Computer as Color Editor

-

Exploring Color Options



Recently, after finishing a couple of small projects with the same color palette, I got to thinking about color choices and how it is often the easiest and most comfortable choice to stick with what is familiar to us. But that can feel uninspired at times and we search around for fresh color combinations. 

What can be done to break out of the hum drum of our color habits?

One option is to take advantage of the tools at our fingertips. Often technology has a way of distilling information through its unprejudiced, engineered, and standardized processes that is different than the average person would process that same information. This can lead to a fresh perspective for its users. For instance, in the early 1800's the introduction of photography caused quite a stir in the artworld. Images captured through the rectangular frame of the camera lense inspired artists to look at things with a different eye. The result was a new approach to composition and the treatment of their subject matter.  

And we have the editing functions on our computers. 

To explore this idea, I took the photo used in a December post and started playing with the functions on an editing program. The original image is the first photo in the top left corner with its three colors; salmon, dusty green and navy blue. 


The color chart above is a compilation of some of the options captured when sliding through the color spectrum in the saturation/hue function. Based on the percentage of a specific color on the spectrum, the computer made an adjustment to each of the three colors of yarn and produced a series of color combinations that harmonize with each other. The lightest color in the original shows the greatest variation; the darker colors have much more subtle changes.  
 
And now there need not be a question of whether aqua, grey, and brown would "go together." It's just a question of whether they inspire a new project.


(This is a link to the source of this photo and it's original post, in case you're curious: 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Ooops, I did it again

-
Image
You know when you make a mistake and you end up thinking " Man, I really should have known better!"? I recently experienced that moment when I took my latest finish out of the wash, hung it to dry, and later found that the backing I used had bled through to the front of the quilt. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had covered the entire quilt, but in this case I have a strip of a stronger color on one side of the back: Heartbreaking to think that after all that time and effort, the piece was ruined just because I forgot to turn to the cold/cold setting for the delicate cycle on the washing machine. But then it occurred to me to "put it out there." I posted the problem on Instagram and got back several suggestions. The most popular solution was Dawn dish soap. And I'm happy to report I've met with success!!! It did require some persistence though. First, I tried applying Dawn to the affected areas and then putting it through the wash with a bit of ...
Read more

A Follow Up

-
Image
Shifting Contour When last you heard of this quilt it had been saved from the scourge of fabric bleeding. But I never posted the whole quilt. So here it is.  I have called it Shifting Contour because, in my mind, the patterned fabric plays the role of the background on the left side of the piece. On the right side, the patterned fabric moves to the foreground and becomes a solid shape against the cream background. It is an experiment with the concept of negative space. This year our local guild has taken the lead from our parent organization, the Modern Quilt Guild, and focused on a specific topic each quarter. They covered categories which can be found in the annual QuiltCon quilt show: modern traditionalism, applique, negative space, and minimalism.  I found defining these terms has been really helpful, as sometimes it's difficult to identify why a certain quilt is in a category, in which category a quilt "belongs" when entering it, and even how to deliberately incorpo...
Read more

Q=A=Q 2025 Opening

-
Image
  The first weekend in November was the opening of the annual Quilts=Art=Quilts show at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York.  Q=A=Q Opening Night The show includes seventy quilts created by fifty three artists from around the world, including  Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Kuwait, Switzerland, and the US. This is the second year that I've been honored to be juried into Q=A=Q.  It requires a bit of effort to get to upstate New York on opening night; there are no direct flights from our location. So I'm doubly grateful for the support of family who joined me to take in the experience.  This is very different from a large quilt convention. While you can get up close to the work at any kind of quilt show, the more intimate setting of a gallery brings a unique perspective. The environment elevates a quilt to the status of art. I love that there are so many ways to present my work. I know this is a relatively new phenomenon and it reflects c...
Read more