School continues as one of the finesttraining programs in the country, particularly inthe design fields. The basic format of that programhas been widely imitated throughout the country,and now over 250 American universities, represent-ing every state, offer advanced training in the the-atrical arts. Many of these offer degrees specificallyin theatrical production at the undergraduate andgraduate levels.


Figure 1.6The scenic shop at North Carolina Schoolof the Arts. Daniel Thobias (left) and AdrianeDonlet painting on The Sleeping Beauty,designed by Raber Umphenour.

1Larson, 1989


The university setting may be the most logicalplace to begin training as a scenic artist. In these pro-grams, classes are available in the many disciplines oftheatre, such as acting, directing, design, stage man-agement, and technical theatre, which help studentsunderstand the work performed by all contributorsto a theatrical production. Most programs includetheatrical history and critical studies courses, whichhelp create an understanding of dramatic literatureand production history. Students of scenic artistry willfind that classes in design, technical drawing, andrendering will have a direct application to their craft.

The university also provides other classes thatare equally important to the scenic artist. The topicsof art, art history, architectural history, painting,photography, the natural sciences, and many otheruseful fields of study are available to students in thissetting. As well as providing an excellent means toexplore many topics related to scenic painting, uni-versity programs also give students the opportunityto gain practical experience while working on well-organized productions with a professional staff. Onlycomprehensive theatre programs offer classes specif-ically in scenic painting. Many university programshave only one class in scenic painting; some have twoor more. Beyond these courses in the curriculum, stu-dents may enroll in independent studies to continuethe study of scenic painting. Students with an inter-est in scenic artistry often obtain a Bachelor of FineArts degree in theatre or theatre production. Manystudents opt to go on and obtain a Master of FineArts degree in scenic design. As of the publication ofthis book, few institutions, such as North CarolinaSchool for the Arts and Cal Arts, offer a degree thatincludes scenic artistry and properties painting.

A good university program is an excellent placeto begin a career in the theatre. However, some pro-grams may have the opposite effect of discouragingtalented artists through overwork or in miserableworking conditions. It is therefore important thatstudents, their parents, and advisors know what tolook for in a university program. Any student inter-ested in studying scenic art should pay a visit to thecollege or university before choosing to attend classesthere. They should look through the curriculum andinquire about scenic art classes and possible produc-tion experience, and meet with the professor teachingthe scenic art classes and any staff scenic artists.Interested students should also talk to students alreadyin the program and tour the facilities to determinewhether the equipment and space available are

conducive to well-painted productions. The followingare some points interested students should consider:

● What is your evaluation of the painting andoverall production facilities? Are the workingconditions comfortable and safe? Is thereadequate light and ventilation? Is the shopreasonably neat and inviting?

● What sort of work are students in the programdoing? Are they being challenged by their classand production work?

● Is the instructor truly a specialist in scenicpainting?

● Is there a paint frame or wooden deck spacelarge enough to handle a full-stage drop? (Ifnot, chances are that drops are not done therevery often.)

● Are materials handled and stored properly?(This will be an insight into the general workingconditions and attitudes of the program.)

● Is there enough space to conduct a scenepainting class?

● Is there enough time in the production scheduleto allow for scene painting instruction, or is ittaught only by working on productions?

● Are there opportunities to work on productionswith professional supervision? Can you seephotos of past productions where the designincorporated advanced scenic art techniques?

In addition to asking these questions, interestedstudents should see a school production if they can,or at least look at the scenery in the shop and deter-mine whether the painting looks professional. Theyshould try to get a sense of the production schedulein terms of how the painting is considered in the con-struction period. If the scenic artist or technical direc-tor maintains that most of the painting for aproduction is done in a weekend, students shouldlook elsewhere.

Specialized Schools or Programs

Serious students of scenic painting may seek toattend a specialized school or studio where theatricalpainting is the emphasis of the training. This mightbe in addition to undergraduate training in theatre ormight be undertaken during a career in order to ele-vate one’s painting skills.

From the 1950s until 1988, the Studio andForum of Stage Design, operated by Lester Polakov,



trained scores of scenic artists and designers. Thisfamous studio taught painting, drawing, and designand served as an important meeting place for theNew York City design world. But when the studioclosed its doors in 1988, it left New York City—thetraditional center of scenic production in NorthAmerica—without a place to study scenic art.

However, this gap began to be filled in 1990,when Cobalt Studios opened in White Lake, New York.Cofounded by Rachel Keebler and Howard Jones,both leading professional American scenic artists andteachers. Cobalt Studios is now operated by RachelKeebler and provides intensive instruction in scenicpainting. It is one of few such studios in the worldand is unique in the thoroughness of its program.Cobalt Studios maintains an ongoing offering ofcourses. Students can attend a concentrated two-yearprogram in addition to the two- to four-day sessions,three-week short courses, and frequent weekendseminars. Cobalt also is a working scenic studio,which provides a unique opportunity for students towork on actual high-profile scenic productions withwell-known professional designers. The studio also

serves the professional community as a hub for infor-mation about the profession, methods, materials,and techniques.

Scenic artist training also is available in theNew York City area at the recently formed Studioand Forum of Scenic Arts. This private studio, ownedand operated by Joseph Forbes and Janet Stapleman,offers a two-year training program in scenic painting.The location of the studio, as well as its prestigiousfaculty, makes it the obvious successor to LesterPolokov’s famed studio.

In addition to these programs, the scenic artists’union, United Scenic Artists (USA), occasionally spon-sors painting workshops featuring the “old masters”of New York. These are generally available only tounion members. Meanwhile, the United StatesInstitute for Theatre Technology (USITT) annualconference often includes some scenic art demonstra-tions of a very high caliber, although these tend to beno more than one or two days in length.

Many European countries have followed thesystem, begun during the 18th century, of estab-lishing large centralized art academies such as


Figure 1.7 The shop floor at Scenic Art Studios.


L’Académie des Beaux Arts in France or the EnglishRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). These insti-tutes offer extremely specialized training in either art(the French Beaux Arts) or theatre (RADA). They arevery different from the United States university sys-tem in that they are highly specialized and extremelycompetitive. Both countries have other centers wheretheatre arts and scenic painting are instructed orwhere specialized decorative painting is taught.These schools, however, are few in number, compet-itive, and can be very expensive for foreign students.

Apprenticeships and On-the-JobTraining

The experience and training students gain in a uni-versity situation does not fully prepare them to workin or run a professional shop. The skills and knowl-edge expected of a scenic artist are too vast; the con-fidence the scenic artist must have to perform the jobwith alacrity generally comes only with seasonedexperience. Thus, some form of apprenticeship,either formal or informal, is essential to learning theprofession of scenic artistry. Nearly every scenicartist has had a master-apprentice experience in hisor her own training, one or two individuals who“showed the artist the ropes” (or buckets in thiscase). No better training can be obtained than theone-on-one instruction of working with a master scenic artist for an extended period of time. There israrely a job where you don’t come away with some-thing more than a paycheck. Every new project orpartnership brings a new technique or a new way ofdoing things, even if only a new way to stir paint.Every scenic artist you encounter—whether they befellow students or old pros—will have knowledgeto share.

United Scenic Artists has an apprenticeship pro-gram for scenic artists in New York City. It is a three-year training program in which the apprentice has thepossibility of working in a variety of venues, includ-ing network television, episodic television, cable tele-vision, scenic studios, and the Metropolitan Opera.The apprenticeship program takes applicants basedon availability of work in the region. Entrance to theprogram is by a three-step process of an examination,portfolio review and interview, and practical skillstest. Apprentices work with journeymen scenic artistsat a ratio of one apprentice to five journeymen andthey are paid at a fractional rate of journeymen scalethat increases every four months. The apprentice is

made a full USA scenic artist member at the success-ful completion of the apprenticeship.

Cobalt Studios devotes approximately half of itscurriculum for long-term students to work withactual productions in its studio. In this way, it canoffer an apprenticeship in tandem with the scenic artcoursework. Many professional scenic artists want toinformally instruct assistants and are pleased to sharewhat they know with a novice because they them-selves got their start in much the same way.Compensation may be problematic, but as the scenicartist fresh to the professional world acquires anddisplays skill and confidence, the pay will improve.

The four types of training of a scenic artist listedhere—university schooling, specialized training,apprenticeship, and on-the-job training—togetherform an excellent path toward becoming a scenicartist.

WORKING AS A SCENIC ARTIST

Getting and keeping work as a scenic artist requiresconsiderable time and effort, particularly at thebeginning of a career. Very few regular full-time jobsare available in the profession. When starting acareer, much of the work available is on a short-termfreelance basis, which means that, at first, you can-not turn down many job offers. If your work is good,one job inevitably will lead to another. Most practi-tioners of the theatrical trades will know someoneyou may have worked with, and scenic artistry is noexception. Once you have worked well for one com-pany, the word of your performance will precede youto the next job. Employers want to hire known quan-tities, so get known for the right reasons. If yourwork is good, on schedule, and within budget, pro-ducers, scenic designers, and other scenic artists willseek you out.

When you are contracted to do a job, to work aseason, or to deliver a product, the company thatemployed you is your client. Before you work thatfirst job, take a few moments to consider what agood scenic artist is and what an effective employeeor contractor is. One of the best ways to do this is toimagine yourself in your client’s place. The clienthires a scenic artist with the expectation that theartist will fulfill a function or perform a task. Thismeans a high-quality job done on time with nounnecessary problems or holdups, performed by aperson with a professional attitude. A professional



attitude is very important. “I have no complaintsabout the work that artist did but I don’t have timefor the hassles,” paraphrases the reason clients oftengive for not rehiring talented artists. It is not enoughto paint beautifully; you must manage the work well

and perform it professionally. If problems do arise,and they often do, scenic artists should always try tofind a solution on their own before making demandson the client. If you need to bring the problem to theattention of the client, you should present it alongwith one or two suggested solutions. If your engage-ment has made the client’s job easier or has made thecontract run more smoothly, there is a strong chancethat you will be asked back.

The employer also must have a professional atti-tude. If you are working as an employee, it is theemployer’s responsibility to provide you with a workspace that is both adequate for the job at hand andsafe. The workspace must be large enough to accom-modate the project, have adequate lighting, a mixingarea, a water source, and heat in the winter, and besafe and secure. If you are working in a bad part oftown, you should not have to worry about your per-sonal safety or the safety of your vehicle. If you areworking in a warehouse, you should not have to beconcerned about working in a toxic environment.Chapter 4 discusses the workspace at length.

The employer also must provide adequate mate-rials to work with and a reasonable time frame for thepainting to be completed. If time is short, the employermust provide a means to hire additional assistants.


Figure 1.8 Design for chandeliers, Un Ballo inMaschera at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City.Sketch drafted by Hal Tiné, painted by Peter Wexler.Photo by Peter Wexler, courtesy of the New York PublicLibrary for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, BillyRose Theatre Collection, Peter Wexler Collection.

Figure 1.9 Opening scene with chandeliers, Un Ballo in Maschera, at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City.Photo by Peter Wexler.


If one of these work conditions is constrained—notenough time, space, or assistants—the employer mustbe willing to compensate you for the extra effort youwill have to make to get the project done on time.There is a saying in theatre, “We can do it fast,cheap, or good. Pick any two.” Obviously, if there isplenty of time and money, the product will be beau-tiful. If quality is important but there is very littletime, then the product will be very costly. If theemployer insists the product be done quickly andcheaply, then the quality will suffer.

Many scenic designers, when starting theircareers, find that they also must fulfill the function ofthe scenic artist on the project. This is very commonin educational, community, and small regional the-atres. For this reason, many scene designers have dis-covered that scenic artistry is a useful skill indeveloping their careers. Scenic designers often findthat any skills they gain or improve upon as a scenicartist benefit their design skills as well.

Labor Unions

The United States has two large labor unions thatestablish working conditions and negotiate contractsand pay scale for artists and technicians in the filmindustry, television, the theatre, and related enter-tainment industries. These two unions are UnitedScenic Artists (USA) and the International Alliance ofTheatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The USA wasonce allied with the much larger InternationalBrotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades (IBPAT).However, USA recently left that alliance in favor of amuch more logical alliance with IATSE. In fact, USAis now a single local within IATSE known by its orig-inal local number 829. A scenic artist is more likelyto become a member of USA, although there areIASTE locals that specialize in representing theatricalscenic painters. Some scenic artists are members ofboth USA as well as a local IASTE, usually in thearea where they obtain most of their employment.

United Scenic Artists

USA is a New York City-based organization thatrepresents scenic artists, scenic designers, costumedesigners, lighting designers, properties artisans,industrial artists, computer artists, and muralists.USA began in 1896 as a union for scenic artists byseparating from a labor organization that repre-sented stagehands. In 1922, the union subdivided to

recognize scenic artists and scenic designers sepa-rately. Since then, the union has branched out to rep-resent the various categories mentioned above. USAalso maintains offices in Chicago, Los Angeles,Miami, and New England. Some of these offices wereonce separate autonomous locals, but the unionmerged into a single local in the 1990s, retaining theNew York City local number of 829. USA has mem-bers in every state of the United States, the greatestdensity of which are in the New York City metro-politan area. Membership in the union is consideredby many scenic artists to be one of the gateways intoa successful career.

How to Become a Member of United ScenicArtists. Members are admitted to the USA unionthrough one of three methods: Track A, the OpenExamination (Track B), or the apprenticeship program.These means of entry into the USA are not availablein all of the four regional offices. The New York Cityoffice is the only location where the examination andapprenticeship options are currently available.

Track A is a relatively new attempt to streamlinethe entry process for experienced scenic artists.Applicants’ resumes are screened by a committee beforethey are accepted into the Track A examination. Thisexamination consists of an extensive interview andportfolio review for which applicants must providethree letters of recommendation from current USAmembers. A panel of union members then evaluatesthe applicant’s portfolio. Based on certain criteria,the panel decides which applicants should be recom-mended for entry into the union. Track A exams canbe taken in New York City, Chicago, and Miami.Information concerning this examination is also avail-able through the office in Los Angeles. Non-USAmembers employed in a union-represented scenic


Figure 1.10 The United Scenic Artists stamp.


studio or producing studio (network television, majoropera, and so on) for over 30 days must submit anapplication for Track A entry.

The Open Examination (also known as theTrack B examination) was the traditional path andonce the only path of entry into the USA. Thislengthy examination, offered only in New York City,consists of several parts: a general aptitude test, ahome project, an interview, and a practical skills test.This famed and feared examination once included atwo-day practical examination but the process hasbeen streamlined considerably in recent years. Thehome project consists of a packet of one to five sep-arate projects that are to be completed and broughtto the exam site. These home projects are designednot only to test applicants’ scenic art skills but to testtheir knowledge of art and architecture and theircapacity to follow instructions.

The second part is the on-site practical exam,which, until recently, took place over the course oftwo seven-hour days. It now has been abbreviated toone seven-hour day. In this section of the examina-tion, applicants are provided with instructions and apaint elevation to execute on a 5′ × 5′ flat or smallmuslin drop, paint, buckets, water, and a mixingarea, nothing else. The applicants are responsible forbringing with them any tools that they will need dur-ing the examination. At the beginning of the day, theapplicants are given instructions on what is to bepainted on the flats or drops during the course of theday. The applicants’ works are judged by a panel ofunion members on drawing accuracy, color accu-racy, technique, rendering of light and shadow, andoverall ability as a scenic artist.

Many applicants do not pass the examinationthe first time, but they may take the exam as manytimes as they wish. The exam requires a nonrefund-able examination fee and a refundable deposit ofone-half the initiation fee.

The apprenticeship program, described earlier,culminates the three years of training with automaticUSA membership.

The Benefits of Union Membership. Onceadmitted, new members pay a one-time initiation fee(higher for Track A) and quarterly dues. In return,the union negotiates wage scales and terms with sce-nic studios and producers to standardize and main-tain wage scales in the industry. The union alsoestablishes basic working conditions and monitors

scenic studios and producers to ensure adherence tothe union agreement. The union represents its mem-bers in cases of unfair labor practices and monitorsthe activities of nonunion studios and theatres thatemploy union scenic artists by individual letters ofagreement. The USA also acts as a clearinghouse foremployers seeking employees, normally for long- orshort-term temporary work that is known in thebusiness as overhire.

Because so many theatre artisans work on a free-lance basis, the union also collects health and welfarecontributions from employers hiring union members,which are invested in health insurance and pensionsfor the members. These benefits are available tounion members who have made or have employerswho have made contributions to the fund during thecourse of their careers. The union also provides asmall death benefit to the member’s survivors.

Gaining membership in the union is an accom-plishment and an affirmation of one’s talents andskills. Union membership allows scenic artists todemand good compensation for their work as well asgood working conditions. The union’s compensationrate is excellent and is constructed to benefit the sce-nic artist handsomely for overtime rates. Unionmembership also serves as a recommendation of yourskills and professionalism to prospective employersand allows you to raise your standard of compensationfor work. In addition, the USA maintains an availabil-ity list of scenic artists throughout the country. Thus,by reporting into the union office and keeping theunion appraised of your whereabouts and work situ-ation, you enable it to contact you regarding jobsin your area. In busy metropolitan areas, such asNew York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, union callsmay be a main source of employment for members.

The primary disadvantage to union membershipis the cost of joining. Initiation fees are currently$3,500 for Track A and the Open Examination;however, members joining by exam are given a$2,000 refund. Membership fees via the apprentice-ship program are $1,700. Additional fees arerequired upon entry into the union for the first sixmonths of dues and processing fees. USA membersalso pay to the USA continuing quarterly member-ship dues and 2 percent of the gross wage earned onemployment covered by union contracts.

Currently, there are 22 states considered “right-to-work” states. Employees in these states are notrequired to join a union or pay union dues to a union



representing their workplace. Both USA and USITTremain highly active in these states, and the wagerates negotiated by the unions serve as valid and, attimes, binding agreements. All right-to-work stateshave different rules and guidelines that govern unionrepresentation and authority. These rules are con-stantly changing, so keep up-to-date on workers’rights issues where you work.

Union membership is not a guarantee of employ-ment. Individual members must not expect the unionto find them work. If you do not happen to live inNew York, Los Angeles, or Chicago but in a citywhere the union has no strong foothold, the unionoffice may not be able to send you out on many workcalls. It is also very difficult to find consistent over-hire work outside of the major metropolitan markets inthe United States. You must be prepared to continuethe task of finding and keeping work on your own.

The International Alliance of TheatricalStage Employees

The International Alliance of Theatrical StageEmployees (IATSE) also represents scenic artists insome regions of North America for the film industryas well as theatre. IATSE’s membership consists ofdozens of entertainment industry professionals, includ-ing art directors, animators, camerapersons, costumedesign and craftspeople, film and video lab techni-cians, motion picture craftspeople, property crafts-people, press agents, projectionists, stage employees,and television craftspeople. Other trades commonlyassociated with scenic arts skills, such as sculpting,plastering, painting, designing, animation, and signpainting, also are represented by IATSE locals. Local816, Painters and Scenic Artists, located in ShermanOaks, California, specifically represents scenicartists in the theatre, broadcast, and film industries.


Figure 1.11 The Tale of the White Snake, elevation by Xuzheng He, Quan Dong Province Theatre, People’sRepublic of China.


This local has jurisdiction in 13 states. In addition toscenic artists and painters, members in this local alsoinclude those in professions as varied as courtroomartists and computer graphic artists.

The initiation fees, dues, and requirements formembership vary from local to local. All IATSElocals are governed by the International IATSE officein New York City. The officials and board of theinternational office are elected from the membershipthroughout the United States and Canada. Theseofficials are elected at the biennial conventions bydelegates representative of all the locals.

Employment Options

Several avenues of employment are available forscenic artists. It is not a career in which one wouldexpect to find adequate amounts of work anywherein the country. A scenic artist may need to choosebetween living in one of the two dominant metropol-itan regions (New York and Los Angeles) where thehighest volume of work is found, or to move else-where and plan to look for work in a different manner.

Freelance Work in a Major Market

Freelance scenic artists comprise a significant portionof the professional artists working in the UnitedStates, and freelance work is the most common sortof work for scenic artists getting their start. So muchfreelance work exists because many theatres operateon a seasonal basis and are “dark” for several monthsof the year. These seasons may span the summermonths, as in a summer festival or musical season, orthe seven to eight months from fall to spring, as iscommon for many regional repertory companies oruniversities. Because of these split seasons, beginningscenic artists often have difficulty finding a year-roundengagement. Many scenic artists fall into a pattern ofdividing up their employment between the same setof companies season after season and having to movetheir households back and forth between the citieswhere the companies are based. Some scenic artistsenjoy this “gypsy” lifestyle because it gives them theopportunity to see different parts of the country (atleast on the trips in between) and to work with andlearn from other professionals. Even some professionalscenic artists with a permanent position at a scenicstudio still work extensively on a freelance basis.

However, as a freelance scenic artist, you mayinstead want to be based in a major metropolitan

area where there is enough demand for scenic artiststo keep you employed year-round. Freelance scenicartists work on call for production companies, shops,or individual projects for long or short periods oftime. In New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the-atrical and movie production is an ongoing business(although there are other major metropolitan areaslike Seattle and Miami that can keep scenic artistsvery busy). Once established in such an area, you willget work continually as your reputation as an effi-cient and talented painter spreads. If you have poorwork habits or are unreliable, your reputation willprecede you and keep you from getting calls.

While working as a freelance scenic artist, it isimportant to maintain a current résumé and portfo-lio, and to always keep your business card with you.Note that when you send your portfolio to a poten-tial employer, never let your original portfolioimages out of your hands. Many scenic artists main-tain two portfolios: one contains the originals in anexpensive case and is used only for personal inter-views; the other contains color copies mounted ongray or black bristol board in an inexpensive but pro-fessional-looking case. This is the portfolio you sendto potential employers on request. If this portfolio isnot returned to you, all you have lost is the cost ofthe case and the time it took to put together. While adigital portfolio on a CD/DVD may be convenient,most digital portfolios do not communicate the skillof the artist as well as more traditional formats.When preparing for an interview, tailor your portfo-lio to the needs of the client. Have a stock of imagesto choose from and select those that are most appro-priate, and then print a new table of contents asneeded. Also remember that less is more. Ten or sostunning images will be more impressive than 10stunning images plus 40 mediocre or unsuitable ones.

It deserves mention that scenic artists often arethe most highly paid and sought-after of the skilledprofessionals in technical theatre. A huge amount ofpainting is done in theatre, television, movies, andindustrials, not to mention commercial display, adver-tising, museum display, interior decoration, and soon. Scenic artists are in demand for many reasons.Painting is faster than building, and the results arespectacular. Producers find painting very cost effective.Certainly, advertisers and filmmakers find painting abackground less expensive than going on location.Skilled painters have been a source for decorativework since the classic Greek theatre. It is unlikelythat this demand will change in the near future.



Freelance Work Outside of MajorMarkets

New York and Los Angeles are the major markets inthe United States for scenic artists. Chicago andMiami are secondary markets where one may findwork fairly often. The other major American metro-politan markets of Philadelphia, San Francisco,Minneapolis, Seattle, Boston, Washington DC,Phoenix, and Atlanta may offer some work for a sce-nic artist at some time, but it may be difficult to get

into these markets and make a living. For these non-major markets, a scenic artist may look to develop-ing relationships with regional theatres or regionalopera companies that may need overhire. You may seekemployment in the field of industrials—advertising,exhibitions, and corporate events—but it may be dif-ficult to have a career as a true freelance scenic artistoutside New York or Los Angeles. Be prepared tobuild connections and look for less traditional scenicpainting outlets.


Figure 1.12Example of portraiture, painted byXuzheng He for the film The Quick andthe Dead.


Working at a Staff Position at a ScenicStudio or Theatre

A far simpler life than freelancing is to get a perma-nent job at a scenic studio. One obvious advantage tothis option is that you will have a steady paycheckand, in most cases, health insurance. Also, becauseyou are in a consistent work environment, you canstore your tools in the shop, drive or take publictransportation on the same route to work everymorning, and choose to live in a place convenient tothe job site. The artistic advantage of working in astudio is that you will have more control over proj-ects in development rather than being called in thelast two weeks of a job in progress. The work site canbe set up and maintained for the convenience of thepeople who work there. You can arrange and installyour materials and tools in an orderly fashion ratherthan store them in cardboard boxes piled up aroundmakeshift mixing tables. You can also maintain astock of mediums, paints, and finishes rather thansending someone out to the store every time youneed something or having to scrounge around in anunfamiliar shop.

The hard part is getting such a job. Perhaps 150full-time theatrical scenic studios are operating in theUnited States today. More theatre companies thanscenic studios exist; however, not all of these need ascenic artist on a year-round basis. Many such the-atres use scenic artists only on a job-by-job basis. Thelarge theatrical scenic studios, common in the earlypart of this century, staffed with dozens of scenicartists, are a thing of the past. Many modern-dayscenic studios have only one to four full-time scenicartists on staff, and hire extra scenic artists asneeded. The scenic studios that still maintain staffsof several scenic artists are the large scenic studios inthe New York City region or the major televisionnetworks and film studios.

As your career takes off, you may find yourselfbeing offered more work than you can handle. Thismay happen particularly if you have a full-time posi-tion with a scene shop and your first responsibility isto your permanent employer or because you have asteady flow of freelance work coming in. You may beable to squeeze in a weekend job here and there, buta call for a profitable two-month-long opera jobwould be out of reach to you because of your previ-ous commitments. Another code of professionalismcomes into play when you find yourself having toturn down work. If possible, you should assist the

client who contacted you in finding someone who isavailable for the job. There are two reasons for doingthis. First, if you assist the client in locating a scenicartist, that client will be more inclined to call you foranother project in the future. Second, once you haveattained some measure of success, you should give ahand to other scenic artists just starting out in thebusiness or in a dry spell. These scenic artists willthen be more inclined to help you in the future whenyou are looking for assistance on a project.

Contracting and Self-EmploymentBusiness Skills

Regardless of what direction your career may take,you may find yourself in the position of working as acontractor. Many of the responsibilities of theemployer to the freelance employee mentioned earlierare the duties of the contractor. A contractor is theperson or company that has agreed to execute thework and take care of every aspect of the projectfrom locating the working space and hiring the staffto delivering the finished work to the client. Somevariations in the specifics of a contract may exist. Forinstance, as frequently happens in the case of scenicart contracts, the client may agree to deliver the rawmaterials, in this case the scenery or drops, to you.The space might be on site or it might be the space ofthe contractor who is building the scenery. The con-tract might be structured so that the scenic artist is asubcontractor and the primary contractor is buildingthe set. However the contract is structured, you mustbe very clear regarding its terms.

The first step to working out a contract is to dis-cuss the scope of work with the client. This discussionshould be accompanied by information related to theproject’s blueline plans, color copies of the paint ele-vations, and written descriptions from the client out-lining what your responsibilities will be. You thenneed to submit a bid to the client, indicating whatyour price will be to do the job. When formulating abid for a job, you must consider the following:

● Space—Who will provide the space in whichthe work will be done? If you provide thespace, how much will the rent cost? If you arethe owner of the space, what are your costs?

● Materials—What will the cost of your materialsbe? Who is responsible for purchasing anddelivering these materials?



● Labor—Who will contract the labor? If you,what will you pay employees? Are you payingthem on an IRS Form 1099-MISC, as contractlabor? Or will you have to withhold and filepayments for social security, state and federalincome taxes, and Medicare, as well as makethe employer’s contribution for social security,workman’s compensation insurance, and stateand federal unemployment insurance? If youremployees are union members and you havesigned a contract with a union, what percentageof the labor cost do you have to pay to theunion’s health and welfare plan? Ethically, ifyour employees are long-term or permanent,you should set up a health care and pensionplan if a union does not otherwise cover them.

● Kit Fees—What fee should you charge for the useof your tools on the job? If your crewmembersare bringing their own tools to the job, shouldyou give them a kit fee? Do you have to rent orbuy any tools or equipment for the job?

● Samples—Clients frequently need to see samplesof paint finishes before they decide on acontractor. While this practice is more commonin bidding on decorative painting and fauxfinish jobs, it may be requested when biddingon scenic artistry as well. Sometimes, therequest for samples and reworking of samplescan get out of hand and a scenic artist may feelthat he or she is working harder to get the jobthan actually doing the job. It is commonpractice to place a limitation of three freesamples on this attempt to satisfy the customerthat you can do the job. After that, if they needto see more examples, it is customary to chargefor the additional samples.

● Out-of-Town Expenses—If the work is out oftown, look into what your expenses will be forhousing, food per diems, and transportation foryourself and your crew. Do you have to ship orrent a truck to transport tools and materials?

● Insurance—If you contract work on a regularbasis, you may need to start carrying generalliability insurance. What will this cost?

● Accounting—If you do contract work ona regular basis, your tax returns can be verycomplex. What will it cost to hire a professionalaccountant?

● Taxes—If you are withholding taxes for youremployees, you also have to file quarterlystatements. What are these costs?

● Extra Costs—Just figuring out a bid canconsume a great deal of time. It also takes timeand is costly to compose and send faxes, talkon the telephone, handle the billing, and entercosts in a register. Time is involved in collectingthe materials and supplies for the job. If the jobis not at your regular work site, time is involvedin packing up and transferring materials to thework site and bringing them back again. Youmust also consider the time needed for cleanupafter the job has been completed.

If this all sounds a little overwhelming, keep inmind that when you first begin to contract work, itwill probably be on a small scale. You and an asso-ciate may decide to contract a job that you can do insomeone’s garage or you might accept a small con-tract that you can do over the weekend. Working upto large-scale, lengthy contracts can and should begradual so that you can learn the business. Somescenic artists find that they would rather be employedthan be the employer, so that they have time to dothe actual painting and do not get bogged down inbusiness details. Contracting your own jobs will giveyou an appreciation for what your employers have todeal with on a day-to-day basis.

Studio Ownership

Some scenic artists prefer to be their own boss andenjoy the hustle and bustle of organizing the work.Some also find that the most difficult aspect of tak-ing on work is finding the space in which to paint. Ifyou develop an ongoing rapport with enough clientsthrough contracting work, you may need to set upyour own permanent shop space. The cost savings ofnot having to rent a space, move equipment in andout again at the completion of the job, clean it out,and store the supplies and materials may well offsetthe expense of having to pay rent or mortgage on anongoing basis. But before taking this step, it’s impor-tant to remember that the theatre profession can beone of feast or famine. It is essential that before yousign a lease—and most certainly before you signmortgage papers—you objectively gauge the poten-tial of future work. Certainly before making the deci-sion to set up and operate a permanent shop it is veryimportant to familiarize yourself with professionalbusiness practices. This does not mean getting anMBA, but getting some training in small business oper-ations, arranging with the small business organization



in your area to meet with a mentor, and developinga business plan are all good ideas.

Many small scenic shops have been opened aftertwo or three very successful months, only to closetheir doors a short while later. Many owners of sceneand paint shops find that they have to diversify theirbusinesses, taking on jobs in display and interior dec-oration to fill in the gaps in theatrical employment.They also find that they have to learn how to tap intobusiness in other regions when there is not enoughwork locally. In the beginning, shop owners may findthat they spend as much time trying to find contractsas they do fulfilling contracts. Many successful shopshave an employee whose full-time position is dedicatedto finding work for the shop and writing contracts.

In terms of the day-to-day business of a shop, allof the business items discussed to this point stillapply. However, the expense column for the cost ofspace never goes away. The owner of a shop mustalways be thinking months and even a year or moreahead, cultivating new clients and matching jobs upwith the employment pool. If the shop is successfulenough, it will retain good employees on a perma-nent basis. But it is important to remember that mak-ing a commitment to an employee is a very seriousresponsibility. If you have to lay off someone with lit-tle or no notice, you have deprived that person of thechance to look ahead for the next job. Two daysafter I left a company in the Midwest for anothercommitment, my friends from there called me to tellme that they had come to work in the morning andthe doors had been locked by the Internal RevenueService. Since this was an area where there were fewalternatives, it took some of those people manymonths and even years to recover the tempo of theirprofession.

On the other hand, when a shop is on its feet andthere are several clients accustomed to relying on thatshop for their scenic work, it can be satisfying to beyour own boss and to provide employment and goodworking conditions for others. Scenic studio owner-ship means conducting a business as well as being ascenic artist. Inform yourself fully of the fiscalresponsibilities and risks if you contemplate openingsuch an enterprise.

Working in the Film Industry

Film work is one of the most lucrative options for sce-nic artists in the United States. The movie industry isbased primarily in Los Angeles and New York City.

As in the theatre industry, employment is foundthrough a scene shop (either on the studio lot or inan independent scene shop that caters to films) or ona freelance basis through film production companies.Work in the scene shops tends to be more steady,although many shops operate by laying off staff andthen rehiring them on a recurring basis. The com-pensation in the shops is good, but working on afreelance basis directly for a film company or con-tractor to a film company usually pays better. Filmproduction companies are formed for the productionof a specific film. Once the film is completed, thecompany is dissolved. One reason the pay is so highin film work is that the workweek is predicated onovertime just to stay on schedule. A typical work-week in feature film runs 60 to 72 hours. After theinitial 40 hours, the crew makes one and a half timestheir regular rate. The cost of performers, directors,production staff, and studio time is so high that itis less expensive for producers to pay overtime tothe film crew or the extra expense to the scene shoprather than to keep the primary people on contractlonger or rent the studio for an extended periodof time.

The downside to working on films is that thejobs are not steady or predictable. Most films hiretheir crews very quickly and with little notice. If youhappen to have taken a long weekend to go to a fam-ily function, you might miss a call that would haveresulted in several weeks or even months of work.Frequently, there will be a call for another film in aweek or so, but there might not be. Toward the com-pletion of shooting, or the wrap of a film, layoffsbegin, usually with little or no warning. The generalrule of layoffs is that the last person hired is the firstperson laid off. So most painters are aware that theiremployment could be coming to an end, but otherthan networking with other painters on the job site,there is little or no time to look for the next job.Because of the lack of warning about when the nextjob will start, it is difficult to plan anything duringtime off.

Some painters have developed a reputation forworking as a charge painter on films. The chargepainter is the person responsible for organizing andmanaging the painting on the production. In mostcases, the charge painter also rents a kit of tools backto the production company. The charge painter usu-ally is contracted in advance of the production, sopeople in this position have the luxury of knowingwhere their next job is going to be at least a few



weeks before everyone else. Most charge painters callon a group of people who work with them on a fairlyregular basis. Because of this alliance, such peoplealso may have a few weeks notice on where theirnext job is going to be. If they are good, they can feelfairly confident they will have gainful employmentfor most of the year.

Working in the Television Industry

The major television networks also support perma-nent staffs of scenic artists. As with films, Los Angelesand New York City are the largest metropolitanbases for this industry. Television series and soapoperas keep many scene designers and scenic artistsemployed. Soap operas rely on nearly round-the-clock calls to keep up the shooting schedule neces-sary to produce a new segment five days a week.Many weekly television series are budgeted for onenew set per segment, in addition to maintaining thestandard sets for the series. Each daytime drama andtelevision series has a small army of set painters, setdressers, buyers, property artisans, grips, and design-ers to keep up with the shooting schedule.

The explosive growth of cable television has pro-vided work for many designers and scenic artists.Scenic support for cable network feature films, dra-mas, talk shows, and comedy series has become asextensive as that for network television.

Freelance Work Outside of Theatreand Film

Good scenic artists will soon discover that theirtraining and skill have in great measure preparedthem for work in other fields. Beyond the world ofentertainment lies a wealth of challenging work forscenic artists. Commercial display, interior decora-tion, museum display, and restoration all call forhighly skilled painters. For some, scenic artistry maybe a stepping stone into these professions, and forothers these options present an interesting sideline.

Contemporary interior decoration utilizes fauxfinishes and decorative painting techniques to a largedegree. Trained faux finish painters are in highdemand in residential and commercial projects. Veryskilled painters also may find work as muralists. Thismay be in addition to services that you can offer as afaux finish and decorative painter, or this professionmay become your solid stock and trade. Because sce-nic artists have become accustomed to covering large

surfaces with images and paint techniques, it is easyto make the transition into mural painting, decora-tive painting, and display work. Many skilled scenicartists have shifted to professions in these areas orbounce back and forth between these professions andscenic artistry. Also, because scenic artists are famil-iar with working quickly and efficiently, they areoften successful in related painting professions.

To work in these professions, scenic artists mayneed to attain new skills or change their work habits.For instance, scenic artistry tends to be a very messyjob since most of the work is done in a paint shopwhere the mess created from dripped paint and over-spray is not an issue. But when working in someone’shome or a business, it may be necessary to mask offall the adjacent areas as well as the foot paths to the


Figure 1.13 Museum installation and agingtechniques, Linberg Gun Shop, “Grand Rapids 1890s,”painted contacted by Crabtree Scenic, Buffalo Bill bannerpainted by Mary Evers, Public Museum of Grand Rapids,Michigan.


Figure 1.14 Example of mural painting, picnic diorama, diorama backing contracted by Crabtree Scenic, StoneMountain Museum, Stone Mountain Georgia. (A) The diorama mural partially completed in the shop. (B) The mural as it was completed in the diorama on site.

utility sink and the door to insure that no damage isdone to the premises as the job progresses. It mayalso be necessary to establish the paint schedule withthe client in advance to minimize inconvenience topeople living or working there. It is important todetermine whether anyone that might be present inthe home or business has sensitivity to the chemicalvapors from the paint and mediums being used andmake adjustments in the schedule or the ventilation ifthis is the case.

A scenic artist also may have to become familiarwith other lines of paint, mediums, and finishes thatare more ultraviolet light–resistant than theatricalscenic paint. It may be necessary, as in the case offaux finishes, to become adept at techniques involv-ing oil-based paints and mediums. It is not uncom-mon in all of the professions mentioned above for the

scenic artist to be working in a new construction orrenovation site with other contractors in a variety oftrades, from plumbers to carpet installers. Though anenvironment like this might be familiar to scenicartists, other tradespeople may not be accustomed toworking with an artist in their midst. It is notunheard of to come back from lunch break onlyto discover that the dry wall installer has spatteredmud all over a carefully prepped wall because theceiling had to be taped. Be aware of what the othertrades are doing, if there is a contractor on the site;ask how your work can best schedule in with theother trades.

Also very challenging are professions in restora-tive painting and museum display. In many ways,these professions cross over the two fields becauserestorers frequently find themselves working on an


A B


object or in a building of such priceless beauty that itmay as well be in a museum. They may find them-selves having to recreate or touch up a surface origi-nally created in antiquity. Museums often employrestorers with the proper expertise to clean andrepair damaged or aged paintings. Scenic artists canobtain some of the best training to be had in this pro-fession in Europe, where restoration studios acceptapprentices. Once when visiting a small cathedral inOrvieto, Italy, I looked into the aisle where a canvaswas under restoration. With elaborate care, a hugecanvas had been taken off its frame and laid down ona deck where it was being restored by the artists whowere walking on it, their feet wrapped in cottonbooties, using bamboo extensions with their brushesjust as scenic artists do when they paint a drop on apaint deck.

There are a great many varied challenges in thefield of museum display. In the last few decades,museum displays have moved out of their displaycases and into interactive, walkthrough exhibits.Diorama painting for displays has become even morechallenging as museum audiences expect greater lev-els of realism. Scenic artists searching for a challengemay find that work in the profession of museum dis-play, with its high standards of excellence andlongevity, can be very satisfying.

In all of these professions, there are varying stan-dards and levels of expertise. The artist may start outworking on small jobs or as an assistant learning thetrade. The profession of restoration is not somethingentered into without extremely specialized training.Work in all of these areas can be very fulfilling becauseof the high level of quality and skill required forwork meant to be seen much more closely than stagepainting. Many artists find it satisfying to work on aproject that will last for years, decades, or centuriesrather than the average run of a stage production.

INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL KEEBLER,COFOUNDER AND HEAD OFCOBALT STUDIOS

Rachel Keebler, a leading scenic artist in the UnitedStates, operates Cobalt Studios, one of the few teachingscenic studios in the world. Keebler cofounded Cobalttogether with Howard Jones in 1988. She has a BFAfrom Boston University and has also taught at NorthCarolina School for the Arts, Temple University, andHong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts.

Susan Crabtree: Why don’t we start with you tellingme about what you do at Cobalt Studios and whatthe focus of the studio is.Rachel Keebler: I plan the students’ experiencesthere, I plan (with my assistant) the execution of theshows, and I paint. The Studio’s main purpose is as aschool, and it is also a scenic studio that paints pri-marily backdrop work. Students come primarilyfrom theatre programs. Some of them come from artschools but all of them have one thing in common:they want to learn how to paint. To be accepted atthe school, students have an overnight interview andfill out an extensive application. During the inter-view, prospective students show their portfolio,question us, and we question them. I’m looking forstudents with the determination needed to be here,because ours is a long program. The days are long—basically seven hours a day, five days a week—andstudents are instructed most of that time, whether itis how to put down masking tape, use a brush, orhow to size a drop. It’s a long haul and to be a stu-dent you put yourself in an insecure position, admit-ting that you don’t know certain things. So, studentsneed determination. The two-year curriculum for thescenic artist training program takes students throughall the skills an artist needs to do art—most specifically,how those skills are applied in large scale, to scenery.SC: What characteristics do you want students tohave?RK: I want them to have an artist’s ability and an eyefor detail. But almost as important may be to have afigurative toolbox of information and techniquesthat they can call upon to do the second most impor-tant thing, and that is to be a good problem solver—to be fast on their feet and be able to come up withnew ways to do things on the fly. This also encom-passes the concept of looking at every project with afresh approach.SC: Tell me a little bit about the student’s lifestyle atCobalt Studios.RK: Students are encouraged to be and remain indi-viduals, and that’s what they do. They don’t really dolots of things as a group. When we get up in themorning and have breakfast, everybody has a differ-ent breakfast at a different time; we’re coming andgoing and sometimes we barely speak to each other.Everybody goes back to the studio at their ownpace—we don’t come down as a group. We first out-line the schedule for the day and catch up on anyinformation that we need to talk about. Then wesplit up and do what we need to do for the day.



Guest teachers and I don’t team-teach; either theyteach or I teach. We don’t team charge [charge artist]shows; either they charge or I charge it. We have onebrain on each item going on and in that way we canhave seven major things going on at once, whetherit’s teaching at one end of the studio and working ona show at the other end or whatever. The studentshave the experience of having very individualizedattention.

Certain class projects are handpicked for the stu-dents. Other times they can pick their own projects.For example, for an animal project, they pick threeanimals from the file and then the teacher picks oneof those. If the teacher doesn’t think any of the stu-dent’s choices are appropriate, we’ll come up withanother. My criteria for projects? The project has tochallenge students, it has to be able to be done withina reasonable amount of time, and it has to be directto the point of what we are teaching. If it’s a draperyproject, I don’t want a little tiny drape and a wholelot of other things around it. I just want drapery.This is one of the hallmark ways we do things and weget good feedback from the students about it.SC: Tell me a little about the history of CobaltStudios.RK: It began with my turning 30. At that point I hadalready taught at North Carolina School of the Arts

and Temple University. I liked teaching but I neverthought about doing it full time. At that point, myfather called me and said, “Your mother has an idea.Start the Manhattan branch of the North CarolinaSchool of the Arts.” I said it was a good idea but thatit shouldn’t be in Manhattan, and I knew I couldn’tdo it by myself. That summer I worked with HowardJones and I thought that he would be a good personto start the school with since we worked welltogether and saw eye to eye. I mentioned the idea ofstarting a school for scenic artists to him. Two weekslater, we had brunch about it, and that was the startof Cobalt Studios. We spent three years drafting abusiness plan; solidifying our dreams by correspon-dence (he was still teaching in North Carolina). Wedecided it should be within two hours of New YorkCity and near the Hudson so it would be easier to getto from New York.

I moved out of the city and nearer the Hudson toput myself in a better position of finding a place forCobalt Studios. While I was there, I picked up apaper about property in Sullivan County, New York,an area I had never been before. I talked to real estateagents, saw a couple of not very good places. Thenwe found this place. We had decided to buy the hous-ing and either build or rent the studio in the course ofcreating the business plan and this place fit the bill.


Figure 1.15 Paint cart to hold roller supplies while Cobalt Studio’s Rachel Keebler rolls the paint through thebackdrop-sized stencil of letters glued onto bobbinette.


In fact, the man who typed the business plan for mecame and visited the studio four years after westarted this place and said it was eerie because it wasexactly what we had planned, down to having agreenhouse. A dream come true.

Howard designed a lot of the physical aspects ofthe Studio and we worked together on designing thecurriculum. We decided on a format that includedboth work and classes—students could expect tospend about 50 percent of their time on class workand 50 percent on commission work. This haschanged a bit. Today, students spend over half oftheir time on class work. Sometimes we have to hirepainters so students have time for their class work.We need to make sure we stay on target with our cur-riculum because it all works in sequence. This is whywe don’t accept any students midway through theprogram.SC: And students live in a farmhouse?RK: They may live off campus but most of themchoose to live in the farmhouse. It’s more convenientand a lot cheaper than renting. Students sign upmonthly for different chores that they are responsiblefor, like trash, fire chief, etc., and we have a systemby which students and teachers rotate the cooking.One of the students supervises the food. The studentsstay at the house and we have a good time, but evenbefore and after dinner people go their own way.They’ll go to the gym or they’ll go to their rooms ordo whatever they want to do. It is really not a sum-mer camp. People are responsible for their own hap-piness. When you have males and females and we’reall living in the same house, it’s like a family, andsometimes they act like brothers and sisters. Thoughit is often difficult, there are wonderful benefits ofthis living situation, both for us and for our students.Part of it is learning how to balance your life withyour work. The Cobalt house is really a good “homeafter home” for them.SC: How long have you been a scenic artist and whatmade you decide to get into the profession?RK: It was a sequence of events, it was not a con-scious decision. I’m the daughter of an artist—a pot-ter, my mother—and my father is an engineer-typeperson who is also an editor of trade journals andwent to sales meetings a lot. So I have a parent whohas a mechanical mind, my father, and someone whohas an artistic mind, my mother, and I’m a combina-tion of these two. As the third of four children, I wasleft to my own devices in a lot of ways and I haddone some scene painting as part of the theatre scene

in high school. When it came time to choose a col-lege, I chose one that had my two loves: art andhorseback riding—Skidmore College. While I wasthere I encountered James Leonard Joy teaching (theone year he taught), fresh out of Carnegie Melon,and I got sucked into the theatre. I started spendingall my time doing costumes, stage management,lights, and painting, and in time started painting withJim Joy. He taught in a way that I will never forget:he got the brushes and the paint and stood in front ofme and showed me how to paint. The first thingI remember was lining and how to make paintedwood paneling. Painting the molding on wood grainhe would show me what I needed to do and thenwould hand me the brush and say “OK now do whatI did” and that was the style of his teaching. Healways led the way. The training I received from himis the foundation of my professional life. Jim Joy pro-ceeded to take me to many places around the coun-try painting for and with him. I did summer stock,worked in Boston, worked in Kansas City with him,and because of the summer jobs I had while I was incollege, after graduation I was hired to work at theSeattle Rep where he was one of the designers. Bythis time I was working with other people as well,such as John Ezell in Kansas City and with PeterGould and Larry Opitz at Skidmore. By the end ofthe first year of college I said to myself “I’m spend-ing all my spare time doing theatre, I should just goto a college that teaches it.” So I asked Jim where Ishould go and he said to Boston University, wherethe best scenic artist on the East coast, Don Beaman,teaches.

So I packed up my portfolio, went there, inter-viewed, and got in. I didn’t apply anywhere else. I wasthere for three years and learned a lot about paintingfrom Don Beaman and hopefully absorbed some ofthe beautiful ways that he puts his paint down. I havelearned the most, though, from Jim Joy, as I worked forhim because he always asks for the next-to-impossibleand always has faith that I will be able to do the next-to-impossible (or figure out how to do it). Afterworking in Seattle I moved to New York City andtaught in North Carolina and got into the Union. I taught the next fall at Temple University.SC: So you’ve been a teacher more or less throughoutyour career?RK: Yes, since 1981.SC: Did you have any training as a designer?RK: Yes, at Boston University. It’s important to havedesign training as a scenic artist. Once, I was working



on a production of Carousel. I didn’t know the storyof Carousel—I’d never seen it—but I was painting itfor a repertory company in Albany and I was charg-ing. They brought in plywood cutout profiles of trail-ers for me to work from—no renderings, justplywood cutouts—so I called the Russian designerand asked him what he wanted the trailers to looklike. He said, “I want them to look like aluminumtrailers in the dark.” I then asked him if he could tellme a bit about the scene that they played in. He said,“Oh yes, she is running around in the dark, she’slooking for someone in the trailer and she’s not find-ing them and she’s very distressed.” I imagined it asa dreary set, so I painted it that way and the designersaid it was painted just as he wanted. Actually, evenJim Joy has praised me for being able to takepainters’ elevations over the phone. So being able tofigure out a scene would translate into a paint job.Being able to think like a designer can help you tohelp the designer realize their designs.

It’s also good to have design training if you’re ascenic artist for the same reasons it is good for ascene designer to take a directing course. You learnabout how hard it is and so you realize that it’s noteasy to come up with the designs that they give you.It’s difficult to coordinate the painting, the props,

and the building of the scenery; you have to know somuch about constructing scenery and you have tonegotiate so much. Design training gives the scenicartist the ability to step up and really help thedesigner. I get tired of scenic artists who say, “Wellyou didn’t tell me that.” I maintain that it is as mucha scenic artist’s responsibility to get the information(not to create it) as it is for the designer to provide it.We just can’t sit back and wait! It is important toknow about focus on stage as it relates to theatre—the whole concept that most of what designers do isdesigned to move the focus to the actors. And byextension, most scenic art is controlled to move theaudience’s focus toward the actors.

When you are in a theatre program you learnabout how drops go up and down and how hard it isfor floor surfaces to hold paint. You realize thatscenery has a function and not just a look. Oneshould always be curious what that function is andwhat a piece of scenery is required to do on stage.That helps you figure out how to paint it; to choosethe right materials and techniques for the needs ofthe show.SC: Because every production has a designer that isdifferent, do you have a method of developing a dia-log when you are working with a designer?


Figure 1.16Detail of scrim painting by Don Beaman,Camino Real, Boston University.


RK: I start by keeping my mouth shut and thinkingwhile I’m looking. Say a designer comes in and pres-ents a design. Quietly study everything, concentrateon what you don’t know about the whole project;what is unclear or hasn’t been presented to you orwhat the scenery does. It’s not necessarily apparentthrough drawings or renderings what a piece ofscenery’s functional or visual requirements are soyou might need to ask about that. One thing I’m try-ing to do is to figure out whether what the designeris presenting to me is what they want because I’vefound that frequently it’s not quite what they reallywant. They want this but they really kind of want tohave a little more flavor of that or they want it to bethe style of a particular artist. I need to find out ifthere is some intent or desire that is not apparent inthe visual material that’s given to me, and often timesI’ll be very direct about it. I’ll have the rendering inmy hand and I’ll say, “Is there anything about thisthat you would like to have changed that you’re nothappy with?” This question needs to be asked in acertain way. You have to make sure that they knowthat you are asking not because you think there issomething wrong, but because you want to know.You often get a positive response, with the designersaying, “Yes, actually, this part over here.”

Speaking to the rendering in that way is a trickthat I learned from Howard Jones about teaching,and that is when you go to look at a student’s project

you don’t say, “Look at what you did, you made thesky too dark.” You say, “When I look at this ren-dering and I look at the painting, it looks as thoughthe sky is too dark.” You don’t put it on the creator,you address the item, that you are looking at. It is allabout making the paint job right. You should listencarefully and emote the fact that you’re there to helpthe designer realize their art on stage.SC: Besides Cobalt Studios, what type of training doyou think a scenic artist ought to have?RK: I believe a scenic artist must do summer stockbecause summer stock does several things. Summerstock is a great place for you to figure out if this isreally what you want to do because everything isthere. You have schedules, you have deadlines, youhave pressure, you have fun, you have camaraderie,you make friends that you keep for the rest of yourlife, you make contacts that you keep for the rest ofyour life. A good session of summer stock will getyou more jobs, good work, and if you don’t like it,you probably won’t be a scenic artist. It’s trial byfire. Your experience will probably determinewhether you continue in this profession or not.

Another thing is that even though there are manylevels of scenic art and one can get work as success-ful scenic painter without it, I think art training isessential. If you don’t know perspective, if yourdrawing is no good, if you can’t use your eyes, youwon’t be asked to do the “art” part of scenic art.


Figure 1.17Mastery of trompe l’oeiltechnique and painted marblein this work by Don Beaman.


This may be OK because there are a lot of paintersout there and a lot of scenic painting involves moretechnical skill than artistic skill. A well-trained housepainter could have a great career as a scenic painter,you know, because they learn how to work fast anddirty too. So if you want to do the art part of scenicart, you really must have art training.

Cobalt Studios tries to teach, in two years, manypeople who have not had much art training. Most ofour students come from theatre backgrounds andmany of them haven’t had much art training and it’sbecause of this that Cobalt really gets heavy on theart training part, heavy on the drawing, heavy on thebrush work, heavy on mixing colors and developingthe ability to see completely. One thing I can pointout about being a student here is that it is not aninternship program where you just watch or washbuckets. You are expected to listen to the lecturesand learn about these things and then you’re asked todo them, you’re asked to mix paint, you’re asked todraw, you’re asked to base-coat, and to finish paint,spray things, and to know your light and shadow. It’sassumed that you will pay attention and learn everyaspect of the business.SC: What words of wisdom would you offer some-one who is going into a career in scenic artistry?RK: Keep drawing. Be humble but also be responsiblefor yourself and what you do. Clean up after yourself.

Always be thinking. I would suggest that a scenicartist would recognize their place. You are a part ofthe machine that puts on a play or puts on an eventin the entertainment industry. The production is themachine and as a part of the machine you must havethe skill and strength, physically and mentally, to dowhat this machine needs, or it can grind you up andspit you out.

I also think that a scenic artist needs to be ableto admit when they are wrong, and its best if you canlaugh about it. Also admit when you don’t knowsomething. I learned another important thing fromMary Hielman. She came out to teach scene paintingand stressed the importance of giving credit toothers—don’t be a prima donna. If the stage crewhadn’t built it so beautifully, you couldn’t havepainted it so beautifully. Know your place and noticehow to function in a new shop. When we are free-lancers we travel around so much. We really are guestsand need to find out who to get information fromand who we are working with so we can function.SC: Looking back over your career, what would yousay are some of the most difficult or elusive skills tolearn in the profession of scenic artistry; in the areaof painting and outside the area of painting?RK: Knowing what is important when. What isimportant changes from moment to moment andCobalt Studios epitomizes that. A phone call can


Figure 1.18 Rachel Keebler demonstrates foliage painting techniques at Cobalt Studios.


change your next two days—is it more important toanswer the phone call or to be teaching the lecture?What is the most important thing to attend to now?I’ve also found that writing skills, not only in settingup Cobalt Studios but also in preparing lectures,have been very good for me. Organizing one’sthoughts and being able to articulate and describe areessential.SC: What are some of the most common misconcep-tions about the profession of scenic artistry?RK: That it’s the same as designing. That we aretotally responsible for how it looks. You say you’vepainted something and they say what a wonderfuldesign. It’s almost as though we are getting credit forthe design, instead of for the beautiful execution ofthe painting. There is a lack of realization that thereare two different departments and one makes designdecisions and the other one executes them. I thinkthat’s the biggest misconception that the public has.

As to the biggest misconception within the busi-ness, it is that scenic art is physically easy to do.I know that some people think that the painting iseasy to do because they stand around watching scenicartists, and a good scenic artist makes it look easy.But in reality it is very demanding, and there is a lotof brain work to it and often it is physically stressfulbecause you do so many different things from day today. You’re on a scaffolding for four days in a rowand you get all stiff and then you’re sitting on thefloor for two days or you have to work in a hot placefor a long time then you have to work in a cold place,the noise level in the scene shop, the fumes, the weld-ing fumes, the welding noises, incredibly high soundlevels in those shops—our business requires strengthand stamina, intelligence, and guts. (Not necessarilyin that order!)SC: In the last century there have been some signifi-cant changes in the way scenic artistry is done. Arethere painting techniques or skills that you feel peo-ple new to the profession aren’t being exposed toanymore?RK: Not very many because I feel that most peoplenew to the profession are coming in to either com-munity theatre situations or university situations inwhich lots of the basic, historic techniques are stillbeing used. The major exception is the making ofyour own paint. I think that’s going by the wayside.I’m not sure if that is good or bad but if I were to runa summer stock operation I would still do it with[dry] pigment (see Chapter 6). All the componentscan be stored dry over the wintertime—you mix up

only what you use, the qualities of the paint forceyou to paint directly and not mess about, and atthe end of the season you wash off the flats andstore them and in the spring pull them out and startpainting!

At Cobalt we teach the use of the appropriatepaint for the job. We teach the spectrum of the typesof paint including all canned paints, dyes, dye substi-tutes, and “pigment paint.” There are very few placesthat have the pigments and use them anymore. Inorder to really know about paint you do need toknow what the basic components are.SC: Let’s talk about digital renderings and what kindof impact you think they might have on scenicartistry.RK: First of all, I’m happier to get a good computer-generated image from a designer than a sloppy hand-painted rendering. I would say that if anyone is notbeing taught something that they used to be taught,it’s designers not being taught how to paint. BecauseI believe that being able to draw and to paint enablesyou to see and remember what things actually looklike, I think designers are being short-shifted. Also,because the reproduction of their designs will beaccomplished with scenic artists and a paintbrush,it’s important that designers know about paintingbecause they are asking others to do it for them. Astudent told me that the best thing about CobaltStudios is that it trained her to be versatile. Whileother artists have a specific style, she is able to dowhatever they ask her to. When she does a rendering,she sits down and she paints it as if she were paint-ing a drop. If you can imagine getting that renderingfrom her as a painter, it has already been figured outin terms of opacity and layering of paint.

I think this has something to do with the impor-tance of using a designer’s intent to interpret a ren-dering, to be able to make it up when it’s not there.If indeed the world would totally change and allimages would be made full scale by computerizedmechanisms instead of scenic artists, this wouldn’t bean issue. The shortcomings of the design would justbe enlarged, not fixed by a knowledgeable scenicartist. When I talk to computer fine artists who werefine artists before they went into computers, they tellme that the drawing and painting skills they knewbefore they got into computers contribute incrediblyto their ability to create and choose images, and thatthey find themselves head and shoulders above othercomputer artists that don’t have that art background.Many colleges and universities surely will continue to



train people to paint. Certainly productions willalways need painting. I just don’t see the businessever dying. I think that computer generated art willeat into our business but I don’t believe it will takeover. In fact, it may just stimulate the appetite forscenic art the way videos have stimulated the movieindustry.SC: Over the next few decades, do you think that sce-nic artists will have to evolve their skills and abilities?RK: They have already had to, starting in the 60s,when color images from books and magazinesbecame more available for designers to use. At theturn of the century, everybody was painting and thepainters had to evolve into being more the “goop andglaze” sort. But there was also a great deal of paint-ing, especially in the 60s before metal and plexi, thedimensional scenery. As far as the art part of scenicart, in the 1960s and 1970s, scenic artists had to startbeing able to reproduce fine art on stage. It seemedas though designers were losing the ability to stepback and say, “It’s only theatre and it will look greatunder light.” They haven’t been trained that dis-tance, lights, and the focus of a production that goeson in front of their scenery will cause an audience tonot examine it as closely as they do. Their lack offamiliarity with painting stops them from realizingthat things don’t really have to be dimensional. It isquite easy to paint a great deal of things to appear

dimensional, but they’re actually not dimensionaland the audience would never know. There is atremendous amount of scenery that are over-done,and over-built, because many scenic designers don’tknow those theatrical painting tricks. To me, that iswhat has been lost or is being lost.SC: Do you have any favorite scenic art–related sto-ries you would like to share about productions youhave worked on in the past?RK: My most memorable story was my first Uniontouch-up call. When the union representative called,she asked whether I was afraid of heights. I said Iwasn’t so I showed up the following Monday morn-ing to work on the job. It was the production of K2on Broadway! Another scenic artist that came to helptouch up was a journeyman who had not been askedthat question and was afraid of heights. He spent thetime on top of a huge A-frame ladder that was sittingon the trap room floor. The top of the ladder was atstage level (most of the stage had been removed) sohe didn’t feel he was high up. I had the wonderfultime of being the painter in the bosun’s chair repair-ing the set of K2, up above the proscenium and downto stage level. I have to say the most wonderful thingwas seeing Ming Cho Lee standing on the lip of thestage with his assistant standing behind him ready tocatch him because he had his toes over the edge andhe was gesturing toward which part to put morepaint on. That was a wonderful experience. I felt veryappreciated.

One of the most difficult experiences I had scenepainting was working on the Broadway show TheRink in a Union scenic studio. The set for The Rinkwas a laminated plywood wall that curved from thefront of the stage right proscenium all the wayupstage and back to the stage left proscenium. It wasa forced perspective view down a barrel vaulted skat-ing rink. The top profile went up and down, and agreat deal of the set was made up of the radiatingbeams of the ceiling. So they put scaffolding in frontof it in a curve and they attached Styrofoam to thebeams, which we carved, and then we painted it. Wewere painting with asphaltum up high on the scaf-folding. Down below at the bottom of the wall was ascenic artist spraying FEV [French enamel varnish]on it, and in the corner the shop was someone doingrim spray (which is a roofing material in which theoperator has to wear a whole body suit and thechemicals come out of a 55-gallon drum and areheated and sprayed on the scenery). We are up highin the scaffolding climbing around like monkeys


Figure 1.19 The road leading to Cobalt Studios


trying to get done, and there are all these fumes in theair—it wasn’t a good experience, but we got it done.

Another time, I was working at a Union scenicstudio on the Broadway show Doonesberry togetherwith Tommy Ford, an elderly scenic artist who hasan attitude but is an excellent painter, very respectedin the business. He’s painting and I’m painting nextto him on a piece of China silk that has been stretchedover a metal frame in the shape of a Chinese dog. I’mpainting orange dye and trying to make it beautiful,and Tommy picks up his paintbrush and makea drizzle line right across the middle of my painting.I said, “Tommy, what did you just do? How will I ever

fix this?” And he says, “Aww, it will be OK.” I said“No it’s not going to be OK.” The piece ended upgetting cut, so therein lies the lesson: when you havean opportunity to be the most upset about somethingis really when you should keep your cool.SC: What do you enjoy most about scenic artistry?RK: The challenges that come with making func-tional art on a large scale, while at the same timebeing a tool the designer’s use to realize their art. Ilove making people happy. I love making the next-to-impossible a reality. I love seeing the light of under-standing come on in someone’s eyes. I love thevariety brought to my life by each new student.


Figure 1.20 A display of student work at Cobalt Studios.


Documents

Part One The Professional Scenic Artist