Autumnal colours for wellbeing

I love autumn! The colours, the warming food and drinks, the pumpkins, the crunchy leaves, etc. etc. So I was really pleased to add my ‘Autumn’ Powertex artwork (see picture) to my exhibition at Forge Coffee in Culworth. Lizzie Coulter and I have lots of lovely pieces to view and buy at the exhibition for the whole month of October.

I chose a 30cm square canvas for my Autumn piece. I built up the texture using Easy 3D Flex in ivory and then sprayed it with brown bister which gets into all the cracks as the Easy 3D Flex dries, to give a fabulous tactile look. I layered glorious autumn pigment colours of yellow ochre, orange, red and burgundy mixed with Power Wax which makes a great base to mix the pigments and build up the intensity of colour.

Just putting my Autumn art piece on display makes me want to get back in the studio and explore more of the Powertex range of amazing acrylic paints, inks, pigments and bisters available. But that will have to wait, as I’m in the middle of a different kind of painting – a bedroom in the house!

How colour affects us

It’s been proven that we have a physical and an emotional reaction to colour. As the seasons change, the shorter days and greyer skies can affect our mood, but colour can give us an energy boost and create a warm glow of happiness. This can be through the clothes we wear and the objects or decor around us.

Surrounding ourselves with different colours can help to relieve stress and the colours of autumn can help us to stay calm as we transition into winter. Autumn colours range from rusty reds and burnt oranges through to deep greens and warm purples. And they all have different benefits:

• Red is perfect for a quick boost of energy

• Orange inspires balance and cosiness

• Yellow is a great mood enhancer

• Green provides stability in times of change

• Purple helps us reconnect with ourselves

If the thought of wearing head to toe orange or yellow isn’t quite your style, it can be just as effective to add a pop of colour in a handbag or shoes, or put up a favourite piece of artwork in a prominent position.

Learning about colour has been a wonderful part of my creative journey and whilst I don’t think I’ll be painting wall-to-wall rusty red in the house, a few splashes of my favourite colours in the artwork and accessories will make me happy throughout the winter and seasons to come.

If your art supplies need a boost of autumn colours or you want to create a new piece of autumnal Powertex artwork, head to my website to raid my stocks! www.artisticretreats.co.uk/index.php/art-supplies