The Summer of Color - PURPLE

"The Dreamers of Dreams"

8 x 10 Journal Page

{This page was inspired by my Dad (a huge Summer of Color fan ;) who suggested that the color Purple reminded him of the moon. Serendipitously, I found a poem by Arthur William O'Shaughnessy that went perfectly with the theme. The portion I used here reads, "We are the music-makers / And we are the dreamers of dreams / Wandering by lone sea-breakers / And sitting by desolate streams; / World-losers and world-forsakers / On whom the pale moon gleams: / Yet we are the movers and shakers / Of the world forever it seems."}

Oh, Red . . . 

What amazing pieces you've inspired! Your work was bright, bold and full of beauty. I loved watching our Flickr pool pop with color as your art was added throughout the week, and so appreciate the love and dedication that you put into it. Thank you for your kind comments to one another, for the supportive community you've created on Facebook and for sharing your links with us here as we head into our final Summer of Color weeks together . . . 

Believe it or Not . . .

This week marks our second-to-last color prompt. We will be working with Purple this week and our final color (announced at the bottom of this post) next. If you haven't yet joined us and would like to, please know that you are more than welcome anytime. We would be honored to have you. 

So how many weeks are left in The Summer of Color?

A total of three. After we complete our final two weeks of color prompts, we will have a wrap-up week in which we share what we have done during our time together. For those who are thinking ahead, this means that you can either create something to house or showcase the body of work you've made over the Summer, or you can simply share pictures of your work as a whole. More on that later, but know that there will be linking opportunities and another giveaway in our last week as well . . .

And now . . . The Red Week Winner is . . .

YOU

Please Email me your address and I'll get those Red hot goodies right out.

Ready for the Color Purple?

Our color prompt this week (Monday July 25th to Sunday July 31st) is the mystical, magical, regal color of Purple. Should you choose to accept it, your Bonus! challenge is to in some way incorporate a little shimmer and shine in your work. This includes but is not limited to the use of fine glitter, glass glitter, sparkly embellishments, crystals, metallic objects or anything else that would stop a deer in it's tracks . . . As before, please (A) link your blog or Flickr feed to the widget below so that others can find you (B) leave one comment if you created a Purple piece and (C) leave two comments if you completed the Bonus! challenge. 

Oooh, show us the Purple Giveaway. . .

(A vintage child's dictionary page featuring the color Purple, two vintage postcards (both written on and one stamped on the back), 8 yards of Darlee 20 Gauge copper wire, Liquitex Soft Body acrylic paint in Brilliant Purple, Stickles glitter in Lavender, a set of ten Loew Cornell white nylon brushes and a sprinkling of iridescent purple and clear Swarovski crystals)

And what is next week's color prompt?

ORANGE

(Monday August 1st to Sunday August 7th)

"Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow"

-Kandinsky

I hope there's a Bonus! challenge. . .

Well, you're in luck. Should you decide to take it on, the Bonus! challenge for the color Orange is to in some way incorporate your favorite quote or poem. You can either include the text directly into your work or you can let it serve as your inspiration.  

Thank you and Have Fun! 

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color - RED

"Strolling with Hubert"

8 x 10 Journal Page

{This was inspired by schoolwork Kendra recently brought home that featured the word red. Her writing serves as the base for this mixed-media painting & collage. Also featured are several sources of sparkle: from Stickles red to iridescent glitter to Swarovski crystals and even a decorative piece (the belt) from the top of an old flip flop}  

Who knew Brown could be so pretty?

Like many of you, I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle the color. But try we did and I'm now among those who found that I really loved working with Brown. It is neutral, rich and varied in it's applications - and I was so inspired by your use of it. Thank you for sharing your art here, on our Facebook page and in our Flickr group.  We had an amazing turnout last week and I know it's going to continue as we hit the ground running on our next - highly anticipated - color . . .

But first, who won Brown week?

Our Brown giveaway (featured in the post below) was won by . . .

YOU

Please Email me your address and I'll get your vintage Browns right out . . .

And now: welcome to RED week!

This week ( Monday July 18th to Sunday July 24th) our challenge is to work with the color Red. Should you decide to take it on, your Bonus! challenge is to somehow incorporate wings into your work. As before, please (A) link your blog or Flickr feed in the widget below so that others can find you (B) leave one comment (in the comment section at the end of the post) if you completed a Red piece and (C) leave two comments if you completed the Bonus! challenge. 

And the giveaway?

{Canson 5.5 x 8.5 tablet of drawing paper, Liquitex acrylic ink in Naphthol Crimson, Golden Acrylics in Pyrrole Red (1 oz), Recollections Tinsel Glitter in Cherry, A vintage Old Maid playing card (Little Miss Muffet), a few red paint chips and a vintage Golden Dictionary page featuring the word "red." Lastly, you'll find a sprinkling of red and iridescent Swarovski crystals}

And what is next week's color?

PURPLE

(Monday July 25 - Sunday July 31st)

"But, luckily, he kept his wits and his Purple crayon."

- from Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955)

Will there be a bonus challenge with Purple?

Um. Hum. And let's be honest: this one's really for me ;) Should you like to give it a go, your Bonus! challenge for Purple week is to bring on the sparkle and shine . . . You may use anything that would stop a deer in it's tracks . . . fine glitter, chunky glitter, glass glitter, crystals, beads, shiny discarded embellishments (like the flip flop above ;), glass holiday ornaments . . . I could go on . . . you get the picture . . . 

Have fun!

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color - BROWN

"Nodland"

8 x 10 Journal page

{This page was inspired by the vintage sheet music - a lullaby entitled "Bye Bye Land" - which serves as the base of the collage}

Yellow fever!

Another wonderful week was had with Yellow. Although some of us initially expressed concern with the color, we tackled the challenge regardless and succeeded in producing an amazing amount of beautiful, inspirational pieces based upon the signature hue of Summer. Thank you once again for sharing your heart and art with us here and with one another on Flickr and Facebook as we continue our colorful journey together . . .

Did you hear?

The winner of last week's Yellow drawing (pictured in the post below) is . . .

YOU

Please Email your address to kdvanvalkenburghatmsndotcom and I will get your goodies right out.

Now, welcome to BROWN week!

Your color prompt for this week (Monday July 11th to Sunday July 17th) is to create anything your heart desires inspired by color Brown. Your Bonus! challenge is to incorporate a bold shot of color somewhere in your work. As always, please (A) link your work in the widget below so that others can find you, (B) leave one comment if you created a Brown piece and (C) leave two comments in you completed the Bonus! challenge. 

And did you see all those vintage pretties?

This week's Brown giveaway will include a lot of 'em . . .

The Paper Company Flourish rub-ons, several (okay 6 ;) large vintage ledger pages, several pieces of vintage sheet music, Distress Ink in Pumice Stone, one distressed tag, a few sheets of mica, Stickles glitter in Cinnamon and Copper and a sprinkling of bronze Swarovski flat-back crystals

And what is next week's color prompt?

RED

(Monday July 18th - Sunday July 24th)

"Red protects itself. No colour is as territorial. It stakes a claim, is on alert against the spectrum."

- Derek Jarman

Is there a Bonus! challenge with Red?

Yep. Should you decide to take it on, next week's Bonus! challenge is to incorporate something - anything - winged into your work. This can be taken literally or figuratively, the choice is yours.

Have fun . . .

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color - YELLOW

"Bewildered"

8 x 10 Journal Page

{You've inspired me to play with collage this week. The circular form was taken from a vintage Naval navigation sheet and the "scratchy" edges were directly influenced by my friend Amy's pink piece from last week. The text reads, "she stared at me, bewildered and then she smiled."}

Oh, pretty, pretty Pink . . .

What a beautiful week! Your pieces were full of life, color and often, femininity. I love that pink can be so many things to us - cool and rich as well as soft and sweet - and as a group, we had it all. Thank you for your excitement and encouragement to one another as we continue this colorful journey together. I'm honored to share it with you.

Speaking of share . . .

If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to join our Facebook page to really immerse yourself in The Summer of Color experience. There you'll find interesting links and discussions as well as colorful quotes and questions that we have along the way. I for one am loving it there! Also, please feel free to add your work to our Flickr group found on the sidebar to your right. It's growing at a tremendous rate and at last count, we had over a 150 pictures in our community pool. If your work is not yet represented, please feel free to add to it at any time. 

Half way there . . .

Can you believe it? As of this week, we're half way through our color prompts. From this point forward, there will be a total of four (4) more color prompts in addition to one wrap-up week in which we'll be sharing all that we did and learned along the way. If you have not yet participated in The Summer of Color and would like to, please know that you are welcome to pop in at any time. We would be thrilled to have you.

Who won, who won!? 

Glad you asked. The Random Number Generator has done it's job and the winner of the Pink giveaway (pictured in the post below) is  . . .

YOU

Congratulations! Please Email me your address and I'll send them right off.

And now, welcome to YELLOW week!

Your color prompt for this week (Monday July 4th to Sunday 10th) is to create something - anything - that you'd like inspired by the color yellow. Your Bonus! challenge is to somehow incorporate metallics into your work. As before, please (A) link your work in the widget below so that others can find you, (B) leave one comment if you created a Yellow piece and (C) leave two comments if you completed the Bonus! challenge. Good luck!

Here's what's up for grabs . . .

A large (28 x 22') sheet of yellow decorative paper, two vintage (written on and stamped) postcards from the 1930's, Recollections extra fine glitter in Sunflower, one Elite package of 18 and 30' necklace chains, one Jolee's Swarovski crystal pendent in bright yellow, a package of Bristol ATC cards, Craftsmart paint pens and a sprinkling of clear and iridescent Swarovski crystals and beads.

And what is next week's color prompt?

BROWN!

(Monday July 11th - Sunday July 17th)

"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colors. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns."

-Winston Chruchill

Next week's Bonus! Challenge . . .

Should you choose to accept it, next week's Bonus! Challenge is to incorporate a bold shot of color in your work. Anything at all . . . have fun!

Kristin xo