ABSTRACT
FAUX-FINISHES: THE ALCHEMY OF SCENE PAINT
Everything we do in scenic painting is some form of faux-finish.
Faux (fo), is French for “false” or “fake.” Faux-finishes make the
mundane look magical. Even the simplest surface onstage needs
a certain je ne sais quoi to make it theatrical. Unless you are
painting an extremely Brechtian set where everything is
supposed to be exactly what it is, then your scene paint is
going to help make things appear different than what they
actually are. For example, a gray wash and spatter on some
2 4s on your set might make them look slightly weathered
and “real,” even if there is no attempt to transform them into
some other material. You are still going to want to paint them
if for no other reason than to seal the raw surfaces and visually
tie all the various materials onstage together. Typically, we are
doing a lot more than that. Our paint makes plywood look like
plaster. Some clever brushwork can make a pine board look
like an ancient oak beam. We transform our stage floor into
flagstones, marble tiles, or antique parquet, all with the alchemy
of scenic art.
