Art Every Day - Day 9 - PURPLE

Today was purple's turn.

Purple was my favorite color thru the later half of my childhood and adolescence, replacing orange from my early years. Purple was my grandmothers favorite color. She died when I was 8 years old from pancreatic cancer. That summer before her death we went for a visit and spend a week or so at my grandparents house - they lived in Oregon and I grew up in Michigan. She was a very talented artist as well, and from whom I inherited my talent from. That visit I barely left her side. And while I don't really remember anything we talked about or did specifically, other than making her recipe of potato chip chocolate chip cookies (which are awesome and the only way I make chocolate chip cookies to this day!), I did know she was dying and this would be the last time I'd get to see her, so I stayed close that visit. I do remember that. She had a love for Asian art and decorating, and the colors red and purple and some gold were prominent in her decor. For me though it was purple that I clung to after that summer after her death. And even though I was young when she passed , it still affected me - It was my first experience with death - and adopting the color purple on her behalf was a comfort to me and a way to memorialize her.

While my grandmother paired her purple with red (an odd combination that I do not particularly like) and she leaned towards a more red violet version of purple from what I remember-  over the years my favorite shade became a bluer version. Periwinkle (a lighter blue purple) and rich deep indigo purple are my favorites. They just feel warmer to me than a red violet does which sounds strange since red is a warm color and blue is a cool color. Purple is like a perfect balance between the energy of red and the calmness of blue.

Today I used 2 versions of purple acrylics - Wisteria (lighter red violet) and Dioxazine purple (darker blue purple) As well as black and white. 9x12 canvas


Adding the white to the wisteria made it a light lavender color. I don't mind lavender as a color, I do love the smell of the herb though and have used in my garden for years. It such a calming scent, and it is a calming color too. But its also kinda lifeless to me - the lighter it gets.  The wisteria, again not my favorite when purple leans towards a red violet. However the rich Dioxazine purple - I love! Probably because rich navy blue is my favorite color, this version of purple speaks loudly to me as well. Adding the black reminds me of a night sky when the stars are just starting to peak out and twinkle.

Purple is a very rich royal color. It is most often associated with royalty. It is luxurious and magical and mysterious. Lighter versions are feminine and romantic, Dark versions are powerful yet also gloomy.

Another contradictory color in its various states.