Another seasonal wardrobe adjustment



This post is sort of a follow-up to the last.  In that post, prompted by Michelle Ward's crusade on seasonal color changes in our art, I mentioned that turquoise/aqua are often my palette of choice.  I use different values and hues depending on the season, but they are colors that often show up.  I usually use lime green, lavendar, or black, sometimes bright blue, as "go with" colors.  But, this season I find myself using a lot of beachy colors with the turquoise. 

It started at our monthly Friday beading session at Bead Soup.  Every month some of us get together and pick a project from a bead magazine that we all want to try, and we work on it, helping each other decide on colors and, when someone gets stuck, on the directions.  It's really fun and it's a great way to try some of the magazine patterns.  In May we decided to work on the components of the "Starlight" bracelet in the June 2010 issue of Bead and Button magazine.  When I chose my colors for crystals and seed beads I ended up with turquoise and aqua crystals with sandy colored seeds.  As I worked, I, along with those sitting next to me noticed, how "beachy" it looked.  I really liked the change.  Looking at the little star component when I got home I decided to dig out all differnt beachy colors of crystals and seeds and use all of them in the bracelet, a different combination for each "star".  This is the result.

I used water colors, sand colors, shell colors, and I love them all!  I even used a pure blue, which doesn't appear much in my palette.  It was such a fun bracelet to make and it's fun to wear.  I have another design that is still in progress that uses these same beachy colors, and once again I chose them instinctively.  So, I guess this is the summer of beach colors for me.  I'm having a great time with it! 

Seasonal colors, or how I love all colors!

I'm a person who is greatly influenced by the seasons.  My clothes, my jewelry, my cooking, my home decor, my creative life, and the colors that all those things entail are dictated by the seasons.    So, when I read about Michelle Ward's newest crusade I had to join in. It's all about changing colors with the season. Well, I couldn't let this one pass by without being a part of the fun!

I love all colors and I always have. I certainly have my favorites.  Lime green and aqua/tuquoise are always popping up in my knitting and beading.  But I also love bright colors like red and orange, bright pink and yellow.  I noticed several years ago that I tend to change color palettes with the seasons.  In Spring and Summer I love to wear light, bright colors.  I can't wait for the day it's warm enough to paint my toenails and put on my sandals.  In Spring I tend to work with beautiful spring greens and lavendars, I call it my lavendar fields period. 

As summer comes on I move to the brighter colors.  Salmon, coral, yellows and brighter greens start showing up, along with a healthy dose of lime and turquoise!



and these...



But, by mid-August I can sense myself moving to the wonderful, warm colors of Fall.  The pumpkins, burgundies, olive greens, and golds of nature start to show up in my projects. 

I have an antique dough bowl that I fill with silk leaves, flowers, pumpkins and gourds come October 1st.  I start to work in these colors and I love making decorations and jewelry for Halloween.  I love the orange and black, but I'm beginning to use purple and lime green too. 

These are witch's hat earrings I made for my daughter and I, and two dear friends.  Because I like great presentations I made tags to go with them, just for fun!!  And, then there is this detail from a jacket I made which really epitomizes my idea of Fall colors.

With the coming of winter I start thinking in terms of icy, cool palettes.  Lately, a lot of gray and pewter has been showing up, often combined with my green and turquoise/aqua palette. 





I think we tend to gravitate toward the same colors, but the seasons cause us to lighten, brighten, darken, or mute the values of those colors.  At least, I think that's how I tend to use color.  Once in a while I'll use a palette of colors that aren't usually ones that I use.  That's fun and stretches me a little.  Blue is a color that I rarely use, but when I do I find I'm really happy with the results.

 
Whew!  What a long post, but this is one of my favorite topics.  Which is why I couldn't let this crusade go by without joining in.  Go on over to Michelle's blog and see all the entries.  The people who participate are all fantastic paper artists or mixed media artists.  Even though my chosen medium is fiber and beads, a love of color and changing palettes with the season transends the materials you use to  create with.  Enjoy the art and maybe you'll be inspired to join in one of Michelle's crusades.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day.