Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Colors that Advance and Recede
On March 20, 2011, during our Color Muze segment on Artistically Speaking Talk Show, I had the opportunity to chat with hosts Rebecca and Lyna‘s delightful guest, mixed media artist Kelli Perkins about color temperature, colors that advance and recede, and the relationship between the two. Playing off our previous discussions of “Synesthesia“, or, “The Unity of the Senses“, the idea that colors provoke associations our senses other than sight, during this Muze, we focused on which colors seem to advance, and which to recede. This effect is particularly salient as regards to architectural color, as it can be used to make a space feel larger,
or smaller….
For example, if we paint the walls a color that seems to advance towards us, the space itself will feel smaller. Doing the opposite can create the opposite effect. This technique can be used in any visual context. Using colors that advance and recede can create movement or stillness, dynamism or placidity, agitation or peacefulness, in paintings, textiles, clothing, or anything that uses color as an element. Artists, take this to heart. Kelli does use color! Warm, saturated, and often secondary (purple, green, orange) color! She uses it intuitively and instinctively, even giving herself luminescent purple hair in a self-portrait. Check it out, you have to see this!
But what makes a color seem to advance or recede? And, what qualities do those colors have?
Well, for one thing, how warm or cool a color is perceived to be plays a major role. If we consider the color wheel, we can see a warm half of the wheel, red through yellow-green, and a cool half, green through red-violet. In terms of our perception, warm colors seem to advance, and cool, to recede. When we talk about color “pop”, it refers to the advancing quality of that color, making it “pop” out at us, like the brilliant orange vase in this room.
Warm to hot colors will seem to advance, making the surfaces sheathed in them seem to be closer to you, thus making a room seem smaller, cozier, and, of course, warmer. Often, we want this, and a cavernous space may need it to feel livable.
Cool to cold colors will seem to recede, making the surfaces they sheath feel farther away from us, thus visually adding space, or volume, to a room. This sense of space can be calming and refreshing, especially on a hot day!
By the same token, dark, saturated colors advance and make a space feel smaller, and more intimate,
while pale, light colors, with less saturation add volume by receding. offering a sense of spaciousness, and potentially, rest and relief.
And for sure…strong, bold busy pattern advances! This intimate boudoir becomes yet more magical, fantastical and fun with the addition of this totally HOT fabric wallpaper and curtain!
Smaller, more subdued pattern also recedes. Here the cool blue elegance of the drapes is warmed up by the detail, which brings them to the same plane as the surrounding white walls. The walls themselves recede in lightness of color, advance in warmth of tone, and recede in absence of pattern! Wow. This advancing and receding stuff can be complex. Almost like a math problem. But, ooh, how fun to contemplate!
An interesting discovery can be made when considering our use of language, vis-a-vis not only color, but temperature, AND the idea of advancing and receding. Let’s listen to what we say, what we think, and how we describe relationships, or even our own emotions and personalities. When someone, or even our self, is being or feeling cool, or cold, we often describe that behavior as distant. Or, visa versa, if someone seems remote, or distant, we may jump to the conclusion that they are “cold” or “cool”, emotionally. We may even feel cold or cool ourselves, when we feel emotionally distant from another person, experience, or something we see, or do.
Conversely, when we feel intimate and close to others, to our experience, to ourselves, to Life, we may feel warm, or even hot (!). How often do we say, “I feel so cool and cozy!”? Never, I would venture to guess. Not if we aren’t characters in a J K Rowling fantasy! When we feel warmth towards or from another person, they feel “close” to us, and we feel close to them. . It would be hard to feel close to someone, to our authentic selves, or to our experience, and feel cool or cold. When we say, “Person X is so warm, I feel so close to him/her.”, we are equating emotional temperature with emotional proximity, and the idea of emotional color advancing and receding within ourselves and others.
There is much to contemplate here, and this could be the subject of a whole new post. Have you ever felt the temperature effect, either emotionally, or physically, through color? Have you used color deliberately, to expand or contract the perceived volume of a space? Have you noticed your own telling use of language to describe either?
If you feel so inspired, please share your insights, discoveries, and experiences with us here. We love to hear from you.
Remember, we are all, hopefully, advancing through this thing called Life, together.
Here’s wishing you both color and emotional mastery, magic and adventure. It’s hot!
First things first….bagels on Wilshire….
Mosaic mural juxtaposed with slatted building…packs the punch
Beach architecture…Santa Monica style…
Ahhh…do we have both the male and the female principal equally represented?
A different take on the design of the Hanukkah Menorah…
Curvilinear…indeed!
Compliments of the streets of Santa Monica!
Sketches and mockup for “The Donor Tree”
“The Donor Tree”, Planning for Elders in the Central City, San Francisco
Mockup for “Window Mural”
“Garden Mural”, patio level, San Francisco
“Life Journey”, living room wall, Burlingame, CA
“Obi-Cat” on music room door, Palo Alto, CA
More lantern: repetition of forms creates integration and harmony.
Facebook…and You
Facebook…and You
A Group is Made of Individuals
Recently, I have been approached by no less than three esteemed colleagues, asking me to share with them how I use Facebook, and how “FB” could serve their business, organization, and publication, respectively. This Interior Designer, Non-profit Director, and Publisher had essentially one goal in mind: swim through the potentially bewildering mass of input that is Facebook, understand its processes, and harness its power to grow their business, raise awareness of their organization, and increase the readership of their publication. In a nutshell…to get more people to pay more attention to what they are doing. In essence, not to be alone howling their message into the wind.
Don't Howl Alone into the Wind
How do we do this?
Reach Out and Touch Someone...
Well…reach out through the digital divide, connect with your keyboard, and touch someone, or, a lot of people.
Say: “Hello” – (aka: “Hello World!)
Say, "Hello World"
While not a “how-to” guide”, I offer some thoughts, ideas, and guidelines to the new and the seasoned user of Facebook, in the hopes that they will “friend” the twin activities of giving and receiving, and thus enrich not only themselves and their endeavors, but all of us “FB” users.
OK…So, how do we do this?
Through sharing and caring. (Sound sappy? It’s powerful.) We can communicate, consider, and connect, each in our individual style. It does take some effort. There are even mathematical formulas expounded, as to how to distribute your energy across the Facebook terrain. I will share mine (mind you the math part is flexible…adjust to your own needs, intent, and instinct).
Facebook is used to share, communicate, inspire, educate, market, network, promote, inform, connect, and all manner of other good stuff. It may be used for other things too, but the latter is what I, and most of the folks I am connected to and observe, use it for.
I present this simple formula for your consideration:
Make roughly 30% of your posts about YOU/Your Work, Product, Service, Cause, or Organization.
Make roughly 60% of your posts about OTHERS/Their Work, Product, Service, Cause, or Organization, or even, their jokes, videos, photos or links that you feel comfortable having on your page, and sharing with your FB friends. Ways to do this include “sharing”, or re-posting friends’ posts on your page, “LIKING” their posts, and “COMMENTING” on their posts in an appreciative and supportive manner. You can also simply post about someone, or something on your page, recommending, extolling, supporting, or complimenting them, or, it, as long as this feels true to you. I engage in these activities primarily within the context of my field of work: decorative painting, color, the visual arts in general, the arts in general, to keep my Facebook presentation cohesive. I call this activity “CELEBRATIONS”, and it is great to post them regularly. Celebrating a person, their work, their cause, or their achievement is a gratifying way to show appreciation, reach out, and support your fellow FB friends, or even those you are not (yet) connected to on FB. You can promote their work, service, business, or just THEM to the world…the Facebook world, and the world in general (if your Page happens to be public, as mine is.)
Make roughly 10% of your posts about WHATEVER fun, unique, unusual, special, eccentric or eclectic topics you wish to share…keeping in mind that these posts are indeed, sharing. These posts may have a more personal flavor, without necessarily looking, at first glance, like they are directly connected to your Work, Product, Service, Cause, or Organization, although at second glance, they might be.
I realize as I write this how personal Facebook really is, as regards to how folks approach it, how they use it, and what they want to get out of it. It can be tempting to get really personal on Facebook. I would just remind everyone that anything placed upon the seemingly infinite table of the Internet, can potentially be seen, read, consumed, and responded to by anyone alive on the planet. So…please! Be careful…be considerate, be conscientious….but don’t stop having FUN!
Don’t howl alone, howl with and to others! They may find your howling helpful, or at least, amusing….
Don't Howl Alone...Howl with Others!
For further FB info:
Here is an informative post on Regina Garay’s (of GARAY ARTISANS) far-reaching blog, “FAUXOLOGY” on how to use Facebook for your Business, written by her sister Suzanne. This post helps to demystify the difference between FB pages and groups, so please read, and enjoy!
If you have the time, and the inclination, let us know what you think, and feel, about this post. We are all in this thing called Life, together.
Cheerio!
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on November 9, 2010 at 9:02 pm Comments (4)Tags: awareness, Blog, Blogs, business, caring, cause, Celebrate, Celebrations, colleagues, COMMENTING, Facebook, Fauxology, FB, inspire, Internet, life, LIKING, organization, publication, Service, sharing, Social networks, work