Living in Colour
week 2 • Art of Flow at home
Day 8 Exploring the colour spectrum Today is a beautiful day to play. Enjoy a little colour exploration in a way that feels fun for you! What colours are you attracted to? With your eyes closed, can you imagine the full spectrum of colour? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... feel your way through each colour. You might like to draw or paint, blending harmoniously, with the spectrum as your guide. Keeping colours fresh and clear… avoid making browns. Really allow yourself to be present and enjoy the alchemy and magic. Notice how red gently melts into orange (when you add yellow) and the colour flows to yellow to green and so on. Feel free to paint or draw any spectrum inspired artwork... OR with colourful objects like pieces of fruit or collage paper create a design using colour in a harmonious and flowing way OR create photographic images of the colours in your life… If you have a crystal prism you could make a rainbow wavelength spectrum... Have fun! Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome "Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow." Kahlil Gibran 
Art of flow participant artwork: Diana N
Day 9 Loosen up... Colour play Today might be the day to let it all hang out.. make a mess... break the rules and approach colour in new and exciting ways. Yesterday we used the spectrum as our guide and today I am asking you to forget everything you know about colours and paint like a 2 year old. It may or may not be pretty. You might like to work with your eyes closed (some of the time). You could even choose colours without looking. Maybe use your hands or apply paint with unusual tools. Keep it abstract, taking away any pressure to achieve... scribble... scratch... drip You can use any materials you have, even mix things up and use combinations of materials that you have never combined before. Maybe create a few. facebook group for instagram use #artofflowathome "I found I could say things with colours that I could not say in any other way, things for which I had no words." Georgia O'Keeffe 
Day 10 Atmospheric... vibrational… abstract… harmonies... Playing with value – light through to dark. This is great for any kind of paint or pastels because they blend well. It would be interesting for photography too. Starting with one colour family, either cool (watery blues & greens) or warm (fiery reds to yellows) plus some white. Maybe make one of each... then create a combination. If you’re using paint you can make it pretty watery and have a water spray bottle ready. To begin, make a splodge anywhere on your page or canvas, give it plenty of water, maybe a spray and let the paint expand or drip in a cloudy harmonious way. With paint or pastels start blending out to the lightest, whitest tone and back through to the darkest. I like to use a sponge, rag or foam brush for this type of blending. These are studies in harmony and practice in soft blending, beautiful abstract and emotive. If photographing, find a way to let your focus soften, search for curious tonal variations through the lens. You might like to try a few... especially if you are working quickly. Sometimes the magic happens in an instant! A note on the side: some of the paintings from this week of colour exploration can be used in the 2nd half of the week to add layers to, so keep them, even the ones you don't love. Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome "Colours produce a spiritual vibration, the impression they create is important only as a step towards this vibration." Wassily Kandinsky 
collaborative artwork by children at south coogee art club
Day 11 The element of contrast... opposites attract Light•Dark Cool•Warm Green•Red Orange•Blue Purple•Yellow Black•White You could add a new layer to a work from earlier in the week (especially good with one that you don’t absolutely love) or to yesterday’s atmospheric art or start something fresh. The opposite colours (listed above) can be strikingly beautiful when close to each other but when mixed together will make earth tones & browns. Sometimes that is what we want but for the sake of this exercise we want to keep the colours bright. You will need a base layer of colour that is dry. Then, using a contrasting colour add patterns, shapes, lines and details. If you have acrylic paint you might like applying paint to an area and then scratching into it to etch a design. You can add crayon or pastel or any other medium on top of watercolours. You might like to fill in shapes of contrasting colour between these lines and marks. It may be abstract or representational... Remember to explore contrast. You can alternate between two or more artworks if you want (allowing drying time). Keeping it simple can be soothing or maybe you feel like being wild about it. Search for contrasting colour and tone in your environment for inspiration and for photography. Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome "All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites." Marc Chagall 
Day 12 Choose your colours... self expression Every day we have the opportunity to express ourselves through the colours we choose to wear. When I consider this, I realise that some days I am very aware of my choices and feel bright and wacky... or softly colourful. I am expressing my inner world outwardly... the colours of my clothes have an effect on how I feel and vice versa. The truth is that lately I've been so so boring in old work clothes every day, very grey (and black) Today I hope we will take a moment to connect and choose our colours... play some dress ups... have some fun... Please share a photo... we all would love to be inspired by your colours today! Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome "Fashion should be something that in the morning, when you open your window, you say, 'Oh fantastic, sun!' Then you take your shower, you say, 'OK fantastic, which colour I wear today because I feel happy?' This should be fashion." Roberto Cavalli 
Art of Flow participant artwork by Leanne O
Day 13
Bravery & courage This could manifest in any area... on a canvas or in our life. It might be bravery to try something you've been wanting to, or courage to speak your truth. Dare to put yourself out there! If you would like to continue painting or drawing or working visually that's great. Either start a new piece or add more layers to some art from earlier this week or any other medium you want. Try new ways of applying paint; stamping, printing, splattering, finger painting, stencilling, smudging. If you want to make stencils - fold a page in half then half again, maybe on a diagonal next, and cut out shapes on the folds so that when you open it up it's a 'snow fake' design. Works best to use a dryish brush to paint stencil. 
Find new tools... kitchen utensils, vegetables, plants, weird stuff that makes cool shapes or textures. Try using colours that you don't usually choose. Break out of comfortable habits.
Covering 50 percent or more of the earlier layers and alternating between 2 or more works allowing each layer to dry so they don't to get muddy. Let Go... Play!! Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” Brené Brown 
Day 14 Simplicity One of the most exciting things about the creative process is the unlimited possibility of every moment. This much freedom and infinite choice can sometimes feel overwhelming... simplification can help. Sometimes creating boundaries and limiting our choices can help us focus and move forward. If you have any artworks from earlier this week that are busy and chaotic you may want to continue with one of these today, or start something new with some simplifying ideas • simplify your colours, maybe choose 2 main colours • cover whole areas with one colour blending into white (or use something dark) creating restful places • limit your imagery • stay with only abstract forms • choose two elements to guide the whole painting eg. branches & leaves, pink & yellow, earth & sea, light & lines, ocean & white dots... • stay with it for as long as you can • repetition creates harmony You might work quickly and make more than one image or maybe it's the day to slow right down, and by simplifying your focus you can complete works from earlier in the week. Let's enjoy the simple life! Art of Flow at home Facebook group And on instagram use #artofflowathome "Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." Frederic Chopin |