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Maybe it wasn’t the color
In my last post, I talked about how color influences us (me) and about whether red and black is an inherently angry/aggressive color combination. Well, maybe it wasn’t the color. Maybe it was me.
Spit It Out 11×14 $725
I actually painted this horizontally. But the only way it made sense to me was vertically. And the title just seemed obvious, to me at least. The combination of blue and yellow (which makes the green) isn’t an inherently angry or aggressive color combination. But the title and the painting itself both do seem aggressive. Not necessarily angry, but certainly aggressive.
Maybe it IS me. I’ve certainly been frustrated by my slow progress with acrylic and this painting DOES give me the feeling of aggressively tackling the problem.
So here’s the question (similar to last time): how does this painting and these colors make you feel? Is it just me?
How does color influence me?
There are all kinds of theories about color and the effect it has on us. Some have to do with healing, some with psychology and some with art. I confess I’ve been pretty dismissive about the psychology of color (what does it say about you if your favorite color is yellow?) and about the healing properties of color (do patients really heal faster if the walls are painted green?) but when it comes to art, I’m a lot more interested. However, some recent paintings in red and black make me wonder how color does influence us. More specifically, how does color influence me?
The Devil Made Me Do It 7×11 $525
Don’t Mess with Me 14 x 10.5 $700
I’m usually a pretty mellow person. While no pushover, my first choice in a confrontation is rarely anger. It’s not that I don’t get angry, I do. I have buttons that can get pushed, just like everyone else. But it usually takes a lot to provoke me.
So these two paintings and the titles I have given them are a bit of a surprise. They look and feel angry to me. Similar to a Rorschach ink blot test, what do these paintings say about me? Are the colors influencing me? … in the painting, or just in the naming?
If I’m honest, the only thing making me angry these days is the slow pace of my progress painting with acrylic. Two steps forward and one step back sometimes seems overly optimistic. It can feel like one step forward and one step back. I have to keep reminding myself of how slow my initial progress was when I started with watercolor.
So here’s the question: how do these two paintings make you feel? Do the titles seem appropriate to you? How does the color influence you?
Ruth Hurd | BLOG 