b'green thumbin the canfar left:To create the aged metal effect on this cryo chamber withinReseneW hether the phenomenon stemmed from fear The Oasis gaming development inWranglerChristchurchs The Palms mall, Deanamong clients, developers or councils, or its used Resene Wrangler, Resene Ayerssimply a case of tall poppy syndrome, if you Rock and Resene Mission Brown. were to paint a picture of many typical neighbourhoods, left: Dean relied on favourite Reseneyouwouldntneedabroadpalettetocapturetheir colours like Resene Turbo, ReseneResene essence. Even in areas where there are no restrictive Curious Blue, Resene Bright Red,Mission Brown covenants in place, a sea of white, beige and grey homes Resene Black and Resene White whenpunctuated with the odd black-clad contemporary form painting this mind-blowing fresco forWhy standing out and blending in dont have to be at odds with one another.is by far and wide the norm.the ceiling of Dennis Chapmans castle.But if you look to the most photographed kerbs in Painting and images by Dean Johnston. the world, youll see a far more interesting palette: the ReseneReseneResenePainted Ladies of San Francisco, Paseo del Prado in White Bright Red Curious Blue Havana, Nyhavn in Copenhagen. If you ask someone ReseneReseneResenewho hails from South America or Europe, theyll tell Turbo Ayers Rock Black you that these buildings capture the colours of nature. Despite our chromatically rich subtropical surroundings, antipodeans dont seem to share the same associations. our Resene ColorShop, I pick up Resene Turbo, Resene Bright Redthing. The people who have been awarded that designation findWhat constitutes a natural colour here often doesnt and Resene Curious Blue. Those are the ones I go straight to first,themselves educating and teaching the younger ones comingget more intense than a stonewashed grey. For some, because I know I can build just about any colour I need in a pinchthrough and trying to keep up the calibre, class and ability to layeven a misty blue feels like a risky choice.by mixing those, and I always have those three with me in my van. stuff out and design it without needing a computer or digital aids. Luckily, the way we colour our exteriors has been Theres a Resene ColorShop we frequent in ChristchurchDeanisalsoamemberofNewZealandsLetterheadsslowly evolving. Its a change thats only come about and theyve just about stopped asking me what Im planning onchapter,whichispartofaninternationalorganisationofbecause of the designers, builders and painters who doing with what I pick up. I invite the staff from the counterletterwriters,pinstripersandmuralpainters.Thepeoplehave wilfully campaigned to shift the perspective on to come down and see what were working on because it helpsinvolved in it are real artists, and they support the resurgencehowourstreetscouldlook.Andsometimesitonly them understand what products are being used and how theyreof all these old techniques. For me, right now, thats somethingtakes a few making steps in the right direction before being used. We built a whole Blade Runner-style town scenereally important to be a part of. Kiwi signwriters and displaymore thoughtful colour use catches on.that they came by to see and they were just blown away by it artists are as good as anywhere else in the world and hold their which was cool feedback. own, which Im very proud of.inA number of commercial projects that Dean has had a handFor those wanting to follow in Deans footsteps and take uptop tipover the years have also won Resene Total Colour Awards,the trade, he recommends patience and perseverance. Its not includingWaffleHausinChristchurchandSaigonKingdomgoing to happen overnight, and its not going to happen the way restaurant in Queenstown, but being recognised by the Newyou want it to all the time. But if you keep at it and keep theBefore you solidify your specifications, help your clients ZealandSignandDisplayAssociation(NZSDA)asaMasterquality of your artwork high, youre going to get there. No onevisualise their Resene colour choices with Resene Signmaker in 2018 was a crowning achievement. ever said its going to be easy, but the feeling you get when youelectronic colours. Resene has a range of colour files My company, Dream It, has humbly done very well in theget there is off the chart. available to suit your rendering software. Access the NZSDA Sign Display Awards for years, and Ive always reallyDont think that you cant become a professional artist incolour data files at www.resene.com/electroniccolour. enjoyed the competition. Weve done incredibly well with goldNew Zealand, because if I can, you can.If the file type you need isnt available, please email medals and were really proud to be a part of the NZSDAandupdate@resene.co.nz with details of the system and to be recognised by them as a Master Signwriter is a very coolTo see more of Dean and his teams incredible work, visit www.dreamit.kiwi.nz. software you are using and we will help find a solution.16 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 17'