After having so much fun in my first online color course I had to do PART TWO. In this session we will delve a bit more deeply into color theory and approaches. And, as always I will endeavor to make the information as fun and approachable as possible with entertaining projects and links to interesting information.

To understand some of the basics of color, we need to know where the “theories” came from, and I promise to make it as painless as possible. We need just a little history and science here to get that color wheel rolling down the road, and I would be remiss if I did not include this information to your toolbox.

“In visual perception a color is almost never seen as it really is—as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art. In order to use color effectively it is necessary to recognize that color deceives continually.” — JOSEF ALBERS
We really can’t get a thorough understanding of color without talking about Joseph Albers and his legacy. His concepts are fundamental to all contemporary artists.

Painters have always been thrifty people when it comes to their paint. No one likes to see good paint go to waste. Oil painters learned early on that scraping the palette at the end of the day and combining this left over paint can create beautiful neutral colors. We call this left-over paint “mud” and it is also known as Painter's Gold.

Do you go to the paint store and stand mesmerized in front of the seemingly infinite colors of paint on the shelves?  Do you have a stash of pretty paint colors with names like Caucasian Skin, Brilliant Yellow, Radiant Blue, Turquoise Lake? Do you have little piles of these “colors with pretty names” scattered all over your palette? AND, Do the colors in your paintings sometimes “get out of hand” – like too many cooks in the soup?  If any of these ring true (and even if they don't), you may want to practice Limiting Your Palette.

“Learn the rules like the pros so you can break them like an artist.” — PABLO PICASSO
Possibly the one “Rule” that always holds true in Color Theory is: All Rules Can Be Broken! You have successfully navigated some tricky twists and turns on this Color Journey and now it’s time to reward all of that hard work with some irreverence.

You are now well on your way to “Owning” your colors! If you have participated in both OWN YOUR COLORS eCourses, then you are now armed with quite a bit of color theory knowledge. It’s now up to you to interpret it and practice playing with color.