John Canning and daughter Jackie Riccio had the honor of participating in the 35th Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival held on the National Mall in Washington, DC in July 2001.

Over the course of four days, John and Jackie demonstrated the intricate phases of two decorative painting techniques. John chose the nearly lost art of wood graining using traditional methods and materials. Jackie chose to replicate the freehand painted scroll design used in the Soloman P. Chase Suite of the U.S. Treasury Building which Canning Studios restored in 1992.

John explained to the viewers that wood graining was a series of steps, the number of which depended upon the variety of wood and type of grain being replicated. The traditional materials used are dry colors, ale (as a protein binder), Fuller's earth, linseed oil, turpentine, and dryers. Choosing a typical finish from the Victorian era and applying it to a door, the surface was:

• primed and base painted with an alkyd eggshell enamel. This step is called the ground coat;
• deglossed with Fuller's earth;
• dry color was mixed with ale (a binder) and applied. Flogging, mottling, and stippling are the techniques used to apply this layer again depending on the ultimate pattern of the grain;
• after half an hour, the heart growth patterning of the wood is put in using linseed oil, thinners, dryers and more pigment to move the pattern into the desired result;
• after 24 hours drying time, a second layer of mottling is applied using the pigment and ale mixtures;
• further details and nuances are added and allowed to dry thoroughly before being sealed with a protective coat of alkyd varnish.

Using the full-size tracings kept on file from the original 1992 restoration, Jackie prepared the surface with background color, then "pounced" the pattern which includes the Treasury shield surrounded by acanthus leaf scroll work. Then, painting freehand, she applied the various colors in layers that combined to create the dimensional effects desired for the final design.

In the crafts tradition, these skills and techniques are passed from generation to generation often keeping within a family as in this instance.

Organized by Dr. Marjorie Hunt of the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the goal of the "Masters of the Building Arts" program was to introduce a broad public to our country's creative legacy in the building arts.

To learn more about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, visit: www.folklife.si.edu

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