Page 94 - The Decorative Painter Winter 2016

by Nanette Hilton
Color Confidence
On a late August morning in the shadows of Utah’s Mt. Timpanogus, I overhead my mother-in-law remark to my 10-year-old daughter that was the last day she’d be carrying her white purse before swapping it for another. I puzzled for a mo- ment and then thought, “Of course, one doesn’t wear white after Labor Day.” I had heard of this fashion edict made up in the 1800s but was dubious of its continuance. Though the rule was initially dictated and enforced by a few hundred socialites, over time it percolated down to everyone else so that by the 1950’s women’s magazines instructed middle class America that white was only acceptable from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Today’s fashion trends are less stuffy about when to wear white and, as for myself and the rest of the desert-dwelling world, white is a year-round color.
White, in fact, has been such a constant color that artists of old thought it worth dying for. Painters, like Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, achieved the luminosity of their oil paint- ings by using white lead, a poisonous pigment composed of lead carbonate and sulfate. Today oil painters use Titanium White, a less hazardous though not as structurally strong pigment. Although white lead was widely known to be toxic even during Vermeer’s day, classical painters thought its virtues worth the cost. Do you have a favorite color, one you can’t live without?
Maya Blue might be my choice, similar in color to the indispensable Ceramcoat Turquoise made in the 1980s by Delta. You can’t get either one anymore. Though my old turquoise blue hasn’t stood the same test of time that Maya Blue has—it’s only been around for about 40 years whereas Maya Blue challenges scientists to explain its vivacity and durability dating back to Mayan and Aztec times—they were each deemed indispensable colors to the artists who used them.
What makes a color enduring and indispensable in its ap- peal? Anciently, red and purple were so desirable that royalty demanded them, trade routes were built to deliver them and whole societies thrived by cultivating their ingredients.
Sir Isaac Newton developed the first color wheel in 1666. People before and since have been studying and debating color, along with our perception, management and reaction to it. Basi- cally, color is comprised of:
1) hue (color, i.e., red, blue, or yellow);
2) value (tint or shade), and;
3) saturation (intensity, brightness, or chroma).
Color researchers have found differences in color prefer-
ence by gender, age, and culture. Since over 80 percent of sighted people’s assessment of the world is done visually, color impacts nearly every moment of our waking lives. Colors have meanings born of natural association and meanings also acquired through conditioning.
According to Professor Jill Morton, who teaches color theory at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture, “Red is the color of extremes. It represents both the fire of passion and the fire of perdition. It’s also a magical and religious color.” Morton notes that “blue is the favorite color of all people. Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other color.”
For example, Morton says specific shades of blue have different connotations, like dark blue instilling trust, dignity, intelligence, and authority, while bright blue emotes cleanliness, strength,
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Maya Blue, a mix of clay and dye from the indigo plant, has been found in Maya and Aztec artifacts. It’s durability in not fading or the deteriorating, even with solvents and acids, has been a mystery.
dependability, and coolness—“the origin of these meanings arises from the qualities of the ocean and inland waters.” On the other hand, Morton observes that these positive connotations for blue are juxtaposed with the American invention of “singing the blues”—or the idea of sadness and depression.
Paints are often labeled by association like DecoArt Ameri- cana’s newest colors from their complete line of 244 shades, including Bright Salmon, Chartreuse Yellow, Desert Cac-
tus, Teal Mint, and Frosted Plum. Oil paints play the same name game as evidenced by Winsor and Newton’s 119 colors dubbed Indian Yellow Deep, Permanent Rose and Sap Green, just to name a few. Color is subjective, in naming, seeing, and using. Color is highly personal.
Admitting that all color theory is just that, a theory, may help to demystify color and give you courage to experiment with it. Color is common and using it shouldn’t envoke insecurity or fear. Studying color theories will give you academic knowledge to work with, but you’ve got to get your hands dirty by actually using Bright Salmon and Teal Mint with some Frosted Plum thrown in for good measure—this is what makes all the differ- ence in your color savvy and confidence: EXPERIENCE. (Steer clear of white lead.)
There is no exhaustive list of color combination possibilities because the spectrum of color is continuous. There is no optimal color palette or scheme because preference is personal.
In spite of the no-white-after-Labor-Day-rule concocted by millionaires of the nineteenth century, not everyone obeyed. Even some famous personalities of that era proved maverick in wearing white year round, most notable was the iconic Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer and businesswoman whose work in liberating women from the “corseted silhouette” is something I enthusiastically applaud. Let Coco’s free spirit be our model as we liberate and empower ourselves with color.
Nanette Hilton is an avid cyclist and nature lover with artwork and writing published worldwide. She has been a member of the Society
of Decorative Painters since 1990. She holds a degree in Writing from Brigham Young University and currently lives in the splendorous Mojave Desert. You can see more of her work at www.nanettehilton.com.
Until the 19th Century, artists used lead in the production of their brilliant white pigments.
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