The Blues

We decided, a while back, that we were going to paint the Duck in the 'two blues' which used to be used on Grand Union Canal Carrying Co. boats in the thirties. Not because we want to paint it like a trad boat, but because those two blues look fantastic together on every GU boat we've seen restored in that livery, so we knew they'd work.

But, of course, the shade of blue is based on black and white images, contemporary description, and the odd flake of paint which survived, so there are various interpretations of what the colour scheme looked like. Below are two of them: Archimedes and Ara, and Callisto.



Callisto is the only one I've ever seen that uses the light, greenish blue. All the others are variations of the blue Archimedes and Ara use. So I was a bit disappointed to open the can and find it Callisto blue. So we are not sure if we will be using tho other blue after all. It is a shame but I just don't think it will look right. We should have had a swatch sent, but foolishly assumed that because every restoration we'd seen in the two blues was nice-looking, if we bought a 'GU Pale blue' to go with our Union Blue, it would be a colour we liked.

This weekend was absolutely the worst weather for painting: very hot and very windy, right up until quite late on Saturday, and threatening rain on Sunday. Still, we've just got to carry on with the Union Blue now, paint a line along the lid in grey, an then next weekend I shall attempt sighwriting!