[Tom H]

I think I need some help! I am finding out that I may have a touch of color blindness. It's either that or my tastes in colors are way out of wack. I built a 7 ft open cabinet with shelves to put into one of those white tents used at out door arts festivals. I will be displaying Noahs Arks on the cabinet shelves. The colors of the arks are barn red, forrest green, and dark brown. The animals are their natural colors. The cabinet will be painted and antiqued. Problem is, I don't know what color to paint the cabinet so it shows the arks in the best manner. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Tom H

[kitaye]

I would go with a golden oak or similar lighter colour to show off the darker colours you've described.

[DADDIO]

lots of darker sounding colors there to me,i would think going with a light color would keep your booth lighter looking and make your pieces stand out better. i did one painted light green then applied a crackle medium then off white over that and it turned out pretty neat looking looks old plus it's light colored.hope that helps some.

[Just Carving]

I'd go along with Kitaye on the Golden oak color--or maybe even red oak--something comparable to a sunrise/sunset just like when the animals were being loaded into the ark.

Bob L

[susieq]

A color pleasing to the eye that compliments but does not blend in with your work..... Maybe a pale sage green.....you have a lot of earth tones in your work, so that might be a pleasant background for them. They would stand out and not be over powered but it would not be too stark or sterile like white would. I would go to the paint department and pick some color chips to bring home and hold up with your work. These types of choices are always hard for the person who has to make them, not so much for the rest of us giving advice. Good luck to you.

[Ashbys]

Tom,

Get your wife or daughter , grab the comp and make yourself a color wheel. On the top put the color your wife sees , under it put the color you see. Then anytime you need a reference, check the wheel. Then you will know your perceived color as to the color the other people see.

Then if your mixing , use the standard color list and match it to what you see. If it is not right you will not be far off.

Ash

[Jim OH]

Hi Tom,
If ya really want the display to be noticed paint it some ungodly bright color that doesn't match anything else in your house LOL. I bet your wife would notice it and suggest a pleasing color that would be just fine ;O))
Jim OH

[Tom H]

Thanks for responding! I have decided to kinda blend several suggestions into one. I am going to paint the cabinet a pale yellow (colonial yellow) with a final glaze coat of antiquing. I figure that it's going to be inside one of those 10x10 tents with sides. Even tho the tent is white, if the sun is not out it may get a bit dark inside the tent. And since I use mostly earth tones, I needed a lighter color cabinet. I'll post a photo when it's completed, maybe tomorrow or the next day.

Thanks again.

Tom H

[susieq]

That sounds lovely Tom. Can't wait to see it. Regarding the light problem inside the tent, is there any way to have artificial light in there that would not take away from the display? Battery powered maybe, if electricity is not available at the show site. Something not too intrusive for the display.

I have seen these little "stick up" lights that are very small in size, about like a drink coaster. They run on batteries and you can just "stick them" where ever you need them. I know either Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens & Things has them. I think they are that new kind of lighting....LED? Something to consider. But your color scheme sounds great.

[Tom H]

OK! As I promised, here's the completed cabinet to display some Noahs Arks at a local arts festival. I painted the cabinet a pale colonial yellow, then sanded the corners and edges. I next applied a coat of BLO, mineral spirits, and stain.

I think if I had it to do all over again, I might want to try black. I think black shows off just about any color. But I'll stay with this one.....I think.

Now that you all can see this, any additional suggestions if I make another cabinet, for the same booth/tent?

Tom H