Nature's Painting Palette: Living Color

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The Old Man said “Ah” and smiled as he looked at the earth, for she was very beautiful—truly the most beautiful thing he had made so far.
—NATIVE AMERICAN CREATION MYTH

The perception of nature as beautiful is universal and constant. Through the ages, poetry and paintings have glorified the phenomena of the natural world. Love of nature is in our bones and in our collective memories. The majesty of mountains, the pleasures of a pond, the fecundity of a forest—all evoke sensations of well being.

As a colorist, nature is my inspiration and teacher. Nature is the master colorist, combining colors, textures, and light into breathtakingly perfect palettes. Go for a walk through a meadow at noon in springtime and experience how, magically, all of nature’s colors are in the right proportion, value, and intensity. Although many are bright, these colors always enhance each other, never overpower. Wander along a lake on a misty winter morning. Although muted, these quieter colors are interesting and balanced.

How can we become nature’s students and use her wisdom to colorize our homes?

Consider the light in the room.

Nature’s colors are changed by light. Morning light is soft and warm, contrasts of color gentle. By midday, natural light is full-spectrum, and contrasts become intense and strong. In the late afternoon, the light has softened to a golden glow, which deepens in the twilight toward warm reds with violet overtones.

When you’re selecting colors, consider the room’s function, the amount of natural light, which direction the light comes from, and the time of day the room will get the most use. Make twelve-inch-square samples of potential color candidates and move them around the room, learning about the effects of light on color on different walls at various times of day. Is the color too bright during midday? Too dark in the evening? Keep sampling until your eyes say “just right with the light.”

Create visual variety.

In nature, surface variations create texture, patterns, and nuances that enrich and enhance colors. Use this lesson to greatest effect in a monochromatic combination that explores variations of one color. Subtlety is key, yet too little contrast and variety can be dull. For example, a meadow of grasses can be monochromatic, yet the variation of shapes and textures and the interplay of light and shadow assure interest. In a monochromatic room, achieve this same interest by using a rich variety of subtly different shades of one color from cool to warm, from muted to intense, from dark to light. Mimic natural nuances such as a forest’s dappled light by using decorative paint effects—ragging, color washing, or glazing—to break up color and provide visual variety.