Guided by Colours | Lily Swain
Deciding on the colour palette for a painting is often my first step in the planning process. Colours dictate the mood and often the subject of a piece. I am endlessly inspired by colour and forms found in nature and the natural world. I am also inspired by history, memories in people's lives, their stories and the connection to time and place. For me, colour is a means of communicating subtle yet important nuances with hopes of evoking certain emotions from the past.
I have also always said that I want to have the job of the person who names paint colours! I love staring at the sea of endless colour gradations in the paint department at the hardware store. I always leave with a few chips in my pocket for an exciting new combination or pairing I never thought of before.
Needless to say, I am very excited to learn that the Nomenclature of Colours a 19th-century color guide describing where you can find certain tones in nature has been re-released (basically all my favorite things). It was originally created in 1812 by German mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner, Scottish painter Patrick Syme, and Scottish naturalist Robert Jameson. It describes names for animals, vegetables and minerals and has been used by artists and scientists including Charles Darwin.
One aspect this book is most loved for is the creative and "poetic" way the authors named the assigned colours. "Arterial Blood Red" describing a flowers intensity sings to my professional "colour namer" ambitions. Undoubtedly this guide will continue to serve as an invaluable resource for generations of artists and is now available in pocket size!