Mood: What's it to hue?

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!

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.

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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.
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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!!!