No summer break for PATINA Members and Guests. There are too many Tools to Buy, Trade, Sell, and so much Knowledge to Pass Down! July 14 Program Details: I am pleased to announce that our July program will be a returning speaker. Chris Swan is a Senior Conservator of furniture and wooden artifacts at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia where he has been since February, 1999, and where he completed his third-year graduate internship, and Getty post-graduate internship from 1994-1996. He served two years as the Mellon Fellow and then as Assistant Conservator in Furniture Conservation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Chris is a 1985 graduate of the University of Dallas, and a 1995 graduate of the Buffalo State College Art Conservation Master’s Degree Program. Please join Chris Swan as he discusses selections from his thesis, “The Five Myths of Early American Furniture Finishes”. Featured in the presentation will be slides of representative 18th and early 19th Century period dyes, clear, and painted finishes as we encounter them today; the physical evidence of surviving finishes as compared to the written record. The discussion seeks to describe the evolution of color and finishes from the colonial times to today. Along with slides of regional American and British examples from the period, a hands-on Demonstration will feature manipulating a few dyes and finishes on panels, and the manipulation of walnut to look old. In addition, we will look at some 18th century paint techniques in sample panels and mull over some pigments in oil with a "muller" and slab to illustrate the technique of paint making in the 18th century. (Program Directors Note: I was going to title this program "The Muller Report", from a Conservative's Perspective, but that seemed potentially controversial, and Chris is far more professional than I am so I didn't want to tarnish his presentation, lol) Chris shared this perspective at a previous meeting and I thought it was worth sharing again. “A conservators approach is one in which all materials are considered in the process of preserving and interpreting whole objects, and by extension whole collections. We practice preventive conservation alongside minimally-invasive object-specific treatments to achieve our goal. Conservators are keenly interested in and aware of the nature of different materials, their identification, vulnerability, and interactions as a way to provide and predict their longevity as made objects. We also work closely with curators to better understand the history, technology, and proper interpretation of these aged objects. “ Among other subjects, he has lectured on: Photo-documentation of Furniture, Packing and Crating Furniture for Collectors, Caring For Wooden Artifacts, Wood Identification for Collectors, Painted Furniture, and The Making and Use of Reproductions at Colonial Williamsburg, Picture Frames: Style, Materials, and Conservation, and Minimally Invasive Upholstery systems. He is an Associate Member of the American Institute for Conservation, and of the Virginia Conservation Association. Bring a guest and a new member. Questions welcome. The meeting will begin with tailgating outside, a mini-auction inside, followed by the member participation program at The American Legion Post 270 located at 1355 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA Tool Trading: about 8:30 -11:15 AM, Mini-Auction 11:15-12:00. Program 12:00-1:30 pm. See patinatools.org for details. The location is American Legion Post 270 1355 Balls Hill Road - McLean, Virginia 22101

Meeting Information