Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Greetings! I hope this new week finds you well and rested. Over the weekend I was busy painting my mom’s new master bedroom. She chose a beautiful soft turquoise color as she hopes to finish the room with a seashell/ocean theme.

   Since she has enlisted me to help her create the decor for her new home, I am planning to bring in some other colors in the cool range with a few pops of warm color to coordinate with the décor.

   The blue-green turquoise range of the spectrum is one my favorites. As an artist, I tend to find myself with a love of all colors but this one ranks near the top.

   Turquoise and its relatives, green, blue and violet comprise what is known as the cool colors. Colors are generally divided into two main groups…warm and cool. The warm colors are the reds, oranges and yellows. Green can be either warm or cool but is usually grouped with the cool colors.

   Cool colors like turquoise or blue are perfect for a bedroom or other retreat in your home because it has been shown that colors in that range tend to have a calming effect on people. Cool colors help to make people feel less agitated, so you might find it easier to wind down from your day in a room with pale blue or turquoise walls. Not surprisingly, these are among the most popular colors for bedrooms and homes.

   The key to using cool colors like this in décor or art is bring in some warm accents. Just a few here and there can offer the eye a rest from the overall coolness of the painting or wall color. 

   In my own Poudre River Rocks painting seen below, the predominate colors are the blues and aquas of the flowing water. The rocks are generally neutral in color but I made sure to incorporate some warmer reds and siennas to breakup the coolness of all the blue. 

   If you are decorating a room in your home, you can use this same trick yourself to create a calming retreat!