Colour Interplay

 

We humans have assigned emotions to colours ie. green for envy or blue for sad. When I paint something I like to consider what I am trying to convey. If I want a moody painting the colours might be dark and not have a lot of difference in value.

Likewise in quilting it is helpful to know what you want the quilt for when it is done. If I wanted to create a pieced quilt with the fabrics in the first photo, it would convey warmth and calmness due to the warm colours used and calm because the colours are side by side on the colourwheel.

Should I choose to add a little blue, a different feeling is attatched to the quilt. The blue plays off the orange, it's complement so that the blue just pops. If there is only a small amount of blue your eye is drawn to it and the look of the quilt would be quite lively. Both quilts might be quite similar yet convey very different emotions. Deciding what you want in a quilt is essential in deciding what colours to choose.

The same is true when dyeing fabric. Those small spots of blue look jewel like and are very precious in this dye painted piece.

Dye Painted Cotton - Sold