Peaceful and Playful Purple

Art Stories

Jun 22

In the month of June, 2021, we are shining the lights on purple! It used to be my ‘signature color’ for many years, though as you know I now claim red for this era of my life. Nonetheless, purple will likely always be one of my favorite colors. And actually, I don’t really have any colors I don’t like, being a color maximalist! But to be honest at times, beige can push my buttons but I’ve learned how well a beige wall can support almost any color palette of art! So, peace has been made with beige.

Purple has long been associated with royalty, so I went looking to see if I could find out why. This piece of history blew my mind, so I’m quoting it directly from the Color Matters website for you:

As civilizations developed, so did clothing and colored dyes. The earliest purple dyes date back to about 1900 B.C. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye - barely enough for dying a single garment the size of the Roman toga. It’s no wonder then, that this color was used primarily for garments of the emperors or privileged individuals.
Over the course of history, purple pigments and dyes became less costly and complex, but one thing has remained the same: Purple symbolizes nobility and luxury to most people in the world.

We all know that to get purple, you mix red with blue. I thought it was interesting how many people see the color as bringing both the stimulating effects of red and the calming effects of blue, especially in the lavender tones of purple. Perhaps this explains the whimsical and creative energies that also are associated with purple, as one can ‘play’ with the opposite traits in unique and personal ways. Being a non-traditional color and a non-primary color, it lends itself to wide-range of expression.

I’ve studied yoga and the chakra energy system: purple is assigned to the crown chakra. This is the highest chakra, the crown of the head, which connects us to intuition and the collective consciousness. Perhaps those who dare to dive into this metaphysical space are rewarded with non-linear and non-traditional creative ideas. 🤓

Here in Hawai‘i, we nosh on the Molokai sweet potatoes which are purple! Mashed with coconut milk, they are both delicious and a visual delight when served on the plate. And since I love to cook, it’s time to get some food mentions here in my blog. Please visit Edible Hawaiian Islands for recipes. This photo is for “Sweet Potato Lumpia with Coconut Dipping Sauce!”