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Dear Dotty,
In this Art Letter, I would like to tell you a bit about my color-adventures.
When you look at a painting, one of the first things you notice is the color.
For me, that was one of the main things that drove me to painting. I just really loved colors. When I was in a wool shop, or looking at Indian cloths, or flipping through magazines, the first thing I noticed was color.
I could enjoy bright colors (as in those Indian cloths, for example), but also natural, muted, grayed colors (as you find in Zen-like paintings).
Color circle
Now, of course, you have the classic color theory, with the well-known color wheel. This allows you to mix the primary colors red, yellow and blue to orange, green and purple, and all sorts of other colors in between.
But somehow I liked slightly different colors more than those of the color wheel.
Instead of 'the regular blue' I liked turquoise more. Instead of 'the usual yellow' I liked orange-brown-yellow more. Instead of 'the regular red' I liked magenta (dark pink/fuchsia) more.
If I wanted to work with the 'regular color wheel' I was never able to mix exactly the colors I wanted.
My very own color wheel
But when I started mixing with other colors (with my beloved turquoise, orange-brown-yellow and dark pink), I managed to create the color palette that made my heart jump.
Do you recognize that you can't get along with the 'normal' color circle? Are the 'ordinary' red, yellow and blue too harsh, too bright, too ‘straight’ for you? And are the colors you mix never exactly the way you want them to?
Then try three other basic colors.
Something blueish that makes you happy. Something yellowish that appeals to you. Something reddish that touches your heart.
Very few colors needed
The beautiful thing about mixing your own very simple color palette, is that you don’t need tons of different paint colors. Usually I only use my basic three colors, plus black and white. Life can be so simple!
Because of this different way of working with colors I have developed my very own color signature. Now color is one of the most fun parts of painting (instead of being one of the most frustrating parts that it was before).
And that is very important, because color is fundamental.
After years of painting 'by intuition', it became clear to me that there are six important visual elements for me:
color marks & lines value shapes & images texture depth
Structure
These visual elements gave me a kind of basic structure that I could always come back to.
This structure is so simple that it doesn't hinder my free expression. And it helps me to dive deeper into my art and explore new ways of painting.
Watch the video below about 'color' that I made as part of the course 'The Joy of Collage Making’ in which I treat all visual elements. Collage making is one of the best ways to start painting if you haven't already, and to develop your art, if you feel stuck or blocked. And in my course one whole module is dedicated to color. So if you want to find out more about my way of using color, check out my online course!
Have fun exploring the visual element ‘color’!
Simone
PS: Are you curious about what working with your own personal color palette can bring you? Watch the video below, or read here more about the online course 'The Joy of Collage Making. There is an entire module about color, and about mixing your very personal colors with only very few bottles of paint. That will save you lots of money, by the way, since a good quality paint is very expensive.
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