The Summer of Color: Week Three . . .

"Color helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon, but the only light that really exists, that in the artist's brain."

- Henri Matisse, 1945

Welcome to Week Three of The Summer of Color . . .

How crazy-beautiful are we?! The creativity, love and overwhelming support of one another in this colorful journey is as exciting as it is inspiring. Our numbers continue to grow and the energy exuding from our Facebook page and Flickr pool is nothing less than extraordinary. I'm so proud of the community we're fostering and continually impressed by the amount and variety of work we're producing. Thank you for sharing your heart and talents with us all. . . .

Speaking of Sharing:

Wow, we had over 140 links in Week Two alone! I know it can be a challenge to keep up with it all, but please know that we have all the time in the world to visit each other as the event goes on. Although there has to be a deadline to qualify for the random weekly drawing, you can certainly continue to add your work at any time. I promise, it will be seen. In addition, there are those who've asked about a special hash tag for social media. (What a great idea). Should you desire, you can now use #Summerofcolor3 to share your work on Instagram and other such sites. This is not necessary of course, just another way to see and be seen throughout our colorful Summer together.

Wait! What if I've Just Joined?

Well, welcome! We're happy to have you. Each week stands on it's own, so please feel free to pop in at any time. I know you'll be glad that you did. 

On to Week Three:

We'll be working with our third two-color combination that over 170 of us voted on in last week's poll. The winner - by an impressive 17% - was . . . 

Lime Green & Purple

To see examples of the color Lime Green, click here

To see examples of the color Purple, click here

To see examples of the combination of the two, click here

Okay, Let's Go!

Feel free to create anything you'd like, as long as it's based upon the colors of the week. You have until Sunday of this week (June 30th, 10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to link to the widget below and qualify for the random Lime Green & Purple drawing. Only one link per person please.

What's up for Grabs This Week?

This lovely collection of both vintage and new materials:

{2 pieces of gorgeous decorative paper in the colors of the week, over a dozen pages of vintage sheet music, 2 bottles of (how cool is this!) Martha Stewart glass paint, 2 packages of brightly colored copper wire, 3 chipboard houses, 2 bottles of glitter glue, 2 medium point Sharpie paint pens, one darling vintage postcard stamped and dated 1926, 2 100% cotton fabric quarters, 2 Fimo (soft and effect) pieces of modeling clay and lastly, several beads and, naturally, Swarovski crystals in the colors of the week}

Remember, you have until this Sunday morning (10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to link your work and be considered for the drawing. 

Oh! And Who Won Last Week's Prize?

Congratulations are in order for  . . .

Natasha White of Natasha White Designs

Yay Natasha! Please email me your address and I'll get your prize right out to you! 

And Now On To Our Next Poll:

Please vote (by Thursday of this week as I'll be going on vacation and will need the extra day to shop before leaving town ;) in the poll below to have your voice heard.

Week 4: Artist's Choice . . .
	Lavender & Bright Yellow
	Charcoal Grey & Pale Pink
	Grey & Yellow
	Coral & Slate Blue
	Sage & Sepia
	Peach & Mint Green
	Navy & Raspberry
	Navy & Kelly Green
	Aqua & Pink
	Candy Apple Red & Yellow
	Burgundy & Copper
	Rust & Gold
pollcode.com free polls

Ready, Set, Go!

I can't wait to see what you do with this one. . . .

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Two . . .

"Your paintings are staggeringly beautiful. Did I ever tell you that, or was I just too concerned that you weren't going to earn a living? I know the answer . . . I worried that the paint was so thickly applied that it might snap off and ruin someone's carpet, rather than realizing that you'd made color itself tactile."

- Rosamund Lupton, Sister

Welcome to Week Two of The Summer of Color . . . 

I must say, the creativity and connection we've made in our first colorful week together is both exciting and humbling. I'm completely awed by the sheer number of us participating, by the kindness and support flying around our Facebook page and Flickr pool, and by the art that you're all enthusiastically creating. This, for me, is what it's all about: to see artists, hobbyists and children alike come together for one common goal; to play with color and express what's on their minds and in their hearts. Thank you all for sharing your life and loves with us. You inspire me in more ways that you can imagine and for that I am incredibly grateful.

A Bit About Commenting:

Due to our ever-growing numbers, making our way around visiting everyone is a challenge in and of itself. To ensure that your work is being seen, you may want to consider (if you haven't done so already) sharing your art in the Facebook and / or Flickr groups as well as linking to the blog. This way, we can see a lot of work in one place, making it easier to drool over many pieces at once. Also, we all know that word verification is both a blessing and a curse: it's wonderful to be free of spam, but more difficult for others to get to us because of it. Should it work for you, you may want to consider eliminating word verification on your blogs during the course of our event. I think you'll find it easier to see and be seen by more of us because of it. It's totally up to you of course, but I wanted to pass that on. 

This Week:

We'll be working with our second two-color combination that you choose in last week's poll. Once again, the response was tremendous, with over 165 of us voting. It was a closer race this time around, but in the end, the prompt you choose - with 21% of the votes - was . . . 

Orange & Hot Pink

To see examples of the color Orange, click here

To see examples of the color Hot Pink, click here

To see examples of the combination of the two, click here

Now What?

Now we create! Feel free to make anything you want, as long as it's based upon our colors of the week. Remember, you have until Sunday of this week (June 23rd, 10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to link to the widget below in order to qualify for the random Orange & Hot Pink drawing. Only one link per person, please.

Ready? Okay, Link!

And What Could We Win?

This beautiful collection of both vintage and new materials:

(A piece of gorgeous glittered cardstock in hot pink, several pages of vintage sheet music, two colorful vintage postcards, each stamped on the back and dated 1929, 2 rolls of washi tape in both orange polka dot and hot pink woodgrain, 2 ink pads in both orange and hot pink, 2 (4 oz) bottles of Artist's Loft acrylics, 1 bottle of Stickles glitter in bright orange, 2 Fimo bricks of soft modeling clay, and several vintage and new buttons, beads and Swarovski crystals in orange, pink and clear.) 

Remember, you have until this Sunday morning (10:00 Pacific Daylight Time) to link your work to be considered for the drawing.

Speaking of Random Drawing:

Who won last week's prize?

Congratulations go out to . . .

Michelle Mathey of Pigment of My Imagination

Yay Michelle! Please email me your address and I will get your prize package right out to you. 

And On To Our Next Poll:

Please vote (by Friday of this week) in the poll below to have your voice heard.

Week 3: Artist's Choice . . .
	Charcoal Grey & Pale Pink
	Lavender & Bright Yellow
	Tangerine & Watermelon
	Hot Pink & Navy
	Bright Orange & Teal
	Lime Green & Purple
	Sage & Sepia
	Purple & Red
	Grey & Yellow
	Cream & Mint Green
	Coral & Slate Blue
	Copper & Gold
pollcode.com free polls

Now, Get Your Art On! 

I can't wait to see what you all come up with . . . .

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week One . . .

"The Mediterranean has the color of mackerel, changeable I mean. You don't always know if it is green or violet, you can't even say it's blue, because the next moment the changing reflection has taken on a tint of rose or grey."

-Vincent Van Gogh

Welcome to Week One of The Summer of Color, 2013!

We've only just begun our time together and there's already an electricity in the air that I find both humbling and contagious. I so appreciate the introductions and excitement taking place on our Facebook page and can hardly wait to see what art and inspiration springs from the weekly color prompts that you choose collectively.

Last Week:

During our introductory week, we discussed all of the ways in which you can participate in The Summer of Color. If you'd like a review of the event, just pop over to last week's post and take a gander. 

This Week:

We'll be working with the first, two-color combination that you choose in last week's poll. 

{Sidebar: our first poll was being ornery and as a result, I had to take it off mid-week and try again. Please know that all votes were counted - by manually adding the two together - and that the winning color prompt reflects the choices of all who voted. Also, unlike originally intended, it seems that we are unable to "hide" the poll results as they come in. Let's take this as a sign, and just go with it. It may even be more exciting because of it. Having said that, from now forward the polls will be closed each Friday. This will allow the voter plenty of time to have their say and the shopper (me ;) plenty of time to put together something fabulous for your weekly giveaways.}

Blah, blah, blah. You want to know what colors we'll be working with! Okay, without further adieu, the winning color prompt for Week One with an impressive total of 26.5% of the votes is . . . .

Citron Green & Turquoise

To see examples of the color Citron Green, click here.

To see examples of the color Turquoise, click here.

To see examples of the combination of the two, click here.

Now What?

Now you art! Make anything at all that you'd like, as long as it's based upon the colors of the week. You may link your Citron Green & Turquoise creations in the widget below. To qualify for the Citron Green & Turquoise drawing, simply copy and paste your direct post (or Flickr feed) by this Sunday (10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time), June 16th. Only one link per person, please.

Ready, Set, Link!

Oh! And For The First Giveaway . . . 

One winner will be selected at random (from the link list above) to win this gorgeous collection of new and vintage materials (told you it'd be fabulous):

(Several vintage sheets of music, one vintage postcard featuring a little girl on the front and french writing on the back, a few pages of 8 x 8 decorative cardstock, one decorative doily (fab as a stencil, right?), 2 (2 oz) pieces of Polymer Clay, 2 cling stamps, 2 bottles of Stickles Glitter, 2 (adorable) packages of Washi tape, 2 (4 oz) bottles of Artist's Loft Acrylics, several beautiful beads in both turquoise and citron and, naturally, a few iridescent Swarovski crystals)

And Who Won Last Week's giveaway for a $50 Gift Certificate to Blick Art?

For the first week only, the winner was selected by random from the comments section. {Please note, all duplicate and "late" comments were removed to produce an accurate giveaway count.} And the winner is:

Our friend Leslie from Words of Me Project

Congratulations Leslie! Please contact me with your email address and I'll get that gift certificate right out. . . .

And Next Week?

Well, we vote of course! You'll find some of your favorites from last week in addition to new color combinations in the poll below. Remember to get your vote in by this Friday to be counted.

Week 2: Artist's Choice . . .
	Lime Green & Purple
	Lavender & Bright Yellow
	Charcoal Grey & Pale Pink
	Hot Pink & Navy
	Tangerine & Watermelon
	Red & Yellow
	Sage & Sepia
	Aqua & Pale Yellow
	Bright Orange & Teal
	Kelly Green & White
	Cobalt Blue & Gold
	Orange & Hot Pink
pollcode.com free polls

I'm so looking forward to seeing what you do, what colors you vote for next and of course, chatting with you all as our colorful Week One begins . . . .

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color 2013!

"Some of the best memories are made in flip flops" - Kellie Elmore

Sing with me! "Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime . . . ." (darling, you sound fabulous) . . . . 

Hellooooo and thank you for the rockin' introduction to our first interactive affair, The Summer of Color 3: Artist's Choice! Wether you're new to the event or you've been waiting a year to begin again, I promise that this will be one to remember. So get ready for six weeks of luscious color prompts, weekly linking opportunities, beautiful giveaways, creative inspirations and an amazingly supportive community that You, the Artist, help to produce. 

What's that you say?
That's right. This year, the SOC is taking a decidedly different turn. This year, You will help determine the colors we'll be playing with by voting for your favorites on a weekly basis.

How will that work?
Easy. Each week, you'll have the chance to vote for one of 12 different color combinations by taking a poll at the end of each post. Simply pick your favorite and, in majority rules fashion, the highest rated one wins. Come back the following Monday to see the results and get started. As always, you'll work in your preferred mediums - creating anything your little heart desires - with color being the only stipulation.

What do you mean by our "preferred mediums"?
There are so many ways to participate in The Summer of Color. You can create anything you want, as long as it's based on the colors of the week. You may choose to develop a body of work using the same materials each week or mix it up and create something new each time. It's entirely up to you.

What kinds of things will we be seeing?
In the years past, we've seen jewelry to journal pages and everything in between. If you're not sure of what you want to do, check out the following links for inspiration:
Altered Books
Art Jewelry
Art Journaling
Assemblage Art
Artist Trading Cards
Bunting Flags
Canvas Art
Collage Art
Digital Art
Greeting Cards
Inchies
Knitting
Makeup Artistry
Moo Cards
Nail Art
Needlepoint
Origami
Photography
Poetry
Postcard Art
Scrapbooking
Sewing
Quilting
Of course, there may be things you're considering that I haven't covered here. The thing is, if you have an art form you love, go for it. If you've always wanted to try something new, perhaps now's the time.

Okay, so how does this work?
In an effort to keep things fresh, this year will be a bit different from the past. Every Monday, I will post the winning color prompt that you have selected here. You will then have until Sunday of the same week to complete your piece based upon that prompt. (This way, we'll all be working on the same colors at the same time). You can share your work through your blog or via Flickr and then copy and paste that direct post (or Flickr feed) here. Mister Linky will be up as of next week. There will also be a (rather stunning ;) giveaway each week for those who participate. The winner will be selected at random using a Random Number Generator from the link list and announced the following week.

Anything else?
Just some business. You are welcome to share your work at any time. However, in order to qualify for the weekly drawing, you must link your post or Flickr feed by Sunday, 10:00 am (Pacific Daylight Time). Also, this is meant to be fun. If you're away or can't participate every week, please don't worry about it. Like any other party, just come when you can. Each week stands on it's own. Lastly, this is an international event. Should your name be selected for a drawing, I will happily mail it to you, no matter where you live.

What about Facebook and Flickr?
There is a Facebook group and Flickr pool especially for our event. In addition to our blogs, we can also post our work and chat amongst ourselves there. You do not have to belong to Facebook or have a Flickr account to play along, but it is a lotta fun should you choose to do so. Again, it's all up to you. . .

So what do we do now?
For this, the Introductory Week, I'd be so grateful if you helped me spread the word about The Summer of Color. Since the whole idea is to foster creativity, community and connection, the more of us who come out to play, the better. And, to thank you for your assistance, I'm going to reward one randomly selected person something pretty exciting. Since our theme this year is Artist's Choice, it seems only fitting that you have a chance at winning something that you choose. With that in mind, please let me know how you've helped to spread the word (either by posting the SOC button on your blog, by mentioning it in a blog post, by letting your Facebook friends know, or discussing it on Instagram, Twitter or whatever other social media you love) in the comments section below (only one comment per person, please) and you will be in the running for . . .

A $50 Gift Certificate to Blick Art!

The winner will be announced Next Monday, June 10th and sent electronically via email. 

Speaking of next Monday, June 10th:

We need to vote on our first color combination! For Week One, your color options are as follows:

Week 1: Artist's Choice . . .
	Hot Pink & Navy Blue
	Citron Green & Turquoise
	Red & White
	Charcoal Grey & Pale Pink
	Lavender & Bright Yellow
	Bright Orange & Cobalt Blue
	Lime Green & Purple
	Light Grey & Salmon
	Tiffany Blue & Red
	Kelly Green & Pink
	Teal & Brown
	Tangerine & Watermelon
pollcode.com free polls

I look forward to hearing about your projects, to seeing what colors you collectively decide upon and, of course, our first, arty week together . . . . 

Until then, I wish you luck with the giveaway, fun with the poll and camaraderie within our arty community. It's gonna be a colorful Summer indeed . . . .

Kristin xo