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Welcome to the second section on exploring the evocative moods you can create with color. Hopefully by now you have been enticed away from safe neutrals by the exciting possibilities that atmospheric color can create!
Before we launch back into the myriad of color selections available to create mood, let's take a minute to look at a common interior design question. Is it really necessary to match your artwork to your color scheme? Answers to this dilemma will vary depending on which professional you speak with. Art dealers and artists will tell you that there is no need to rigidly connect your art pieces to your color scheme. As an artist myself, I tend to agree with this philosophy, in general. The best reason to buy a piece of art is because you love it and want it in your visual world every day.
However, after reading Leatrice Eiseman's ideas on the necessity for art to blend with the prevailing color scheme, in her book The Color Answer Book, I am entertaining the possibility that there may be just a bit more to this concept. Eiseman feels that for those who are particularly color sensitive, everything within a room does not have to match perfectly but should blend to create a sense of continuity. Color is most often the single unifying aspect of your décor. A greater sense of wholeness can be achieved when you do a visual sweep of a room and feel those color connections running throughout. Some color unity is especially necessary for those who prefer to use an eclectic mix of styles. The connecting thread of color will keep the different styles unified. The colors within your décor and your artwork do not necessarily have to match exactly but should be related. Work with simple color relationships. For example, if your rug has warm, golden, brown tones running through it, a painting like Friend in Amsterdam would work very well. The warm, golden browns in the woodwork of the storefront and the warm tans of the German Shepard depicted in this painting would create a sense of unity with your color scheme while adding a bit of contrast also.
 Friend in Amsterdam 11"x14" Painting
Or the more adventurous may prefer to work with complementary colors. These are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, such as: blue and orange, yellow and purple or red and green. When two complimentary colors are placed together, each makes the other color look brighter. Now, while you probably would not want to use a color scheme based on candy apple red and kelly green (unless you want to live with Christmas year-round), color schemes based on derivatives of those colors, such as burgundy and olive, can be very striking.
Two companion pieces that illustrate the beauty of the red and green complimentary color mix are part of my not yet released new series Delicious Bites. In the first painting, Artichoke, the dark to medium green outer leaves and the delicate pale green heart of a tender artichoke cut in half are placed on a warm flame red background. The deep red and purple of the thistle adds a small but tenacious color accent. The simplicity of the composition is what allows this bold color scheme to work so effectively.
Artichoke 24"x24" Painting
Three other pieces complete this suite of paintings, Avocado, Green Pepper, and Broccoli - and all feature the same flame red background and the focus is the vegetable cut in half. See this new series of paintings at Artwork by Johanna Uribes!
One last, but important point regarding how to work with art in your décor is to make sure the art piece is compatible with the intensity of the decor within the room. Not only should the colors of the room be reflected somehow in the piece, but the intensity should blend as well. For example, a light, airy painting done in pastel tints would not be compatible with a room full of bright, bold colors.
Calm Serenity Mood Scheme
The first of the three remaining mood color schemes I would like to share with you is Calm Serenity. This mood scheme takes blue as its main color focus. Blue evokes a feeling of calm within us due to its color connection to our seemingly never-ending sky and sea. (For more on color meanings see the first article in this series, Color - Does it Really Affect Your Mood? available at my website.)
According to Martha Gill in her book Color Harmony for Interior Design, blue is possibly the most classic color used in interior design, and one reason is because blue is so versatile. It can be formal or cozy, charming and sentimental or modern and clean. Plus, you can mix many different shades of blue in the same room and they will harmonize well, blending and merging to create a calm serenity. Or try adding gentle shades of indigo and lavender to enjoy a nostalgic sweetness.
When blue gets too cold, enliven it with its complimentary color, orange, whose many tints and shades restore equilibrium. Use sage greens and berry hues as accents to blue to create the ambiance of an English garden. For specific Calm Serenity Mood Schemes try the following color triads.
Two of my favorites are a rich periwinkle blue as the base color with lavender and sea foam green for accents, or a royal blue with a subdued lime green and teal as accents. Another striking combination is navy blue with sea foam grean and violet as color accents. A slightly more masculine variation on this is navy blue with red oxide or terra cotta red. A wonderful all-blue triad is navy blue with periwinkle and sky blue. For a lighter Calm Serenity Mood Scheme, try lavender with sea foam green and periwinkle.
A perfect art accent for the Calm Serenity Mood Scheme is my painting Reflective Pathway. The extended horizontal perspective creates the feeling of serenity while the placid, mirror-like reflective surface of the water evokes a strong sense of calm. This scene depicts a canal in the French Province of Burgundy, with an orchard on the right and the edge of a forest on the left. I think my favorite part of this scene however, is the tiniest hint of purple within the water reflection in the foreground. When I saw this moment, I was awed by the beauty and could not wait to go home and paint it. Now my greatest joy is sharing it with you.
Reflective Pathway 11"x14" Painting
Another wonderful possibility for an art accent to the Calm Serenity Mood Scheme is Azure Sky. This scene was a unique gift for me. I was just casually walking down a tiny street in a rural village, laughing and talking with friends. I turned a corner and there it was, that spectacular sky framed by wonderful stone architecture. It was a blue I had never really seen before, so intense yet so fluid. The long, late afternoon shadows instantly pulled me into a tranquil mood.
Azure Sky 11"x14" Painting
The next art accent suggestion for the Calm Serenity Mood Scheme is a painting titled Lavoir in France. When a friend of mine took us to this serene area she told me it had been the town laundry a hundred years ago.
This was a place where women of the village came not only to wash their clothes, but more importantly to exchange stories, news . and best of all, gossip! You can see the lavoir in the foreground on the right. This painting blends beautifully with the Calm Serenity Mood Scheme from the lemon-lime green of the sunny foliage to the aqua and teal hues in the shady water reflections. The dappled sun and shade create the feeling of those long summer afternoons, when work is done and you can just sit back and relax.
Lavoir in France 11"x14" Painting
Magical Mystery Mood Scheme
I named this color scheme Magical Mystery, because it takes purple as its dominant color. Purple is an enigma, a blend of the exciting and sensual passions of red with the tranquility of blue. There is really something special about the color purple. When you see its many shades, tints and mixtures you just have to say, "Ahhh ." There is something so luxurious about purple. This stems from its early beginnings as a very expensive dye available only to the royals. To achieve a truly royal mood, combine violet hues with their natural partners, which are shimmering metallics like copper, bronze and gold, according to Martha Gill.
Purple has very mysterious, magical properties. This is described very eloquently by Leatrice Eiseman in her book the Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color where she writes:
Composed primarily of enigmatic purples, meditative blues, dusky mauves, ghostly grays and wispy whites, this is the thought-provoking, mystical palette that reaches beyond the heavens into other spheres, exploring unknown realms beyond the physical, creating a sense of the surreal.
It is these very qualities that conjure up a sense of the ethereal, of things beyond and unseen, that makes purple so magical. This is a mood scheme for the exotic, deeper, more reflective places in your home. These are the rooms where you go to pamper yourself with pieces that have a whisper of mystery, elegantly upholstered chaise lounges, ornately carved trunks from faraway places, and purple velvety throw pillows with golden corded tassels.
Now for color combinations to create your mood scheme of Magical Mystery there are two obviously pleasing choices to explore. The first is purple with what else? More purple! And the other perfect mix is purple and its compliment, colors from the yellow family.
For purple on purple triadic mixes, try dusty rose as a base color with raspberry-magenta and violet for color accents. Or use a rich, deep purple for the base color with a lighter gray-purple and pale lavender as color accents.
To experiment with complimentary color pairs try a deeper shade of lavender (or a mid-range purple) with yellow ocher as its accent. For the darker version of this color pair use a deep, dark purple with an accent of bronze yellow. Another striking alternative is a slightly lighter purple than the previous color pair with a butter cream yellow. One last variation on these color pairs is the same purple as above with a dark grass green as its color accent.
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Try some warmer color triads in the Magical Mystery Mood Scheme by using deep purple with burgundy and burnt sienna as color accents. The mid-range version of this color triad is a mid-value purple base with burnt orange and raspberry as color accents. For the lightest combination of this warm, versatile color triad family, use dark lavender with peach and light raspberry as its color accents.
As for suggested art pieces to enhance the Magical Mystery Mood Scheme, consider one of the pieces from my new Delicious Bites series of paintings, Chocolate Magic. This piece shows the creamy top of a deliciously rich piece of chocolate cake. The bold, red strawberry nestled in the thick, white folds of succulent whipped cream reminds us of the passion we carry within us. This luscious creation sits waiting for you atop a shiny, crisp white plate that has been placed in a mysterious swirl of rich purple silk. This piece exudes luxury with a touch of the mysteriously exotic.
Chocolate Magic 24"x24" Painting
For a moodier atmosphere try the windy painting A Storm is Brewing from my Landscapes series. You can almost hear the rustle, crackle and swoosh of the branches as they are stirred by the gusty wind. There is an electric tension in the air in those moments just before the thunder claps and pounding rain erupts from the sky. And what a sky! The lavender-gray holds you in its moody spell. The branches dance before it, propelled by a mysterious music that only the wind can bring. This was a chance moment when I was driving along a highway in Half Moon Bay, California. I suddenly had to stop, get out of my car and record this scene in my mind.
A Storm is Brewing 11"x14" Painting
An art piece that works well with the Magical Mystery Mood Scheme, and implements the use of complimentary colors to create a dramatic effect, is Witness and the Buddha from my Psycho-Baroque series.
Witness and the Buddha 16"x20" Painting
The dominant color scheme within this piece is based on the yellow and purple complimentary color mix, and effectively demonstrates the magic and mystery of this vibrant color scheme. This unusually surreal painting brings together several unlike elements to create a sense of mystery. It pushes the viewer to interact with the painting asking, 'What's going on here?' The inner space of this piece with all of the deeper interiors within it encourages the viewer to explore the mystery of a space, within a space, within a space.
There are so many questions to answer in this painting. Who is the little girl as witness? Who is the man in the mask? Why is there a dove over the doorway? Why is the tree just a shadow on the wall, extending out into the exterior landscape? What does the Buddha signify in this piece? These are just some of the many questions, that only the viewer can answer. You see, this painting does not have a story to tell, rather it has a story to create. Each of you will make your own story about this image. By answering the questions yourself, you bring your personal life experiences to the piece, thus creating your own meaning. The result tells you more about yourself than the artist who painted the piece.
Sizzling Spice Mood Scheme
The final mood scheme I would like to share with you is called Sizzling Spice. It takes its color cues from red-hot reds. There is sensual passion, sizzling just below the surface of this range of colors. These colors are also aromatic and exotic like spices from foreign lands: saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with a touch of the rich reds of a Turkish carpet. Yet working with such intense color takes a bit of planning. The trick to working with such a heady mix is to add just the right amount of spice to the blend. To prevent reds and rich oranges from overwhelming a spicy scheme, consider including chocolate brown and amber hues with judicious amounts of cool colors like aquamarine, emerald green or dark, cool purple, according to Gill.
If you want to create a spicy flavor in your home, experiment with color triads in this mood scheme. These hot colors will bring some spicy, sizzling excitement into your life! Try a warm pumpkin as a base with violet and dusty pink as color accents. For a slightly more subtle color triad use deep scarlet as a base with deep magenta and dark purple accents. For a red-hot, spicy combo try a bright raspberry pink as base color with orange and purple accent colors.
Use raspberry pink as base with black and olive as accent colors for a striking, high contrast, complimentary color triad. Other possibilities for complimentary color triads are pumpkin as base with raspberry and olive as accents, and hot raspberry pink as base with magenta and olive as accents. And finally, a wonderfully warm color triad is orange as base color with yellow ocher and a deep, rich peach for the accent colors.
My art suggestions for the Sizzling Spice Mood Scheme are equally exciting. First, I suggest one of my favorite pieces. It is called Luna Dancing. This is a festive piece of artwork. My dog, Luna, often likes to play in the evening. She usually lets us know this by rolling around on our living room rug. It struck me one evening how much she looked like she was dancing. The movement in this piece keeps it lively, while the bright colors of the rug, both warm and cool, really enhance and merge with the Sizzling Spice Mood Scheme.
Luna Dancing 30"x40" Painting
In The Offering, from my Psycho-Baroque series, the rich paprika red and brilliant saffron colors of the dress heat up this piece with a spicy sizzle while the various shades of blue serve to cool it down, in much the same way that the sedate Burke* tries to placate the temperamental Lady Deborah*.
The Offering 40"x52" Painting
The final art suggestion I am going make for this mood scheme is Orange Ribbon Found from my Psycho-Baroque series, featuring Cherry Pie Hat Woman*. The dynamic composition of this piece and the vivid colors that really make it sing are ideally suited to the Sizzling Spice mood scheme! From the bright oranges and yellows to the rich burnt sienna to the tiny touch of intense lavender, this painting has unmistakable sizzle!
Orange Ribbon Found 40"x52" Painting
It also has a rather interesting story behind it that I would like to share with you. It is based on a story my mother used to tell me when I was young. She grew up in a home that had plenty of love but not very much money. For her eighth birthday she was given a bright, beautiful orange ribbon. This was quite a luxury item for their household at that time. My mother loved her orange ribbon and could not wait to wear it to school the next day. But sadly, she lost her treasured orange ribbon while walking home on the trolley tracks that same day. This was such a bittersweet little memory for her that it became a regular bedtime story for me, which I always enjoyed. My mother passed away several years ago and I hope that wherever she is ... she has finally found her orange ribbon.
*If you would like to meet Cherry Pie Hat Woman, Lady Deborah, Burke and the other intriguing characters depicted in my Psycho-Baroque series, be sure to request a copy of my novella Psycho-Baroque. It is the inspiration for all the images and characters in that series and an enjoyable tale as well. As soon as it becomes available, I will be offering it Free with Any Purchase on my site, Artwork by Johanna Uribes, so watch for its debut!
I hope you have found these Mood Color Schemes helpful and inspiring. Watch for more Free Home Decor Articles in this series, and other treats, on my website . like the launch of my new series of paintings celebrating food, Delicious Bites. Please visit often ... there is always something new to see at Artwork by Johanna Uribes!
Sources
The Color Answer Book by Leatrice Eiseman, pub. Capitol Books, Inc., 2003
Color Harmony for Interior Design by Martha Gill, pub. Rockport Publishers, Inc. 2001
Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color by Leatrice Eiseman, pub. Graphic Press, Ltd., 2000
Color: The Secret Influence by Kenneth and Cherie Fehrman, pub. Prentice Hall, 2000
So you can easily refer back to this information on color when you take on your next decorating project - please take a moment now to
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