First let me extend a thank you to all who particpated last month, sharing an interpretation of Home. Loved being able to get to know you a little better. Second, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the friends, old and new, who have contributed to the conversation below. If I ever begin to feel burnt out I will hop right back over there to read the encouraging words and thoughts. You motivate me to carry on and validate my efforts. I truly appreciate the love. *group hug*
Before I begin let me apologize to our Southern Hemisphere crusaders - I refer to change-of-season and summer but I fully understand your temperature is declining while mine is rising. The concept is still applicable, just slightly different.
As the banner states, I'm curious to know if you find yourself shifting your working palette and/or creative style with the change in season. It seems every summer I deliberately select fresh new paint colors and brightly colored supplies. I tend to think lighter and work looser. I also feel like I see more - observations much more acute than in the colder months. Is it because I am outside often or that I am hungry for new visual stimulation and seek alternative directions? Establishing a new palette is more of a mental task...I adjust my viewfinders a little wider, latch onto a handful of concepts, and see how that all fits with my default ways of operating.
To offer a comparison, here is my comfort zone palette that is utilized twelve months of the year. It is a good thing to know what color combinations you default to especially when you are shopping for supplies. Got it in red? I'll take it. Oh, you have black too? I'll take two.
Last year I recognized that I make this seasonal shift. Below is a journal page that illustrates that. I'm falling under the same spell this year...
A few more examples to show that I am not a huge adventurer when it comes to color. I find I get distracted by too many choices and limiting myself allows me to focus on composition and texture. You'll see my defaults are evident, but personally I observe some influence from last summer. Notice I eventually allow more open space and begin using organic images? Probably sick of winter and ready for some daylight and bare feet.
This month, should you accept the challenge, make some observations of yourself and your work and notice if you have actual palette changes or mental shifts due to the transitioning seasons. Maybe you paint less and knit more because you are sitting around a pool. Maybe you sit in the shade and bead or carve stamps because you have more free time. Maybe you have less free time and hardly craft at all in the summer. Tell us about your seasonal wardrobe and support with visual evidence if you can. For instance, compare a winter page with a summer page and if you can tell the season by the style of work. Or, simply show us your current palette and remark whether it differs in the darker months.
I'm really interested to know if your artistic behavior adapts seasonally. If you can't play along with a link we would still love to hear your report so leave a comment with your thoughts.
Archived links have been moved from sidebar to here. Thanks for playing, and joining in with your posts, your comments, and your enthusiasm for building connections through creativity challenges.
Betsy Harting
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