So, I had this wall that's about 24' by 10' high (another 10' if you count the stairway) and it was u-g-l-y - sort of an annoying brown mustard color which is fine in limited quantity, but a whole big wall? So, I asked the owner if I could paint, unfortunately he said "yes".

This began the search for a "statement" color that would define the room and as noted in the last thread, this was open season on artistic license because color and I are at odds most of the time. Generally I can't tell you what color I like, I can tell you what I don't like, so the option to paint an unlimited number of colors only to say "oops" reared it ugly head. Being fearless in my dotage I laid out a plan that was sure to succeed - I emailed my daughter and begged for assistance (with a little suggestive guidance from me from time to time).

I thought I saw green when I looked at the wall, but my track record with greens is legendary, I've funded entire paint outlet stores buying one shade after another waiting for chance to set in and reward me with the “right” one.

After printing a number of green variations from the computer (hey, everyone else is going “green”) I was beginning to see a problem. At that point my daughter said "puce" - why not puce? That's a good idea in a theoretical sense because in MX it's very hard to go wrong with color, but puce? (I noted that it was only one letter different than another unpleasant occurrence) I looked it up online and it seemed to be a shade of dusty rose and I printed out some samples and tacked them to the walls. There is a nook in the wall where art hangs and I got to thinking about this house near me that has a blue stripe that is metallic vivid violet blue something and I thought that would be interesting for the nook to help the artwork stand out.

All great projects start with a painted patch on a wall forcing you to continue until something acceptable is achieved - I had no idea how long that was going to take. As the wall was the lovely mustard color I figured I'd seal it with a coat of white before color so I got a gallon of blanco (white) from Comex, our main paint company down here.

I decided to document the process so I'd not forget (in case it went oops). I set up the camera to take a shot every 10 minutes knowing I'm not as fast as I was once, I'm as fast once as I ever was - oh, never mind, I started masking and painting. I also had a liter of Selador which is a sealant, now not being Spanish literate I can't read the label, but it seemed to say mix 5 to 1 with agua, so I mixed up a little batch, but it was like 0% skim milk and when I tried to apply it to the wall it was like water and dried clear? - I went back to the white paint and finished the wall.

Next I continued to narrow the definition of “puce” which is hard to do when you are clueless, but I had a sample and my decorator (1,500 miles away) agreed and to the blue for the nook, progress was beginning to result in motion. I went to Comex and had them mix a color which looked a lot like bubblegum pink – whoa, really pink, I said “add azul (blue) and it toned it down some, so with a gallon of pinkblue bubblegum, a liter of deep deep blue and a strong constitution I headed home.

I started the camera and began applying color to the wall and boy was it pink? – but, I was undaunted, I continued until it was covered and stood back to look – it must have been what the designers of the Titanic felt after the little ice berg incident. However I told myself the blue nook will make all the difference, and it did to some degree. I did up the pics in a little slide show and sent them off to my designer in CA for approval.

The next day I got my answer – she said “well, you’re probably going to kill me, but I think the wall should be blue and the nook puce, but toned down some. To say my daughter is honest and insightful doesn’t cover it. I wrote back and said “now I know why I live 1,500 miles from you, so I can’t get my hands around your neck!”

I’ve learned tolerance in my old age (or it’s been thrust upon me) and I was already getting used to the glowing pink wall (although I kept getting cravings for bubblegum). I can get used to almost anything but a rock in my shoe and the darn thin plastic toilet seats here in MX, they scare me to death. But, change was in store so back to Comex for a gallon of blue.

I decided I needed to kill the blue with a coat of white in the nook, so now the nook has 3 coats of paint. I did the main wall in deep blue that you would think would cover most anything including a bloody crime scene from CSI - but it DOES NOT cover hot pink so it was obvious a second coat would be in order. I mixed the remaining hot pink down a bit with blue and applied coat #4 to the nook and stood back to admire – well, maybe?

What was supposed to be a rather simple 2 day painting project was now into day 4. Max had totally written off the top floor due to constant moving of ladder, furniture etc. I added more blue to the pink mix and approached mauve for the final coat (#5) to the nook, and also the second coat of blue (making 4 coats to the main wall). All the time the camera was dutifully recording my folly.

My decorator assured me I’d love it when finished, this is the same one who said “do puce”? As I looked at the (now) mauve I thought it needed more gloss, renter the Selador because it’s supposed to be clear and glossy it turns out, so I figured why not? – I mixed up a batch and sponged it on the mauve to get a very glossy finish.

Finally after pulling all the masking tape and touching up the usual over painting etc. it was complete and I sent out the slide show. So, for all of you who keep wondering what old gringo’s do in retirement in MX, it’s at the link listed in the left column in Photo Projects 2008 titled “No Mas Mustard”. You’ll get the best effect if you click on the first pic and then the far right arrow in the orange title bar, that will start the slide show and believe me it took a lot longer than the minute or so this lasts.

My decorator thinks it’s great (I wonder why?) and my neighbor, upon seeing the pics, said “now what are you going to do with the arch?” – my reply was “dust it regularly”.

It’s different, makes a statement (not sure it’s fit for public consumption) and I had some fun with it. Friend George says it may become one of those Internet legends, you know the kind, “dummy paints wall – several times - and still gets it wrong” or whatever. As I said, in MX it’s hard to go wrong with color, but I came dangerously close.