Colour is the new black

"Colour". That one word can send fashionista's into a spin. Well not all fashionista's but quite a few including myself. I love fashion as much as my art.
My husband would like me to love it a little less than the art when he see's how much I spend on it!

However it recently dawned on me how easy it is to fall into a colour rut, or colour "safety zone". Mine is black. My wardrobe consists of mostly black clothing with some variations, embellishements and "bling". But essentially there is not much colour. Grey and white are a close second and third. My sister even commented on it when she viewed my wardrobe.

Now this is ironic for someone who is surrounded by colour at work. My business IS colour. I love working with colour and I'm inspired by colour. When I went with my family to far north Queensland we visited the Great Barrier Reef for the day and went snorkelling. The colours were breathtaking and like nothing on earth. The fish were spectacular and I didn't realise coral came in so many colours. My boys were overwhelmed and it was the highlight of our trip.

This inspired me to come home and create my Great Barrier Reef artwork. It embraces and celebrates colour.


When it comes to fashion is it a fear or aversion to wearing colour? I'm not sure. Or for me is it because I am surrounded by colour in my store that I rebel by wearing black? I'm not really sure. Recently I discovered designer Matthew Williamson and he loves using exotic colours. The two dresses below are his designs.

He celebrates colour and I realised that I am going to start embracing colour as well. And not just in my artwork. I might start off with baby steps but I am determined to buck the trend for black every day. It might be a while before I can wear a shocking red coat, but everyone has to start somewhere. The only thing I need to be careful of is wearing so much colour that customers can't seem to find me when they enter the store. Blending in with your artworks is not a good business idea. But then again, it would hide me from all the spruikers that seem to come in daily. I can just stand back flat against the wall and turn sideways!

I wonder if Matthew Williamson has been to the reef lately?