Wendy Ervin Fine Art
  • Home
  • New! Latest Paintings
  • About
  • Paintings
    • Landscapes and Seascapes >
      • MONTANA
      • TUSCANY
      • SCOTLAND
    • Cityscape and Figurative
    • Flora and Fauna
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Blog

Mood: What's it to hue?

7/14/2018

2 Comments

 
The word Hue simply means color. Red is a hue and each version of red is a hue. The characteristics of hues/colors are temperature, value, and intensity. All of these (hues and their characteristics) affect human moods. I would venture to guess that every designer in all the fields, interior to garden to visual, know a lot about this!
Picture
Here's a fun exercise: As you look at the basic hues on this color swatch, name a few things for each of the colors, whatever comes to mind: fruit, a place, a article of clothing you have, etc.  Now go back and attach a feeling to each of the things you named. For example, yellow: sunshine/ I feel warm and relaxed. Oh, and it reminds me of Mexico and happiness. And that pretty yellow shirt I wore there.  See? There is a special way that the visual experience of color interacts with the non-visual pathways of our mind.

Maybe you already know how red communicates power and blue is calming and so on, but the use of color to influence others is different from experiencing color in visual art. I read recently that wearing grey to work communicates a lack of energy; brown or blue are better choices because they inspire others to see you as stable and reliable. But looking at a mostly grey painting isn't going to make you feel sluggish! It's more likely to inspire feelings of quietness and calm.
​

Picture

This chart describes some of the basic responses to a few common hues and here's my 2 cents worth on applying it to a painting:

Red: Boldness, Aggression, Intensity, Surprise
Yellow: Joyful, Promising, Uplifting, Optimistic
Green: Serene, Growth, Patience, Rest
Blue: Quietness, Hope, Spaciousness
Gray: Moody, Indistinct, Soft, Misty
If you went to the link I attached near the top of this post, you will have read about the brain activity in response to seeing color. It just so happens to be the same part of the brain that PTSD expresses itself, which is why many counselors utilize color therapy with clients and also maybe why we tend to choose blues, grays, and greens for the quieter rooms of our homes and bolder, stronger hues for where the action is.

In an upcoming post I will go into more detail about the way a hue's value, chroma, and temperature can be adjusted by the artist  to conform to the story and mood she hopes to tell through the painting.

​Hey! Thanks for reading!!!
Picture
2 Comments
Gay
7/15/2018 02:38:16 pm

Love the clever title! Very informative post .

Reply
wendy
7/18/2018 01:45:26 pm

Glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :))

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Hello! My name is Wendy and I am passionate about oil painting! Whether in the studio or out in Mother Nature, I get lost in the experience of capturing on canvas the moment and the feel of what I am painting. I pour my love and energy into every single piece of artwork and I hope it shows! This blog is a place where I can use words to talk about art, painting, life, faith, things that make me laugh, and things that inspire. I love every response, so don't be shy about leaving a comment...

    Archives

    April 2025
    January 2025
    October 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    April 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All
    Artist Workshops

copyright © 2013
  • Home
  • New! Latest Paintings
  • About
  • Paintings
    • Landscapes and Seascapes >
      • MONTANA
      • TUSCANY
      • SCOTLAND
    • Cityscape and Figurative
    • Flora and Fauna
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Blog