Roses are Red, Violets are Blue: Color Psychology

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be fun to talk about the love of

color. Valentines is a time to celebrate relationships, and everyone equates this favorite holiday with the colors red and pink. Red stirs the emotions of love and passion, while pink creates feelings of happiness and femininity. The effect of colors is well studied:

orange and enthusiasm, lavender for enchantment; (don’t get me started! For a fun link on color psychology, click here: https://www.colorpsychology.org/)

Why is this interesting to me? It’s because color plays such an important role in our world. It can sway thinking, change actions, cause reactions, excite or soothe, raise or lower your blood pressure, and so on. It can help conjure up memories or take you to other places - the turquoise water of the Caribbean, the red sandstone desert, the amber waves of grain – and can help us travel even at times when travel has been challenging.

Color is why I paint the way I do, as it helps me reflect my feelings: when my heart sings, the

colors explode. And when I am more introspective, I choose to use more subdued colors. Either way, color is both a gift and a tool to help us express our emotions. The gift of color for Valentine’s Day is a happy and brilliant red that reflects my love for my family and friends, and I hope that you, too, will feel the love of this fun Holiday!

Hugs,

Holley at Bella Colore Art