Margie's Muse

Color Sense & Sensibility

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In August I had the privilege of teaching - and learning - at Beadwork Magazine's retreat in gorgeous Sonoma Valley California. In a luxurious lodge surrounded by undulating mountains and miles of vineyards we explored the dimensions and language of color.

Using samples, fabrics, photos, colored pencils, and paint chips, we create and examine countless color combinations. Within structures such as monochromatic, analogous, or complementary, we design palettes individually and together. As the palettes are created I display them to the class in batches for analysis and pure gut reaction. We watch with curiosity, even amazement, as each person's unique color sensibility emerges, and soon we are able to recognize who made each palette by color arrangement alone. Everyone, regardless of their level of experience, has their own color signature.

As confidence grows, I encourage participants to delve outside of their comfort level by using colors, saturations, and shades they are not drawn too, or are repelled by. Once they pair them with other colors in new configurations they begin to encounter these colors in a whole new way.

It is fascinating to see people expanding their sensibility while retaining their individuality, their unique way of putting together colors. Given the same groups of colors to work with, no one puts together even something as basic as a complementary scheme together in the same way. Like handwriting, their sense of color speaks about who they are.

By the end of class I am always in awe of the sense of beauty and harmony exhibited by each class member. I know they didn't learn this in the short time that we worked together. This talent waits quietly within, often unacknowledged. My job is to give them permission or encourage them to unleash what is already inside them. People know and sense so much more than they think they do. Without exception, everyone I have ever taught possesses an intuitive sense of harmony that comes from within, that rings true for them, that can - and should - be trusted. All they need is permission to give it voice and honor it.