Hand-painted Furniture Continued
Creating an illusion

Behind the nondescript brick façade of the suburban home waits a whimsical world created by an artist with a fancy for illusion.

The home’s owner, Carol Nagel, specializes in hand-painting and faux finishing furniture, walls and accessories, and lives closely with her work.

Over the past nine years, she and her husband, Ed have turned their home in Doylestown Borough into a veritable showplace of their work. Ed paints portraits and landscapes, while Carol creates custom-painted furniture and fairy-tale like scenes on walls, floors and furnishings.

“The fun about faux – even for me – is enjoying the illusion. Is it or isn’t it?” she asks.

A fine example of Carol’s faux finishing sits in a room just off her first-floor studio. A small fireplace with marbleized side panels and painted front tiles stands flush against the far wall. Even close up, the tiles look like the original blue delft tiles, and the marble appears to be smooth and cool to the touch.

Dozens of books sit on shelves in the adjacent workroom, ready to provide her with just the right inspiration for her next piece of furniture. She refers to the pictures of Swedish folk art for inspiration and to the lighter colors and more playful feel of country French designs as well.

“In a lifetime, I couldn’t put a dent in all the wonderful designs I have in my books. I use these pictures for inspiration and then put myself into it too.”
One of Carol’s specialties is taking a piece of furniture – usually an entertainment unit or chest – and painting it with various motifs from Germany, Sweden, France and other countries.

Vinegar painting, a Pennsylvania German technique, is a favorite of Carol’s. Adding white vinegar to the paint helps it hold its position when she presses putty into it, creating decorative patterns in the paint.

The Pennsylvania Germans adapted their familiar designs, seen so often on hex signs in the Lancaster County region, from the Southern Germans who covered nearly all their furniture with ornate, swirling colorful designs.

“The story goes that this was called ‘farmer furniture,’” Carol explains, “because the farmers would spend their winters indoors, and this gave them something to do. Really, they were done by traveling artists” but the art form came to America with German immigrants. Although they didn’t have the time or talent, they wanted to get the same effect, and created simplified versions of what they had left behind.

The Pennsylvania German designs are highly stylized with lots of tulips, flowers and hearts that Carol paints partly with stencils (when symmetry is important) and partly freehand. The latex and acrylic paint is applied over a base color, antiqued to give it a weathered appearance, and then coated with clear polyurethane for a strong, durable finish.

“I try to simulate wear and tear and some dirt,” says Carol. “Old paint mellows and its look softens. I try to show what time does to things.”

While Carol occasionally works with unfinished furniture, she often works with older pieces, customizing a new look to a worn piece. A wooden chest in her living room is a favorite. With its wood shined to a soft gloss, three geometric panels of pink, blue and green form the motif of an Amish quilt. The surrounding wood is left in its natural state.

“It would almost be a crime to paint over good wood,” Carol says passionately. “Look at this walnut and dovetailing … it’s almost too nice to paint.”

Carol’s living room is a feast for the senses. Two small parakeets chirp from the dining room, a dog and cat lounge on cushions, fantasy trees and vines wind up the walls and around windows, while several small angels perch on the wall. Wait. Are they real objects or painted imposters? This time, they are three-dimensional objects, but the impression of illusion persists.

Near the center of the room, an admired chest, showing extreme signs of distressing turn out to have received “real-life” antiquing from Carol’s two now-grown children and variety of pets.

The Tyler School of Art graduate appreciates the importance of understanding the background of an image before trying to manipulate or copy it. Art history and knowledge of colors and how they are interrelated are of utmost importance to her.

“All cultures – back to the Greeks and Romans – in one way or another, decorated their every-day items. It’s what people do. The desire to ornament is a very human thing.”

Although Carol is a master of illusion in her work, she is solidly based in reality and tradition in her motivations and techniques.

“I don’t use a lot of tricks in my work,” she says with a chuckle “No corn cobs or goose feathers for me. I use brushes and paint”.

“I don’t really respond to modern free-form work that zigzags and is more unstructured. I like to work with the client, see what their taste is and draw from the hundreds of wonderful ideas that are out there.”

“Form and color give me great joy in life. I love to play with different realities and enjoy the whimsy of it all,” Carol gestures around at her work. Her large silver hoop earrings sway in time to her emotion. “I feel so lucky that I have a career in something that makes me feel so happy.”

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