Piecing Our Story

Piecing Our Story

Faith Ringgold

Inspired by the “Story Quilts” of Faith Ringgold…I incorporated fabric collages into some classes and programs I  had the privilege of  teaching and leading.

The idea was to piece together elements of fabric…cloth…to express or depict aspects  of the maker’s life story. To “fabricate’ one’s story…to “cloth” one’s story in visual details…the definition can be rather loose.  Above, my sample expresses something of house and home…a broad theme that could encompass almost anything.

This fun and evocative piece created by a 17 year old makes beautiful use of aqua-blue wool…at least I think it is wool. As I get many of supplies at a place called “Trash for Teaching” , where companies’ left-overs or overstock is donated to be resold to teachers and others at very low cost,  I am not always sure of their origin. This artist did use paper for the face…extrapolating from a previous lesson on how to draw the face in proper proportion. She is also interested in becoming a make-up professional, so this piece may have played into that ambition and interest as well.

Totally different, but just as evocative is this piece that functions almost like a banner, celebrating the maker’s daughter. Balanced through the elements of color, shape and composition,  the use of the symbols of heart and arrow are  arranged to create the strong center of a radial design which continues and expands the motif of the arrow.  Arrow pointing to directly the heart? Seems like a rather clear story there.

These brilliantly colored feathers almost appear to emit light against the dark background.  Arranged in a repeating color pattern, the artist is careful to begin and end with pink,  containing the composition within that color horizontally, while flanking it vertically with luminous green, and thus employing the tension of opposites. Pink is a permutation of red, “light” red, (red plus white) which is the compliment, or opposite of green. The color story expresses the human story as a whole.

Two uses of the heart motif, one created through stitching, and another through the cutting and gluing of material define these two pieces.  Both hearts are tilted to the left, which gives them a dynamic feel of being on movement, and which in turn adds movement to the composition. Above  the deceptively simple composition of white and red on black belies the powerful associations of those colors. Below, warm hues of the  cool color of blue are offset by the soft pinkish-purple (which contains blue) in the center of the color scheme.  The piece is further enlivened by sharp dashes of back in the corners which radiate outwards, and black letters in the center set off by white, another system of opposites.

The use of the heart shape / symbol, as a central motif, the combination of different kinds of cloth/textile/fabric media, and employment of framing as a compositional device characterize the works above. Bows, pom poms, a scattering of smaller hearts and butterflies, and imaginative color choices are all at play, adding a layer of magic and whimsey to the feelings of hope and longing expressed in these pieces.

A Mom of two created this piece, which depicts her two children who also attended. Although she came in towards the end of the project, she was able to put together vibrant colors, and strong shapes which speak volumes about her commitment to her family, and tell at least a piece of her story. One strip of patterned ribbon is added which reflects the flowers, and ties the composition together by adding complexity and interest right in the center of the piece. This artist was very specific about which  ribbon she was going to use to achieve this, and with good reason, as the results are stunning.

 

Light On Color: Illuminate

Light On Color: Illuminate

In the last several Artissima blog posts we have taken a  journey through some of the aspects of color that many of us find challenging to truly understand, and wrap our minds around.

It has been fascinating to tackle the topics of metamerism, spectral reflectance, spectral power, the color rendering index, and color temperature.  I wanted to take a few moments, and summarize what I have learned, and hopefully what you have learned too!

As discussed,  color is a function of light. The color that we  see  is  reflected light waves.   “Visible light is made of seven wavelength groups.  When light hits objects, some of the wavelengths are absorbed and some are reflected, depending on the materials in the object. The reflected wavelengths are what we perceive as the object’s color.”

We recognize four types of Metamerism, the phenomenon of colors seeming  to match under one light source, yet appearing different under another/in a different environment.

Sample metamerism: when two color samples appear to match under a particular light source but do not match under a different light source.   Sample metamerism has to do with differences in each sample object’s spectral reflectance distribution, or its response to light, characterized by the wavelengths that it primarily reflects. It happens because of differences in the objects (or samples) themselves.

Illuminant metamerism:  occurs when the spectral reflectance distributions of the two color samples observed are identical, and are seen under different lights sources with differing spectral power distributions  (SPD, or output of a light source, characterized by its relative strength at each wavelength.  It happens because of the light sources (or illuminants) themselves.

Sample Metamerism occurs as a result of  differences in the reflectivity of the color samples themselves, and Illuminant Metamerism occurs as a result of differences in the output of the light source itself, under which we are viewing the color samples.

Observer metamerism: can occur because of differences in color vision  from one person to the next. The physical act of seeing, that which happens in our eyes and brains when we see an object in whatever light, can alter  our color perception. A common source of observer metamerism is color blindness,  but it occurs with the “normal-seeing”  as well.  What  may be a color match for one observer may not be for another.

Geometric metamerism: The angle, distance or light position from which identical colors are viewed may change the color that we see. The distance between a woman’s eyes is, on average, slightly less than a man’s.  This slightly different angle of stereoscopic viewpoint may be why men and women have been known to perceive colors differently!  Most of us have had the experience of  two samples appearing to match when viewed from one angle, but then not matching when viewed from another angle.

CRI, or The Color Rendering Index is an international measurement scale that measures or  describes how colors are rendered, IE “show up” to our eyes,  under an artificial source of light as compared to daylight. Daylight renders the widest variety of colors, as compared to artificial lighting, which depending on the nature of its light source, can render many or few colors.  The International Commission on Illumination (Abbreviated C.I.E. because of its French name, Commission internationale de l’éclairage)is recognized as the  international authority on light and color.  It defines  CRI/color rendering as the effect of an illuminant on the color appearance of objects by conscious or subconscious comparison with their color appearance under a reference illuminant.

in my own words, the color rendering index describes the  effect of a light source on how the color of an object appears to us.  It is the measurement of how much an object’s color appearance shifts when illuminated by an artificial (other than daylight)  light source compared to the color appearance of the same object when  illuminated by a “reference” light source (daylight), of comparable color temperature.

Color Temperature… refers to the actual color and type of  light emitted by a particular light source. High color temperatures, those over 5,000K (K = Kelvin) are termed cool colors  and are bluish white, while lower color temperatures (2,700–3,000 K) are called warm colors  and are yellowish white through red.  

Thus, color temperature refers to the actual color of light and  CRI refers to the ability of a light source to render color, in comparison to daylight.

The relationship of color temperature to CRI?

The color rendering index can be used as a basis of comparison between light sources only if they have the same color temperature; if they are the same degree Kelvin, and thus the light they emit is the same color.

CCT, or Correlated Color Temperature, also expressed in Kelvin, is a numerical description of a  light’s color appearance,  and describes whether a white light source appears more yellow/gold, or more blue.  CCT can be used as a means of correlating the color of an artificial light source with the color of daylight.

As artists, colorists, visual makers of any kind, and humans upon this earth…we will always come back to our response to color, how it is perceived or rendered through light, its effect on our interior and exterior environments, and upon our hearts, minds and souls, to say nothing of our work. Color, and thus light, are a frame of reference for our physical and emotional  experience as we move through our lives.

I hope these posts have shed some light on the color in your life….and that you walk in beauty…and illumination.

 

Color Temperature

Color Temperature

What is “Color Temperature“, and how does it relate to CRI, or the Color Rendering Index?

We know CRI to be an international measurement scale or rating of how accurately an artificial  light source renders, or shows the color of an object (often called its “color appearance” ) as compared to daylight, which is capable of depicting, rendering or showing the widest range of colors. Thus, CRI rates, describes or measures how the  colors of objects  appear (compared to daylight) under a specific light source…IE, in a given light.

Color temperature however refers to the actual color and type of  light emitted by a particular light source.  High color temperatures, those over 5,000K (K = Kelvin) are termed cool colors  and are bluish white, while lower color temperatures (2,700–3,000 K) are called warm colors  and are yellowish white through red.

Yes, counter-intuitively, the higher color temperature describes a cooler color, while a lower color temperature describes a warmer hue. When considering interior lighting,  color temperature can play a significant role in how we feel and function in a space.  A warmer light, which has a  lower color temperature, can  promote our relaxation, while a cooler  light with a higher color temperature may enhance or help to increase our concentration.

Thus, color temperature refers to the color of light, and CRI refers to the ability of a light source to render the color of objects in a manner comparable to the way daylight does/would.

Whew…what a mouthful!

The rub?  The color rendering index can be used as a basis of comparison between light sources only if they have the same color temperature. To compare light sources, or to compare an artificial light source to daylight, said artificial light source must have the same color temperature as the daylight to which it is being compared.  Remember, daylight renders, or makes visible, the widest range of colors…and there are yet many more colors in the light spectrum that we cannot see with our naked eyes.  We are not able to see the entire light (thus color) spectrum. Light values beneath the visible part of the spectrum are referred to as infrared, and above the spectrum as ultraviolet.

CCT, or Correlated Color Temperature  is expressed in Kelvin, and describes whether a white light source appears more yellow/gold, or more blue.  Thus, it  is  a numerical description of a  light’s color appearance.  It can be used as a means of correlating the color of an artificial light source with the color of daylight. “The correlated color temperature (CCT) is a specification of the color appearance of the light emitted by a lamp, relating its color to the color of light from a reference source when heated to a particular temperature, measured in degrees Kelvin (K).  —http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/education/learning/terminology/cct.asp

Here, we bring our discussion of Color Temperature, and its relationship to CRI to a close, at least for the moment.  It is a complex subject, but one that can come into play when dealing with any matters of color and light in the realms of photography, film, video, interior design, theater, the visual arts, and many other areas.  Good for us to have some idea of what the terms mean!

 

I hope that this series of posts on the relationship between Color and Light has helped to demystify it for you…at least to some extent. As much as we can learn, observe and discover, we will never know it all…and maybe that is as it should be.  Some things, such as the majesty and magnificence of the natural world should retain some mystery…no matter how much physics we attempt to wrap our minds around.

 

 

 

Rendering Color II

Rendering Color II

“What is color? No object of itself alone has color.
We know that even the most brightly colored object, if taken into total darkness, loses its color. Therefore, if an object is dependent upon light for color, color must be a property of light.
And so it is.”
Paul Outerbridge, Photographer 1896 – 1958

In the post, “Color Rendering I”  I delved into the nature of color and light…as Paul Outerbridge  says above,  color is a property of light…the color that we see an object as “being”, is in essence, light…the wavelengths of light it reflects, as opposed to absorbs.

In this post, I am seeking to clarify CRI…what does that mean?

CRI, or the Color Rendering Index, is a scale that measures not color, not light, but ” the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source”.–http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index

The ideal or natural light source being daylight, because “it (daylight) displays (1) a great variety of colours, (2) makes it easy to distinguish slight shades of colour, and (3) the colours of objects around us obviously look natural.” —P.J. Bouma

The International Commission on Illumination  (which is usually abbreviated C.I.E.  for its French name Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage), the international authority on color, color spaces, light, and illumination, has defined CRI as the  “Effect of an illuminant on the color appearance of objects by conscious or subconscious comparison with their color appearance under a reference illuminant”.

Is the concept and definition of CRI becoming any more clear?

Trying to explain CRI reminds me of trying to translate from one language to another, in a manner that makes the meaning of a phrase in one language, comprehensible in another.  It isn’t enough just to translate the words…the whole meaning, context, and  sense of the phrase must be understood.

How’s this:

  The closer the red of your child’s red beach ball inside, under the light of say, your dining room chandelier, looks to the red the same ball appears to be outside, on the beach, under the sunlight, the higher the CRI is of that dining room chandelier illuminant.  CRI measures the ability of a light source to reveal, render, depict or show color the way daylight would.

Put another way, the color rendering index describes the  effect of a light source on how the color of an object appears to us.  It is the measurement of how much an object’s color appearance shifts when illuminated by an artificial (other than daylight)  light source compared to the color appearance of the same object when  illuminated by a “reference” light source (daylight), of comparable color temperature.

Whoops!  Color Temperature!?!  Suffice it to say, right here, right now, the CRI of a light source can only be determined when it is being compared to a reference illuminant, (natural light/daylight), with the same, or comparable color temperature.  The role of “Correlated Color Temperature”  in CRI will be discussed in a future post.

So…until then chew on the above…and I hope the light bulb goes on for you about what Color Rendering Index is.

May both your days, and nights be illuminated with light sources of the highest CRI!

Rendering Color I

Rendering Color I

“What is color? No object of itself alone has color.
We know that even the most brightly colored object, if taken into total darkness, loses its color. Therefore, if an object is dependent upon light for color, color must be a property of light.
And so it is.”
Paul Outerbridge, Photographer 1896 – 1958

As Mr. Outerbridge so succinctly states, color is a property of light…or, otherwise put, a function of light.  Color and light are intrinsically entwined…part and parcel of each other… mystic twins, or co-dependents, depending on your point of view.

Sunlight, or white light,  is the combination of the entire electromagnetic spectrum ( a light source’s spectrum is a distribution giving its intensity at each wavelength, and most light sources emit light at many different wavelengths)..in essence, all the colors of the rainbow.  Their combination creates white light, while  lack of light, no color, is perceived by us as black.  Though artists may see black as a color, it is actually the lack of color: a state of no color.  We are discussing color, and color mixing from the point of view of light wavelengths, not color mixing as regards to paints.  This is physics…the physics of light and color.

The terms “color” and “wavelength” here may confusing.  Our eyes will perceive the color based on not only the wavelengths of light that the object we are viewing reflects or absorbs, but  also on the actual measurement of those wavelengths…measured in nanometers. We can see the reflected colors of light which lay in a very small region of the electromagnetic spectrum called, aptly enough, “visible light”.  We cannot see color wavelengths that are absorbed by an object or surface.

Wavelengths ranging from about 400-750 nanometers make up the visible spectrum of light that can be perceived by the human eye.  When light strikes an object certain  of its wavelengths are absorbed by that object, and others are not. Those that are not, those wavelengths of light which bounce  or are reflected off an object, are perceived by the human eye as color.   In essence, “An object appears a certain color because it reflects certain light wavelengths, which are then  perceived by the eye.”  —http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-color-rendering-index.htm

Surfaces we see as black absorb all of the wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum which reach them.  All the “color”  thus is absorbed, and we see no color, and thus black. Surfaces we see as white are reflecting, or bouncing back to our eyes, (specifically, the rods and cones -photoreceptor cells- within our eyes), all of the wavelengths of visible light which reach them.  Thus, as all of these visible wavelengths are being reflected “to us”, and their combination, as discussed above, creates white light, as white light (discussed above)  is the combination of entire electromagnetic spectrum, or all the colors of the rainbow!  (Mind you, if you mix a wide spectrum of varying paint colors together, you will  not get white! We are discussing color in reference to light only in this post!).

Each light source emits different wavelengths of light, thus the way we perceive colors varies depending on how the object we are seeing is illuminated, I.E., the wavelengths of light it absorbs and reflects.

Ah..now we begin to get to the heart of the story…the Color Rendering Index, or CRI.  It will take a second post on this complex subject to further demystify it.

“The Color Rendering Index is an international measurement scale that describes how colors are rendered under an artificial source of light. The standard against which artificial lighting is compared is daylight, because daylight renders the widest variety of colors. Artificial lighting, by contrast, can render very many or very few colors, depending on the nature of the light source. The color rendering index has many applications, especially in art and photography.” —http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-color-rendering-index.htm

“The Color Rendering Index (sometimes called color rendition index), is a quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source. Light sources with a high CRI are desirable in color-critical applications such as photography and cinematography.^[1] It is defined by the International Commission on Illumination as follows:^[2]

Color rendering: Effect of an illuminant on the color appearance of objects by conscious or subconscious comparison with their color appearance under a reference illuminant.

The CRI of a light source does not indicate the apparent color of the light source; that information is under the rubric of the correlated color temperature (CCT).” —http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index

Because of the complexity and relative “thickness” of this subject, I will delve further into the Color Rendering Index, Color Rendering itself, The International Commission on Illumination, and Correlated Color Temperature, in a subsequent post.

Until then…I am wishing you much light and color in your life.  May your spirit be illuminated, and your soul rendered…in all the colors of the rainbow!

Color for All Reasons I

Color for All Reasons I

We have so many situations in our lives when we are called upon to make color decisions.  Whether it be for our homes, our appearance, our mode of transport, our creative endeavors, our web presence, or our work….the colors we choose play a huge role in our lives.

Our color choices both express us…from the inside out, as well as affect how we are viewed..from the outside in.  Thus in our creative expressions, the “branding” of our businesses, and the sum total of our visual identities, color is a defining factor that communicates who we are, where we are at, and who we aspire to be, simultaneously.

I  recently had the opportunity to work with a beloved colleague who needed a color consultation for her marketing client.  The color purple had been chosen for the client’s logo, but my colleague thought the purple hue could be tweaked a bit, and wanted both a suggestion for a color to compliment the purple, as well as information on the meaning of the recommended colors.

After reading about the client and her business, and viewing the logo and the initial color of purple chosen, I knew the appropriate compliment was just that, the compliment of purple: yellow (well…gold/ochre tones of yellow).  Complimentary colors are those opposite each other on the color wheel, and just like black and white these dynamic duos set each other off, and well, compliment each other!

I know that blue would be too cool, and too close to purple, as it is one of its components. The same for red. I knew orange would be too bold with the purple, and green too varied.  All of these could be beautiful combinations, but not for the purpose we were trying to achieve, the communication of the client’s brand, or as I like to think of it, her essence; that which she has to offer.  It had to be gold…in an earthy, ochre tonality.  One way to tone down, or “kick back”  (bring down the intensity and brightness) of a color is to add a quotient of its complement, or opposite…in this case, purple!

I also recommended warming up the cool, ethereal shade of purple initially chosen by the client by upping its quotient of red, which would work well with the earthy tone of gold/ochre I suggested.

The meaning of the recommended colors was accessed from a number of vantage points, in regards to everything I was given to understand about the client, her message, her intentions, her history and life experience, her current situation, and future intentions, as well as her hopes, plans and purpose.  The colors had to reflect and communicate all of these, and feel completely authentic to her as well.

Please tune back in next week for part two of our series Color for all Reasons, and learn about the meaning of the colors for this very special client and her business. You can learn how You  can access the  colors that you choose from a variety of perspectives, that can illuminate, support and enrich your color choices, and hopefully make them less agonizing.

What color choices have YOU had to make lately, and how have you made them?

If You feel so inclined, please share about them with us here.

We love to hear from you.

Remember, we are all adding color to this thing called Life, together.

Thanks for joining us on the journey…

Color Ground

Color Ground
The colors we clothe our buildings in, and the materials we use to build them can have a significant effect on how solid, safe, and grounded they appear.  And, I  might add, in addition to paint color, let’s not forget that the wood, brick, stone, concrete, metal and other natural and industrial materials we build with, have color too.  Add to this the by turns rapturous, earthy, luminous, bold, sublime, and subtle colors of nature, and you have a complex picture of the elements that go into making where we live, work and play picture perfect..or not.

In general, darker, richer, deeper, more saturated, brighter, warmer and more intense colors appear heavier, and thus may seem to “pull downward” towards the, in most cases, ground!  Placing them above a lighter, airier, softer, cooler,  paler, duller, less saturated colors may give the impression of pressing or pushing down upon something less substantial, creating a sense of pressure, ungroundedness, or even danger.  Who wants to feel like the heavier-looking second story might come crashing down through its weaker-looking support, or foundation?

The building above is grounded not only by its strong, dark burgundy red garage door, but also by the heavy foliage and hedge shrubbery which nearly obscures its foundation (the lower part of the structure upon which the rest of the building rests). The cream-colored concrete, red roof tile and strongly patterned brick provide contrast and a  variety of color and materials, but, particularly because of the grounding effect of the dark green, highly textural foliage, do not seem too heavy for the foundation to bear.

The UMG (Universal Music Group) office building in Santa Monica, CA is grounded by a strong, deep, earthy brick-red, which seems to support the pale pink upper above, though the entire structure is punctuated by a multitude of windows. Palms, parkway and other landscaping in front also support this grounded effect.

A similar outcome is achieved by juxtaposing a more saturated hue of reddish pink stucco foundation with the softer and paler ocher-colored wood siding above.  Lush vegetation sporting luxuriant red and pink flowers trailing over a natural wood fence add to its heavier, grounding effect

These interior gymnasium walls are grounded by the deep blue protective covering at their base. Given the wild shapes and over-sized   lines, shapes and patterns used in the room’s design, the consistency and “reliability” of the blue may also serve to keep young athletes players focused and grounded as they play.

Here is the outside of the same building, swathed in corrugated stripes.   Notice that the stripe closest to the ground is darker blue, and the one at the top, lighter.

This fun and fascinating building combines all manner of materials, from wood siding, to brick, to concrete,

and even verdigris decorative details above the door. The mass of flowering vegetation in front,  while nearly obscuring parts of the facade,  add to the fancy of the place, while connecting it to the earth, the  ground.  In moody weather, the mix of weathered materials and enveloping foliage may lend an air of mystery and perhaps even magic to the place.

Here, an artist’s self-styled, whimsical touch creates grounding through the application of  bright color, repeated shapes, and sense of a garden planted  at the base of the house. The playful, optimistic feeling  is further enhanced by the use of complementary colors  yellow and purple.

The largest sphere in this extraordinary mural seems to be sitting right on the sidewalk!  It could be coming right out at us, the viewer, but at least the building doesn’t look like it is about to leave the ground!  The tiled trompe l’oeil technique is used to great visual and grounding, effect here.

When we walk past this extraordinary building in LA’s Venice Canal District, our eye is drawn past the foliage, across the manicured back yard, and over the amazing sunken pool under the blue-framed overhang, through the space between the orange posts, to the electric apple green accent wall behind them. Brighter, more vibrant, and more saturated than the natural greens , and applied blue and orange surrounding it, this wall looks  strong enough to carry this unusual structure’s  visual weight.

This wild building on Wilshire in Santa Monica is one of my favorites.  An eclectic mix of materials, hues and shapes, it seems break all the “rules”, yet somehow, it works!  This could be due to a counteracting balancing effect of the mix of elements. The undulating curve of the upper wood facade/detail is counterbalanced by the strong concrete support/column next to it, even though the wood is a strong color, and an even stronger visual element. Our eye is drawn upward from the glass, and warm blue and green (reflecting sea, sky and grass?) colors behind it to that grand sweep of wood,

which is also supported by the metal detail/support that follows its shape and movement below.  The whole building feels like a

huge kinetic wave, appropriate architecture for a beach town on the edge of the Pacific. The foliage, and its concrete base below also add grounding.  Amazing!  Fidelity, you got it going on, architecturally!

The “Bagel Nosh”  in Santa Monica, hosts a marvelous display of mouth-watering treats. Where does our eye go right to here?  No, there isn’t a spotlight on the center of the case.  That’s just the natural color of these bright golden-yellow jalapeno-flavored bagels. The strong, rich, saturated color just grabs our attention, and holds it there…it’s up to you to decide whether the taste of these treats warrants their attention-grabbing status.

  We walk upon the ground,  perhaps that is why our  shoes are often brown and black…colors of the earth.  We usually want to feel grounded when we tread upon the earth, a firm foundation, a solid base.  But, maybe not all the time.  Perhaps sometimes we want to whirl, twirl, leap, float, and feel  “ten feet off the ground”.  Don’t we long to take risks, to take  flight, as much as we long to be safe, secure, and grounded?  When you want to feel fun, fantastical, floating, and fabulous, try on a glittery, glowing, or gossamer pair of footwear, and see if it helps your grounded spirit to soar!

What buildings, architecture, food or footwear have YOU experienced lately that feel grounded or the opposite?

If you feel so inclined, please share about them with us here.

We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all trying to ground ourselves  yet take flight within this thing called Life, together.

Stay grounded, but don’t be afraid to fly!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Colors that Advance and Recede

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!

 

Our Color Daze: ColorPlay for EveryDay

Color Daze: ColorPlay for EveryDay

If you were trying to assign a color for each day…what would it be?

Cool Down with Seablue Pearl

In the heat of Summer, or in our case in the Bay Area, Fall…cooling down may take place in a seablue pearl guest room…and since you are the guest, you can relax, dreaming of sky and water.

Sunrise, Sunset...Shorter get the Daze...

Sunny days yield magnificent sunsets which burn into night. Tricky to create this purple sunset sky on the ceiling:  it has to be both soothing and stimulating for the little girl who inhabits this bedroom. Enjoy the days, and minimize the daze, please.

Color me Primary

We are blessed to experience beautiful, bright, crisp fall days here by the Bay…blue skies, liquid gold sunshine, sparkle, and the red edge of Autumn.  The primary triangle is everywhere we look,  filling us with restlessness and energy.  We know the earth is preparing for hibernation, but we feel crisp and alert.

Hallway Heat: Purple Can be Hot

We revel in the heat of Indian Summer, with its rich expression of color…golden sun, sinking into brilliant orange and then deeper purple, at the end of the day.  The air feels hot, and the colors seem to burn.  Our perception of color can actually cause us to feel a 5-7% degree of difference in our body temperature.  Color Power made manifest.

Hot Ceiling: Color Power

During conditions of  Rain, Fog,  Overcast… so common Ocean-side, we can use  some Hot Color to Warm us UP!

Compliments of Royalty

No accident that the complements of gold (yellow) and purple (violet) are the colors of royalty.  The juxtaposition of the complements does not lull us to sleep, it wakes us up, with a sharp edge of contrast: the zing of  citrus and the sweetness of plums.  Complementary couples, much like cymbals, clash together to “make a joyful noise”.  We are startled awake, and though the earth may be settling down  for a long snooze, we wake up,  we are enlivened,  we know we are alive.

Viva Les Colours!