A Love of OrangeLately, orange has become my “happy color”. Rust, sienna, hyacinth, tangerine, apricot — I can’t get enough of those cheery hues. Orange is a radical shift from my usual palette. I’ve always favored jewel tones (lots of emerald, cobalt & plum) or earthy hues — bronze, mocha, caramel, wheat, olive and moss. By contrast, orange is probably the only color that I’ve ever really disliked. To me, it screamed “obnoxious” or “immature” — but those negative connotations have faded. Now orange seems to exude warmth, welcome and joy.
So it’s a big change, and I can’t help but wonder where it came from. Is this a new facet of my personality emerging? Maybe it represents an energy or feeling(s) I want to bring into my life?
What does the color orange say or represent to you?
Thanks for visiting! Funny thing about orange – it is one color I also “disliked” and never used in my artwork. I found it grating on my nerves and garish. And then several months ago I decided to paint my kitchen a deep terracotta and began using orange/pink/yellow combinations in my work. Go figure!
I have no clue what the psychology is behind it all :0) Deb
vibrancy, strength, a sort of power, and delicious juices. 😉
I love these colors. Like you i started beading with “water colors”, using all shades of blues and greens.
However, these orange and yellow shades are so warm, sunny and absolutely optimistic. And they merge pefectly with the skin shades.
Color therapists say that yellow is good for the liver 🙂
Orange wasn’t a color I used often until I saw it paired with purple…in the right shades of each, it’s a fantastic combination.
Oh yeah — orange & purple are complimentary colors, so like you said, paired properly they can really make each other “pop”! :o)
Another offbeat orange combo that I was surprised to like is orange & pink. Again, needs to be the right shades & doses, but they work shockingly well together.