by Mark J Ratcliffe
The Seasons: Color Palettes to Inspire our Art
Wherever we live in the world, we probably experience the traditional seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The seasons will show us temperature changes but what I really love about seasonal changes is the natural colors nature gives us in the environment that we live in. Nature can be really inspirational especially when it comes to color palettes. There are also traditional colors we can associate with the seasons. For example, for me, summer with warm bright colors – I always associate yellow with the warmth of the sun.
Let’s think about what colors might work well to symbolise each season: you will also have your own ideas and preferences and that’s great too! These are just some of mine:
Spring; Warm colors including vibrant Greens and Yellows, a range of Pinks, Coral and Orange.
Summer; Soft or Pastel Colors including Light Blues, Turquoise, Pinks, Yellow, Light Green plus some Cool Neutrals like Cream or Gray.
Autumn: Burnt Sienna and Orange, Gold, Reds, Brown and a Dark and Sage Green
Winter; Dark Greens, Dark Red, White, Dark Shades like Charcoal, Gray, Purple, Black or Deep Blue
There is no right or wrong to this as it’s very much what we personally associate a color and a season too as it’s based on where we live, what we like, our experiences and what we’ve learned so far in our life journey.
Did you know that the weather can be linked to your emotions and mood. A season or a color can really resonate with us depending on how we feel, what we experience and what we go through. I do tap into this in greater detail in my course – but for now let’s do a simple exercise:
- Pick a season
- What Colors do you associate with that season?
- For each color you have picked what do you feel about those colors? What do those colors mean to you if you take a moment to really think about it?
Here are my thoughts…
Winter… I am drawn to blues and whites. The color white to me is purity, snow, and crispness. Blues for me is a friendly color, a safe color, a color that really represents nature especially the weather and water.
What’s your favourite season and does that also translate into your favourite color palettes?
If there is a topic you would like me to discuss or explore in my Monthly Blog, please drop me a message at the email address below.
Check out Mark’s course on Smart Art Courses: Mindfully Creative: Art Techniques for the Mind, Body and Soul
www.smartartcourses/art-for-mindfulness
Mark Ratcliffe from Mark J Ratcliffe Art: Abstract Artist & Creator; Certified Meditation Coach and
Wellbeing Practitioner. Written in his own words @MarkJRatcliffeArt / markjratcliffeart@gmail.com
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