Journal of Architectural Conservation
Volume 16, Issue 2, July 2010
Commissioning Architectural Paint Research: A Researcher's Perspective
Karen Morrissey
Paper Summary
Architectural paint research is being used more and more widely in building conservation, as part of conservation-based research and analysis. Despite the call for greater understanding of this specialized field from professionals working within it, many specifiers of paint research are unaware of the processes involved in good paint research and miss the opportunity to commission an enlightening piece of work which will be valuable in the development of conservation strategies.
The aim of this paper is to bring architectural paint research to the attention of a new audience and to provide an opportunity for those already involved in commissioning in this area to take a fresh look. The motivation for paint research and the advantages of employing an experienced researcher are discussed as well as the processes involved and the common issues that arise.
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Figure 4 The samples are mounted in a clear embedding resin, ground and polished, before being examined and photographed between x40 and x200 magnification in visible and UV light. This cross-section was taken from a Wyvern to the north balcony at Wrest Park and shows the changes in colour use and the presence of gilding in earlier schemes.
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Karen Morrissey BA (Hons), PGDip
Karen Morrissey joined Hirst Conservation in 1997, specializing in the conservation of painted decorations and associated research. She is a senior historic paint researcher for the company, working on paint research in the UK and Europe. Karen is an accredited member of the Institute of Conservation.
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