Black is the Mother of All Colors
So, we start with a rather bold statement. To make black pigment, one mixes red, yellow, and blue together. These three colors can be mixed to make all the other colors, so, we think of black as an embodiment of the full color spectrum. This could explain why black “shows off” the other colors so well and why many photographers use a black background on their website as that helps the color images pop off the screen.
And yet, some describe white and black as “not colors” in that white reflects all light and black absorbs all visible light. To see a color, we are actually seeing a specific wavelength of the light spectrum reflected back to us.
The image above is an excerpt from my quadryptic, In the Lava Flow. Mother nature gives us the passion of red lava and the cool strength of black lava.
Black Moods
Black is associated with power, fear, mystery, strength, authority, elegance, formality, death, evil, and aggression, authority, rebellion, and sophistication. Black is required for all other colors to have depth and variation of hue. — Bourne Creative
At first mention, black conjures up the emotions of fear that come with not being able to see in the dark. But to me, it is a rich color that indeed adds power and strength to my paintings, along with contrast. In our year of “Color as Curative” we choose a color for each month on my Instagram page. August is all about black and I was a little surprised that I had so many paintings to choose from. I’ve definitely experienced some dark times in my life, both in response to personal events as well as public events. Being able to explore the full range of human emotions has become central to my painting. I feel it’s necessary to dive in to the depths and not just remain in the colorful fantasies of my life on Maui. So, embracing all the moods — which I do through color immersion — is one path to being a fully expressive and self-accepting person.
I feel in love with black; it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color…Black is the most aristocratic color of all…You can be quiet, and it contains the whole thing. — Louise Nevelson
So I hope you’ll join me this month and expand your embrace of black beyond the “perfect black dress” — LOL, long a staple of many women’s wardrobes. It’s magical and healing in so many ways.
