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Choosing colors, is it that complicated?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:42 pm
by alden
Re: Choosing colors, is it that complicated?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 4:09 pm
by Costi
The secret is contrast, isn't it?
Re: Choosing colors, is it that complicated?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:50 pm
by yialabis
Re: Choosing colors, is it that complicated?
Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:12 pm
by Jordan Marc
yialabis:
Michael Alden's point is a good one. I like to say Nature makes lots of mistakes with color, but what glorious mistakes they are!
The late Abe Feder, who single-handedly created and championed lighting and color for the stage and architecture and countless interiors, ran workshops in his lighting studio in Manhattan for anyone interested in learning about color. I visited from time to time and often found myself in the company of designers, engineers from Boeing and NASA, architects, cinematographers and museum curators. Feder loved showing the participants the possibilities of lighting and its effect on our perception of colors. He was fond of saying: "Push back the darkness!" And he was adament about the interaction, or mixing, of colors. "If you want to see what a room or a costume looks like in red," he would say, "paint the entire room red or have the seamstress run up the gown for the ballroom scene in the second act using a rich red satin.
Never rely on paint chips from the hardware store or cuttings or the Pantone books. If you don't like the
results or can't modify the effect you're after with gels, Fresnels and rheostats, start all over again.
Trust your eyes!"
So it is with the colors and patterns with which we clothe ourselves. Experiment and see what works
for you. Never mind what this actor wore or that clothing stylist stuck on the mannequin in the display window, you be the judge of what works for you. If you can't be objective about the effect you want to achieve, put yourself in the hands of a really good tailor who will set you straight. All else is just marketing.
JMB