Color Singing

When I first started illustrating, I heard “color songs”–I would listen or feel my way through color choices. I felt guided in an intuitive way as to my color choice and could feel a sense of harmony as I painted.

Something has happened along the way, where I can’t hear the song so clearly. I think I know the reasons. One is that I started getting feedback from reviews and editors about my “bright color palette” and how they liked it. So I tried to replicate the same color sense instead of feeling my way through color choices. I have a really hard time trying to mix certain colors that I think won’t be pleasing! Another possible reason is that I’ve been painting with the same colors now for many years and pretty much rely on my tried and true version of white or red or green.

So, how to get back to hearing the song of colors? I have an idea to do paintings straight from nature rather than from my head. To get back to seeing what colors exist without my rote interpretation. Another idea would be to create color samples along side my illustrations, and mix in an unexpected way–just little swatches of colors for no reason. Or try to find color songs in other people’s paintings. It’s been helpful in the past to have a book on my drawing table, open to an inspiring painting, to remind me of the wide choices of color that exist. Here’s two artists who’s color sense I really admire, Bonnard and Grandpre.

Mary Grandpre