Colours and emotions

Colours are complex and subjective, each of us reacts differently to one or another colour, even when supposedly there are some generalities about them (i.e red: passion, green: relax ...) there are no strict rules, depends on our experiences and memories.

Our life is surrounded by colours that relax us, excite us, depres us, make us angry, bore us, give us joy, etc. Our range of emotions is so wide as the color chart. But, when colours are in a painting they are something more since they show the artist's emotions. Some things can't be told with shapes but we can do that with colours.

That's why it's so difficult to choose the right one, it's not just because it matches or not but to exactly reflect what we have inside ourselves.

Even if realism is our style, a simple sky could change the whole composition if we don't choose the right colour. It seems obvious, if we talk about sky it has to be light blue, for example, but it's not just like that. The best pieces are those that are able to transmit a feeling or a state through small details, a pale face tell us something different about the character than a rose one as well as a purple sky is not as a light blue one. We are talking about a condition (health, social, frame of mind), a past, a life or/and an expectation.

If this detail has much relevance in realism much more will be on other styles, as abstract.

According to my experience, you should not think too much when using colors, at least not until you get to obsess, but simply have a very clear idea of what you want to express and try to immerse yourself in the sense that it conveys. If you get your work out of your inside and not just your head then the colors will speak for themselves.

I want to show you Cathleen Edick's artworks as an example of this, she has a great use of colours and developed a style in which they are protagonists in all ranges. Click on the images to enlarge them and to know more about her varied work.

And as my father used to say: "there is nothing written about tastes and colours", so let your creativity.