LIVING ARTFULLY: COMMUNICATING WITH COLOR 

     I have always been in love with color. I know that it touches the creative spirit within. What I wear can express my inner feelings. And what I say, using color in my daily language, i.e., I�m feeling kind of blue today, or I�m so mad I see red�can also convey my personal feelings. 

     In her book, The Language of Color, color communications specialist, Dorothee L. Mella, describes something called the �Self Image Color Analysis Test�-- a compilation of questions that covers an individual�s �self portrait.� There are several interesting questions in the test such as, if I were a color, what color would I be? 

     Extroverts, whether artists or business professionals, chose reds, oranges, and yellows as their personal favorites. Introverts, or intuitive people chose soft colors like pastels.

     As an artist, color is extremely important to me and, as a member of the Society of the Arts In Health Care, I�ve learned about the effects of color on our minds and bodies. This is a subject of increasing interest to a growing community of hospitals, health care professionals, art therapists and artists across the country that are very interested in the psychological uses of color, and the strong influence of color energy in the workplace. These professionals are encouraged by the findings of medical research that shows that viewing or creating art promotes a healing physiology, which boosts the immune system, promotes a healing physiology, and changes pain perception. The idea that art can be beneficial in the workplace, and can actually increase productivity is catching on with many companies and businesses. Scientific research has also proven that red raises blood pressure, quickens the pulse, and increases breathing rates, that blue stimulates the mind, and that orange can make you restless. Likewise, green seems to have a calming balancing effect, while yellow catches the eye, and violet encourages creativity. 

     People ask me why I endeavor to create work that provides a healing nurturing environment for home and office. I tell them that I am a firm believer in the deep connection between art and healing. Several years ago, I learned from personal experience that art could be beneficial when you�re suffering from grief and depression. In an art therapy class, I picked up a brush, and dipped it into some paint, and watched color flow down the page. It changed my entire life. After being a writer for 25 years, I became an artist, and continue to use art as a healing tool for change and growth, in my paintings and in my workshops. I�ve become especially fond of spectral colors�those colors of the spectrum, like you see in a rainbow-- pure violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. To get the soft muted tones I use in my backgrounds, I mix together complimentary spectral colors, such as orange and blue, violet and yellow, and red rose and green to provide color harmony between the pure spectral colors in the foreground and the calm, quiet colors in the background. 

     I am totally motivated by color, shape, form, and texture. I don�t pay heavy attention to fine details. I leave that for photographers. Instead I concentrate on the feeling, the spirit, and the essence of a sunflower, for example, or the feel of a sunset over a mountain stream. 

     Art offers us a mindful break from the routine, the mundane, and the unimportant. Whenever you feel stymied, or pressured, or stressed, you need to rest the mind and let it play for a while. . And when you view art in tandem with listening to music, or combine art with expressive writing, it can help to reduce stress, encourage self-discovery and promote healthy thinking. The trick is to find a state of mind that allows you to be alert, but relaxed and just be with what you're doing in the present. Don't worry about whether or not you'll succeed or fail. Just be in process. 

     In my workshops I teach that life is like the color wheel. It�s always a circular path that leads back to self. It�s always filled with color, be it bright or luminous-- or dark, muddy, and confusing at times. Color speaks to us in a way that only we, as individuals, can hear. And in a world where things seem terribly amiss at times, the art of color can make us feel whole again.