Colour Is Not Decoration: Jesmonite, Mid-Century Palettes and Restraint
Up to this point, the focus had been on structure, tolerance and material behaviour. Colour risked arriving too early, before the joins had earned it. Once workable moulds had been established, however, it became clear that colour could no longer be deferred. Jesmonite does not treat colour as surface; it absorbs it into the body of the material. Any decision made here would be structural, not cosmetic.
Colour as Material Behaviour
Jesmonite pigment behaves very differently from paint. It is unforgiving of excess and quick to dominate form if not handled carefully. Early tests confirmed that even small variations in pigment ratio significantly altered the perceived weight and seriousness of a cast. This reinforced an important principle: colour needed to support the join, not compete with it. Rather than approaching colour through preference, I returned to research.
1960s Palettes as Context, Not Nostalgia
The furniture and architectural research underpinning this project naturally pointed toward mid-century colour palettes. These were not chosen for their retro appeal, but for their relationship to material culture. Ochres, deep greens, muted oranges and pale neutrals appear repeatedly in furniture catalogues, architectural finishes and signage from the period. These colours sit comfortably alongside concrete, wood and stone. They carry warmth without softness and restraint without neutrality — qualities that align closely with the architectural sensibility of the work.
Referencing these palettes provided historical anchors that helped prevent arbitrary decision-making.
Mixing With Restraint
Colour tests were conducted by pre-mixing pigments into the liquid component of Jesmonite before adding powder. This allowed for controlled adjustments and repeatability. Even so, many mixes were rejected.
Some colours flattened form. Others introduced an unintended decorative quality that undermined the structural clarity of the joins. The most successful tests were often the least assertive, allowing shadow, edge and geometry to remain dominant.
These decisions were slow and deliberate. Colour was treated as something to be earned.
Colour and Perceived Weight
One of the most revealing outcomes of this stage was how significantly colour altered perceived mass. Darker tones increased the apparent weight and seriousness of a join, while lighter tones emphasised geometry and edge.
This relationship became a useful design tool. Colour could be used to either ground a form or allow it to recede, depending on how the join was intended to function within a larger configuration.
What This Stage Clarified
Working through colour in this way clarified several things:
Jesmonite colour must be approached with discipline
restraint strengthens structural reading
historical palettes provide context without dictating outcomes
colour directly affects how joins are read spatially and emotionally
Rather than narrowing possibilities, these constraints made subsequent decisions clearer.
Setting Up Casting and Surface Testing
With a limited but purposeful palette established, the project was ready to return fully to casting. The next phase would test how colour interacts with surface finish, texture and material weight across Jesmonite and concrete.
Colour was no longer an unresolved question. It had become part of the system.