Still Raining?!

Well, here in Massachusetts, we've apparently been transported to northwest Washington state and someone forgot to tell us. It rained every day last week and supposedly will rain the rest of the week. Not that I'm actually complaining, I rather like the muted palette that summer rains bring. It's different than the colors in fall, winter, or spring; the light is sharp and high in the sky, so when the clouds break even slightly, the world glows. Summer rains bring a palette of water-washed blues and wooden grays, like the colors of the sea.

Pantone's color trend report for FW09 has been out for a few months now, giving us some time to live with the hues they predict to be popular. Screens of Majolica Blue (19-4125), Iron (18-1306), Warm Olive (15-0646), and Créme Brûlée (13-1006) carry the same emotions for me as rainy summer days. I feel that when you can use color to capture a feeling that is familiar, like the emotions that surround rain, you can connect with your customers/viewers at a much deeper level.



A some people seem to dislike rainy days but they are no different than any other - they just have a different set of colors and emotions around them. Using those two things (colors and emotion) are the underpinnings of good artistic expression, in my opinion.