February 23, 2004
Fear of Color?
The above is a painting on a small square of sandpaper, which is one of my favorite surfaces to paint.
Today I have been thinking about color. Reading through an email list I am a member of, I hear fear, hesitance and trepidation about the use of color. Prior to going to textile design school, I bet I was fearful too. Since going to school, I have become employed in a job whose main task is the ability to match color exactly utilizing gouache, watercolors, colored pencils and magic markers.
I no longer have fear of color.
I remember when I was in school my first semester. I had a color mixing class where the teacher was quite bored. She would give us the task of (say) mixing a gradation from yellow to black in ten steps and then leave for a forty-five minute coffee break. OH MY GOODNESS! I would become so tense and disfunctional at not being able to ask questions that I was near to bursting! One day, I even left the classroom, found her and yelled at her for leaving the class for so long!
So after four years of being out in the world, using color in both my personal art and in my day job, I no longer have fear or hesitance on the subject.
My suggestions to those of you who fear color? Remember that mistakes are opportunities to expand, the art you are making is more important than the cost of the materials, have extra materials on hand and try colors out on scrap before commiting it to the piece you are working on!
To change the subject, I am working on a piece I am calling The Three Graces, right now. I hope that when I return to it, the freezer paper is dry and ready to be ironed onto the fabric. I wish I could photograph the piece and share it here. I don't have a digital camera, yet!
If you have suggestions, please post them!
Great going, Melanie! Love your painting, and your style--delicate, yet bold; feminine yet fearless. Wonderful stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the Graces...and yes,I do adore color... color is like drugs...but safer!
Posted by: Jeri Riggs at February 23, 2004 04:47 PMHi Melly,
I love your work, really, really love it!
I agree about color also, I don't think I was ever afraid of it. I was more afraid of deeper values when I first got started painting.
Anyway, I have bookmarked you also and will be checking in regularly!
Thanks so much for contacting me!
Melanie, you are off to a really great start with your new blog -- I love it so far! And you do really nice work with your drawing -- get that digital camera soon, girl, so we can see the Three Graces piece!
Posted by: Linda at February 23, 2004 06:52 PMHi Melly! Congrats on the new blog. Re: colour, I find that I'm not a very bright-colour-lovin' person in terms of the clothes and things that I buy, but when I make it myself, I love using colour. I guess it makes a project more fun and interesting to make. The result is that all my store-bought socks are black or white, and my homemade socks are... not. And I'm planning a sweater in bright pinks, yellows, blues, and greens, which I *never* would've chosen for myself before I started knitting.
p.s. As a longtime journal-writer, I'm swooning over the pages of yours that you posted. Lovely!!
Posted by: alison at February 23, 2004 10:22 PMi love to knit with a gazillion colors. you need at least 18+ colors/textures for it to be interesting. the fewer colors you work with, the harder it is! well, that's my philosophy! congrats on the beautiful new blog!
Posted by: shobhana at February 24, 2004 11:15 AMwhat an inspiring blog:) I've bookmarked it and will be back
Sukie in england
Melly, your art is wonderful. Sandpaper that is one I haven't tried. You have such natural talent drawing and painting the sewing machine should be easy for you. Afterall, they say the needle is just like a pencil.
I like using unusual materials in my art quilts too. Right now I am having fun with the Bounty towels I use to clean up with when dying. They make wonderful backgrounds and they are two ply. Sort of two for one.