Hello, all you colorful crafters! I'll be doing some guest posts here and this is my first. Before I begin, here are the post ideas I sent to Tizz, which she graciously approved:
1)
Inspiration: Artists choose one or more pieces and write about what inspired their color choice. We may uncover some interesting sources of inspiration!
2)
Psychology of Color: Posts realted to how colors affect us and related info, one color at a time.
3)
Color Trends: News tidbits from around the world about what's new in art and craft color choices.
4)
Color Cultures: Etsy is global, so influences are diverse. Each culture brings its own signature color aethetic, so maybe posts about culture-specific color, like the Tuareg's indigo, or the saffron of Indian priests, and how cross-pollination is changing the way we look at color.
I'll try to do a weekly post on any one of these topics, but your suggestions are most welcome.
Since Linda Boucher already did
a great post on color, I'll do one on culture today.
Have you ever hesitated to use pink in your work? In the Western world pink can sometimes have a negative connotation as being frivolous or effeminate. In India, it is generally celebrated in all its manifestations, making its mark even in architecture!
Just take a look at these majestic buildings of Jaipur, the country's famed Pink City. Back in the 1700s, the Maharajah who built it had the palaces painted pink to emulate the sandstone monuments of the Mughals.
To show you just a few-
The Palace of Winds:
City Palace buildings:
Not pink, but I couldn't resist including this magnificent Peacock Gate:
I love the detail in these peacocks - hundreds of years old, and now back in vogue!
And here are some gorgeous pink patchwork rustic Indian wall hangings, sparkling with sequins.
In Jaipur even the elephants are decorated!
Handmade puppets for street shows...
This type of jewelry is called Meenakari.
Colorful parasols in the marketplace - fit for a princess!
And some Jaipur-inspired art from AllPosters.
Jaipur artisans also make lovely blue pottery, but more on that later.
Hope this post was enjoyable and inspirational! Do you have a cultural color that influences your work?
Until next time,
AzraPictures courtesy gangesindia.com, saharaglobal and travelpod.com
