Blue and Orange. Variations of these two colors draw my eyes wherever I look. I have always loved this duet that sings so gracefully, in harmony.
Perhaps, its another reason I’ve been so pulled to the land here in Australia. Those colors are present nearly everywhere.
I think, I feel, they Are …. The Land. The Spirit of the place.
Colors Are Emotion
Like I said, I have always loved this pairing – blue and orange. Complementary Pair.
I didn’t realise this, until one day when I was about 8 and we were doing some kitchen remodeling.
My mother brought in dozens of samples for home wallpaper and set them in front of me. She wanted me to choose what I liked best!
Can you imagine…. an 8 year old kid, being allowed to do that. I was so pleased my mom valued my opinion as well as wanted to make me happy. This isn’t something I’d want to let my 8 year old have free rein on.
My Mother was either very brave or had a lot of trust in my judgement.
At any rate, it did not take me long at all.
Of course the colors chosen were cobalt teal blue and a matching paler orange! With, with some pale buff titanium.
MOOD
The colors still have that same magnetic pull.
This, is what I’m trying to communicate many times when selecting those colors in combination for a painting.
Individuality
Stamp of Individuality … a Voice Emerges
I call them ‘my colors’ as everyone in my family had their own special favorite colors.
This was mine.
My father loved rich burgundy red, my sister loved the pale wintery tones of silvery whites, my mother loved the fired up flames of the sky and the midnight blue serving as a backdrop for a shooting star.
I think it is the most wonderful thing….. to be an Individual.
To walk on your own path.
To go your own way and use your own special colors, words, clothes, flowers, ideas, decor.
We were always encouraged, to always be individuals. Unique and original.
Encouraged – To see the flames in the sky, the shooting stars, the iridescent greens in the beating wings of the humming birds.
All these are, indeed, quite abstract. When you truly look at them. Amazing.
Summary
This is the first segment of part of a series I’m working on.
Featuring abstracts and oil paintings which I’ll be sharing in the upcoming week.
Very nice!
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thank you 🙂
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Great post Debi! Funny how we were both writing about the spirit of a place at the same time! Your abstract work is always beautiful and your words inspiring! I will look forward to the rest of the series!~Rita
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thank you Rita! we are a bit alike in that we both are avid nature walkers and its seeped into our bones!! 🙂
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So true! It is nice to know there are other like-minded people out there! 🙂
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🙂
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How fun! I am looking forward to the series. 🙂
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thank you so much Margaret! And, are your eyes better now?
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slowly but surely, I still have to limit my computer and art time. Still listening to audio books. I have an appointment with the eye doctor. 🙂
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good for you. but also, not so much either. computer screens do put out a lot of uncomfortable glare!!!!!
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Blue and orange have always been my favorite complementary colors. I’ve always been drawn to them. Needless to say, your abstract caught my eye at once. It’s gorgeous. Individuality is important, as you’ve pointed out. Our color choices are part of who we are. I look forward to seeing more in your series.
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thank you Judith! great comments, I appreciate that 🙂 Hope to inspire with the next couple of posts. we shall see if everyone tires of blue and orange. lol
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Oh, more blue and orange to come? I’m in. 🙂
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great! thats one other person for sure that will enjoy, that works for me!! 🙂
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I know many of your fans will enjoy them. 🙂
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The split second I saw this painting I thought, “I’m a diver in clear tropical waters, looking up.”
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that is such a great perspective on the painting!
it hadn’t occurred to me, but now as I look, it does look like that! super great pick up on that 🙂
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When I look at paintings, it seems like the first impression is the one that sticks.
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its that first response to color, and emotion that stays with me too; as I continue to investigate, I will find more things of interest, just not as powerfully so.
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My two faves as well!! Love this combo, Debi! Beautiful piece! 😍Look forward to the series!
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thanks Charlie ! I had in my mind that I was pretty sure YOU would. being a CTB member and all. …. 🙂 I wonder if its a problem, being addicted to a color. What do you think?
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Hehe…no…probably not as long as you still use all the others as well so they don’t get jealous. 😉
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gosh! they’re just like kids… or the cats!
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The orange peeking in from the corner is just enough with the blue, it’s kind of flirting with the blue paint. 😀
Your mom new then of your Innate artistic talent.
Looking forward to the surprises next week.
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Thank you ! I guess she did at that!
I do love your expression “kind of flirting” Sharon 🙂
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I love how colours portray emotion ( by the way I am also very much drawn to this colour combo you show above, and it sure does sing out to be Australia) I recently bought a book from Amazon, it is out of print and came all the way to the uk from Australia, although I think its origin is Japan, I love it it selects many colour combinations and organises them into emotions, the book is called tasteful color combinations by Naomi kuno. It was really hard to get my hands on a copy, but I am so pleased I did, it is so useful, especially during those blank creative moments, or when you need a great starting block to get going in a painting. Maybe you have heard of this book? If not I can recommend checking it out. Naomi does others in the series, I also have colorscape.
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hi Rebecca, I just looked Naomi up. found her books, they look great. Esp. experiencing color in the many senses. I like that!
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I am really impressed with the two I have, just not easy to find, grrr
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its like that with good books!
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I love the colors and feelings here.
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hi Nico, thank you. I appreciate you noticed!! peace, good tidings, Debi
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Cheers!
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peace too 🙂
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Great post Debi! When I design graphs and web page elements in my job, steelblue and salmon-orange are my favourites. Something about that combination!
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thank you!!
now…. if I could just “do web page stuff” LOL
alas, I think my assets lie elsewhere.
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Colors of our planet. The ocean and the sand. Naturally we love it.
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so true! thanks Sherry! 🙂
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Beautiful! I love how you make me think. I love how you think about color and art!
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thank you Jodi! that is probably the first thing students in class say…. you are making us Think!!! but, sometimes they do not say it so cheerfully 🙂
It is surprising just how much art is thinking. I was shocked.
I’m glad you liked this article. a few more follow 🙂
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Dear Debi, I was nearly missing your teal-blue posts, hehe. But good to know that we are all individuals and you like these Australian colors. I prefer pastel colors in clothing, painting etc. Hope you have such a good weather as we have here, have a nice Sunday, cheers Mitza
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there will be a few more bold and loud! I had fun with the brush and with oils 🙂 weather is lovely here, cool and slightly overcast – I like it. 🙂
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Gosh, we have tropical weather here, it’s so hot and humid, I went to a fleamarket this morning, 3 hours walking, then twice with the bicycle, I’m longing for a shower. There might come a thunderstorm, too.
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wow, what a change from the icicles of …a month ago!!
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We can be happy not to live in the South, where the rivers were overflooded and several people died also by lightnings. Ironing is not really funny in this weather. 🙂
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life is way too short to iron Mitza!!
and life is too short to keep watching a ‘crummy movie, LOL
ok. I used to iron every Saturday, half the day. for years. 😦
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Of course I would like to do silversmithery all days long, dear Debi but I’m a very Prussian person: First work, then pleasure. I plan my day with military precision, shopping, biking, ironing, cleaning, then art. I’m so used to it, it doesn’t disturb me at all, and I’m not able to change it, sigh
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ah yes, get those chores out of the way is good. I was just thinking about ironing in sweltering 35+ heat, …. no can do!
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Well, you could do it naked and early in the morning, and put your underwear into the fridge like Marilyn Monroe in one of her funny films. hehe
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nudes, Mitza. “nudes” – we tell all the new students these days, “the models are not ‘naked’…….no, they’re just ‘nudes'”
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sorry, don’t forget that English is not my mother tongue and that some atticisms are difficult. If you had to lead conversations in German you would find out, too. And by the way, I have a great talent to take the wrong words of all the suggestions which sometimes leads to “problems”. 🙂
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Mitza! please, accept that as the teasing joke!! 🙂 ‘nudes’, has been quite a long standing funny story in our art family, and I couldn’t resist! Debi
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Okay, now I got it. Must admit that I also have some difficulties to understand what people want to tell me really.
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I should have included a LOL or haha…. oops…
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next time a lol, hehe
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I will remember, you can not SEE my face, as I am typing from 50, ooo miles away!! lol
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lol
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Great post Debi. Looking forward to the series 🙂
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thank you 🙂
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Beautiful colours – I love them too. I am living in Italy and the coast around Naples is drunk with these colours. I also wish to quote Van Gogh for you ‘There is no blue without yellow and without orange’ . I think he was on to something?
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thank you Helena! That is an area I would dearly love to be able to go to! My sister went last year and loved it 🙂 Van Gogh knew colors all right!
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Your posts are always wonderfully creative and beautiful! 🙂 Thank you, Debi! 🙂 xx
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many, kind thank you’s Marina!!! 🙂
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