I have the good fortune to teach at Hancock Shaker Village, a living history museum in Hancock, MA. This is part of Find Your Authentic Voice in Plein Air, centered in Lenox, MA, in the Berkshires. I never visit without learning something new. Yesterday I learned about the Shaker color palette.
This palette is a mix of practicality, spirituality, and cheerfulness. These colors were set down in the Shaker Millennial Laws and are well-documented at Shaker sites.
Hancock Shaker Village has recreated this color use in their many restored buildings, which makes this living history museum feel very lively.
Reds and yellows came from ochre. That’s humanity’s oldest pigment at 300,000 years of documented use. They also used the first modern synthesized pigment, Prussian blue. Chrome yellow, a combination of lead and chromate, gave a fine strong yellow. Mixed with Prussian blue, it creates a deep, rich green. All of these pigments were mixed with linseed oil to produce paint, which is how modern oil paints are made.
While the Shakers avoided ostentation, they didn’t shy away from rich, deep colors. In the hands of these master designers, these colors create harmony, not flashiness. The Shaker color palette is easily duplicated today. It’s very dramatic, set against the deep greens and blues of the Berkshires.
Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:
- Advanced Plein Air Painting | Rockport, ME, July 13-17, 2026
- Sea & Sky | Acadia National Park, ME, August 2–7, 2026
- Find your Authentic Voice in Plein Air | Berkshires, MA, August 10-14, 2026
- New! Color Clinic 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 3-4, 2026
- New! Composition Week 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 5-9, 2026
Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace: