“Colour is one of the most fascinating subjects I can think of,” artist and educator Anna Evans tells Verve. “The science of how we see colour is, frankly, mind-blowing. Colour theory to me is like a form of visual maths. There’s a rhythm to colour, it has reason, and its own beat.”
Humans see colour depending on how light reflects off – and is absorbed by – any given surface. Most people can only see the three colours green, blue, and red; it is the photoreceptor cells (or cones) on our retinas that are then responsible for combing these colours to create either new ones, or various shades of the individual original three. Red and blue together, for example, will create purple, while a mixture of all three will create white.
Colour Theories
Author, teacher, and colour consultant Jill Morton says that colour theory incorporates “a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications” but at its heart are three basic elements: the colour wheel, colour context, and colour harmony. The colour wheel – akin to a circular rainbow – was first developed by Sir Isaac Newton to demonstrate how light passing through a prism splits into seven separate colours (the visible spectrum); colour context concerns the behaviour of colour in relation to other colours – how red contrasts more against white than it does against black, for example; while colour harmony relates to how colours work together – say, in schemes.
“Colour is a way to communicate stories, moments, feelings,” Anna adds. “I’m very deliberate in my colour choices. I edit my work to promote and complement certain colours over others. I’ll make compositional choices to elevate or relegate. I’ll make use of contrasting and analogous hues.”
When you envisage an idea for a drawing or painting, do you also see the colours, or will they evolve as you create the image?
Colours are usually my starting point. I’ll have a gradient I want to play with, or a palette that I’m a bit obsessed with. In my youth, I’d start with a line drawing, but as I began painting it became more about colour and its application. For me, colour definitely dictates how I treat my subject.
Are there any colours that you are particularly drawn to?
I am really captivated by the colours of dusk and dawn, which I suppose is rather vague seeing as almost all colours are present at one moment or another during twilight. I am specifically drawn to high impact gradients – glowing oranges, humming purples and explosive pinks. I find these colours resonant; they have an energy that can be peaceful and contemplative, but at the same time ultimately ephemeral.
Have these preferences also changed with age?
Yes. In my youth I wasn’t a fan of pink. I found myself most captivated by solid, flat, bold colour – the kinds you find in ‘90s cartoons. I was an avid reader of comics and spent hours copying my favourite X-Men and reimagining their costumes. I was in my late 20s when I discovered the pastel pinks and fuzzy purples of cool evenings. Perhaps as a child, the synthetic objects and media that saturated my experience were largely bold, solid colours, and that as I entered adulthood, I became more fascinated by nature and the world. I became enchanted by the explosive colour around us – the way a single green leaf is never the same green leaf, but many different greens as each hour passes. How its shades and tones fluctuate with the sun’s daily passage.
Colour Moods
Though gender plays a role when it comes to picking colours, studies have shown that both sexes are overwhelming drawn to blue and green, at least in part because of their evocation of nature. But interestingly, exposure specifically to blue/green light in the morning also encourages the release of cortisol, a stimulating hormone that encourages wakefulness while repressing the release of the drowse-inducing melatonin (also the reason why staring at your phone at night will hinder sleep). Studies have even shown blue light may lower the heart rate (red light has the opposite effect) and reduce impulsivity so acutely that when blue lights were installed at the end of Tokyo railway platforms, suicides fell by 74 percent.
Anna says that she suspects her colour preferences and mood are likely linked, but that “it’s not so easily defined”.
“I’m uplifted by the action of painting and I find its process deeply meditative. If I’m super happy, I do find myself wanting to incorporate as much colour as possible. That is definitely something I’ve noticed about myself. I choose to paint colours that uplift and energise me. Because painting is my literal ‘happy place’, I explore colours that enchant me.”
Anna has also worked extensively with kids in a teaching capacity, creating large-scale murals, artworks for educational apps and learning aids, and illustrating more than 100 books.
“One of the most interesting questions a student asked me was how do I know that the blue I see is the same that he sees. Of course, there’s no answer to that. We both define what we agree is blue, as being blue, because we were taught that specific shade and its presence on associated objects as being something we call ‘blue’.”
I ask if she’s noticed children to be more drawn to certain colours.
“In almost every pack of felt tip pens, colouring pencils, or sets of watercolour, the first ones I need to replace are black and red, followed by blue. I suspect it’s because these are bold and definitive. Black is used to outline, red because it’s so attractive and vivacious, and blue because it represents bodies of water and the sky.”
The sky, Anna reflects, has long fascinated her because of its natural palettes and “the way it shifts hour by hour”.
“The sky is always performing,” she adds. “It never disappoints. The most spectacular shows occur when the first and last of the sun’s rays tint its passage into the deep blue hues of night, and of day.”
Colour Coordinating
Once artists have considered their colour scheme, it’s a gallery’s job to ensure those works are seen in literally the best possible light. Verve goes behind the scenes with Fran Davies, director of Parnell’s International Art Centre.
What must a gallery consider when establishing an exhibition space?
Lighting is a key component, while a spacious exhibition area allows works to be viewed as solo pieces rather than competing for the viewer’s attention. The theme of an exhibition, or selected works, may be mirrored and enhanced by the choice of the wall colour on which they’re hung. The integral association of certain colours with the artists that favoured them is reflected in names such as Titian Red and Yves Klein Blue.
Do artists generally have input into how a gallery shows their work?
At International Art Centre, whilst we work in a highly collaborative manner with our represented artists, when it comes to the curating of exhibitions this tends to become the province of our committed and experienced gallery team.
Do the public realise the significance of the gallery’s role?
I think they do. There are many yardsticks by which to measure the significance of a gallery, one of the most gratifying being the comments of clients and visitors. Now into our 51st year, we’ve the enjoyment and privilege of welcoming three generations of clients, meaning there are lots of wonderful stories relating to the role the gallery has played in people’s lives over the years.
Words— Jamie Christian Desplaces
