I recently found my mother's John Pike palette tucked away in a desk. I remember retrieving it in 2006 after her death along with several tubes of paint and a lovely Winsor-Newton Series 7 brush. I had forgotten the palette and brush were there for all these years. The palette was advertised as being made by the toughest plastic available. I believe it is made of Bakelight. Over time it has turned yellow

In the palette are wells of W-N watercolors, which I brought from their slumber with a squirt of distilled water and a pinch of gum-Arabic. The inner pan is a a large mixing area, as is the inside of the lid. I decided to cover the yellow with white acrylic so I could better see my mixes. I masked the sides of the box and paint with tape. It took two layers of white. Each layer was sanded down, then the new surface was finished with 3 layers of automotive clear coat spray, and allowed to dry overnight.

I am displaying before and after photos, and am looking forward to using my "new" gift from Mom. I still have to tidy up the paint around the edges.

John Pike was a notable watercolor artist in the 1950's and 60's. I think that owning one of these palettes was a status symbol. His work is viewable online.