BRING COLOR INTO LIFE

I cant stop thinking about color.  It is another great puzzle in my life.  Yesterday I went to buy a set of cubes to sit beside my chair.  I am painting a lot of little things, for miniatures,sitting in my living room chair at night.  I found myself in a red space. Sorta.  After some time I did find a set of cubes.  I had a choice: dark brown, black, or white.  I looked for the boxes that go into the cubes.  I found black, tan, soft lime, soft aqua and pink. The colors were muted. I then spent the next hour in Target looking for color. My living space is made of yellows and I wanted more perky.  Everywhere I went women's clothes, towels, curtains, rugs..... shades of diaper brown, white, cream, black and gray. 

I stopped an unsuspecting clerk and chatted about my observation.  She was about nineteen and decided to explain it to me.  I was, of course on my borrowed target scooter, my hair all white, no tattoos(yet), and  no piercings except in my ears properly.  She had decided that I could not hear, needed a very loud voice, and that I only came out of my haunt when i could be let out by my caretakers.  I do like to open a dialog with unsuspecting people and watch them walk away shaking their heads.  I have plenty of time and I know they must listen to me.  Gives me great sport.

She told me that , today, most people didn't use color in their house.  They simply used the "neutrals"  and only occasionally put in a splash of muted color. She seemed so assured.  I asked her why?   It took a few minutes because I do believe that critical thinking was way above her pay grade. I knew I should move on.  I had already said enough. I had caused enough psychological damage.  I could sense that she couldn't wait for break to describe this long encounter with the old gray fool.  I do not act in this way when my family is with me. Their embarrassment is quite severe.

I left still in a quandary.  It brought me back to my move from my condo in Raleigh when the realtor told me that the place would never sell with my beautiful brass fixtures (they needed to be brushed metal of a grayish color) and the beautiful yellow walls must take on a neutral color and my carpets should be removed and off white or neutral be put in.  I could never make a point that my house was furnished in colonial hence the brass, and yellow made me happy.

I decided to search and find out why we are so much in a colorless/muted place.  I found one source gave these enlightenment's.  It seems to simply come down to political correctness .  Seems we need to make sure when we wish to sell our places, entertain in them, or have our children or guests feel comfortable, we need to maintain NEUTRALITY. We try not to be offensive.  I guess I did lie to you when I said I was not being political today. 

Help me understand why.... Why we are leaning toward neutrality.

Let me share some color with you....

Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions. - Pablo Picasso

While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

 Lets whoop up on the color in our lives.  Lets feel the emotions of color.  Lets take chances.   We may end up poor,and not emotionally safe. That is what gives us a vital life.