Do Colors Affect How You Feel?

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

Have you ever noticed that colors are associated with emotions?

A yellow smiley face. A blue tear. A red heart or angry face.

Colors and emotions have a fascinating connection. Specific colors can elicit specific emotions or memories. Even certain tones or levels of intensity can impact our mood, for better or worse. Many businesses even factor this in when crafting their brand colors and interior design.

In ancient Chinese and Egyptian cultures, healers used “chromotherapy,” the practice of using certain light and colors to promote good health.

From passion to relaxation, here’s how a simple change of hue can change our point of view.

Warm Colors

Warm colors can quite literally warm up a room. Reds, oranges, and yellows remind us of the brightness and excitement of spring and summer. They’re often thought of as “happy colors.” They can uplift your mood, while also exuding strong and bold power.

Red

Red is the boldest and hottest of the warm colors. It is often associated with love, passion, and romantics. On the other hand, it can portray feelings and stories of death, anger, or courage. Our eyes are drawn to red, so it works great as an accent in both portrait paintings and abstract paintings. It can energize a room while exuding courage and power.

Orange

Another warm color, orange energizes us in a softer and feminine way. It has the same attention-grabbing ability as red, but it can be a bit more inviting and less intense. It is a welcoming yet confident color to invite into your home.

Yellow

Yellow shines a bright light of hope, energy, and happiness. It sparks youthful joy and can encourage creativity.

Cool Colors

Cool colors take us back to the crisp embrace of winter and fall. Think greens, blues, and purples. They can promote relaxation, calmness, or gloominess. Cool colors can also inspire creativity, good health, and professionalism.

Green

Green’s impact has many depths, from health, nature, wealth, and growth. It is very balanced and easy on the eyes. It can help us feel at peace and in harmony with our surroundings.

Blue

Blue is a powerful tool in helping us feel relaxed, safe, and calm. Most people’s favorite color is blue, due to its reassuring effect and relation to the ocean and sky. It’s great to add to a room for a friendly and soothing effect.

Purple

Purple is a mark of royalty. It strikes our strings of creativity and spirituality. It can inspire us to imagine, think deeper, and tune in with our peaceful, more sensitive side.

Choosing Artwork that Inspires You in Your Home

When selecting pieces for your home, you want to be mindful of what emotions both the subject and the colors bring you. Our spaces are sacred, so we only want to collect art that speaks to us.

When mixing colors for my abstract paintings and portrait paintings, I aim to stir feelings that empower and uplift both you and your space.

Take some time to browse my paintings at https://www.laraspadettoart.com/

By clicking on the image below you can download the FREE Guide "How to start collecting art!" and get some information and tools you need to start your powerful art collection, unique to you and only you.

You will also become part of my VIP community, and I'll share with you what inspires me, information on future events, and much more.

Together we can do a lot by supporting each other!

What Style are You?

Abstract or Realistic?

We all have different styles. Some of us are minimalistic, and some eclectic. Some are drawn to vibrant cities and urban energy, while others love the quiet countryside and stillness of nature.

It’s what we’re drawn to. It’s what makes us individuals. It’s quite empowering if we think about it, actually.

When it comes to style and taste, there is no right or wrong answer.

Just as in art.

There is an infinite number of styles, approaches, and methods you can take in the art world. But today, we’re just going to brush on two major overarching styles: abstract and realistic.

Which style are you? Let’s find out:

Abstract

Abstract painting takes a conceptual and symbolic approach. The word abstract itself means, “to separate or withdraw something from something else.”

It often takes something from reality –– a situation, topic, object, or even feeling –– and separates it from reality. It takes away the context and strictly tells the story through abstract colors, lines, and shapes.

However, for some artists, abstract art is simply “art for art’s sake.” Its sole purpose is to create visually appealing pieces through lines, colors, and other artistic strategies.

Forming in the early 1900s as a type of modern art, abstract art is also one of the most subjective styles. Each person who looks at one piece can take an entirely different experience or impression from it. Abstract paintings also have a recent reputation of high taste and monetary value.

You might like abstract art if:

• You enjoy bright colors and funky shapes

• You prefer more creative, imaginative pieces

• You have a deep appreciation for art and artists

• You enjoy drawing meaning and analogies from abstract images

• You want an investment

Realistic

Realistic art, or realism, aims to accurately recreate an authentic moment, person, or subject in time. Its goal is to reflect the reality we witness each day and takes a photographic-style approach with its immense detail and life-like touch.

Many are often impressed by the amount of time and skill art like portrait paintings take. This can give it immense value and impresses viewers who couldn’t tell if it was a picture or a painting at first glance.

Realism became popular in 19th-century France. It became popular to not only use a realistic style, but to portray realistic subjects. Often, artists depicted portrait paintings of lower to middle-class subjects and stills of everyday life. It’s a highly relatable style of art that speaks to us because we can see ourselves reflected in it.

You might like realistic art if:

• You are impressed by an artist’s skill to capture lifelike details

• You have a certain subject or scene you want to be portrayed in your home

• You appreciate more traditional, classic styles

• You enjoy seeing yourself in and relating to your art

The Verdict

Art is subjective. There are no right or wrong answers. The same piece can leave one awestruck and another confused. It’s all about finding the art that speaks to us.

That’s the beauty of it.

We are each attracted to certain art styles for a reason. Art speaks to us on a subtle level and we each perceive it by personally translating that language.

Take some time to browse my paintings at https://www.laraspadettoart.com/

By clicking on the image below you can download the FREE Guide "How to start collecting art!" and get some information and tools you need to start your powerful art collection, unique to you and only you.

You will also become part of my VIP community, and I'll share with you what inspires me, information on future events, and much more.

Together we can do a lot by supporting each other!

What is Harmony in Art?

In life, harmony means consistency, orderliness, or a pleasing arrangement of parts.

In music, harmony takes place when a beautiful musical sound is created by playing or singing different notes simultaneously.

In painting, harmony is the visually pleasant practice of combining elements that work together. It’s a sort of peaceful coexisting that makes unique parts feel like a whole.

It all sounds lovely, right? We could use a bit more harmony in the world today.

Harmony as a Principle of Art

Harmony is often confused with unity.

Unity occurs when the same elements are repeated over and over. But that can get boring and a bit monotonous. Contrast occurs when opposites, whether in color, shape, or texture, juxtapose.

Harmony is where we find the balance between the two.

It’s taking all of our elements –– paints, colors, brushes, shapes, lines, and more –– and making them all work together in a way that makes sense and is aesthetic to the eye. It’s one of the first steps in creating art that speaks to us. You know, the ones we want to stare at all day and hang up in our homes.

How Do You Achieve Harmony?

I may not have the answer to achieving harmony in life (don’t we all wish!), but there are a few technical strategies to achieving this magical balance of unity and chaos in an abstract or portrait painting:

• Choose complementary colors or colors associated with each other.

• Be mindful of your brush marks, and use textures that relate together.

• Try to balance the kinds of shapes you use.

• Be conscious of your proportions.

Again, it’s not always pairing what’s the same, but it’s finding the harmony between unity and contrast. Just as in life, it’s finding the beauty in being both different yet knowing we’re all somewhat the same.

The Harmony Between a Painting & its Environment

A painting, in theory, has a simple ornamental function. It does not contain anything. You do not sit on it. It does not support other objects. It solely serves "only" to embellish.

So, what turns this “simple” combination of paint and canvas into art that speaks to us?

Its display!

A painting can harmoniously blend with the environment in which it is displayed, transmitting its energy into the room.

This nature is what gives life to the environment, creating its identity and personality.

When curating your own at-home art collection, ask yourself: What kind of harmony and energy does my space have, and what kind do I want it to have?

In the end, the true harmony is in the eye of the beholder. Think about if the piece is harmonious with your values, inspirations, or even your home decor style.

For me, creating abstract paintings and portrait paintings is harmonious with all my passions. It brings together my fire for creating art and mission to empower women. Together, it creates a harmony that sings through my veins and feels like music in my soul.

Take some time to browse my paintings at https://www.laraspadettoart.com/

By clicking on the image below you can download the FREE Guide "How to start collecting art!" and get some information and tools you need to start your powerful art collection, unique to you and only you.

You will also become part of my VIP community, and I'll share with you what inspires me, information on future events, and much more.

Together we can do a lot by supporting each other!