I recently shared a post on social media about how my mum and dad plonked me as a baby, stripped down to my nappy, on a unfurled length of lining paper on the floor and gave me a pot of red paint and a big brush to make a mess with. To this day red is the colour of paint that I’ll always instinctively go for first.
I painted my bedroom red when I was around 14. I feel like it’s always been my colour. But red can be a ‘problematic’ colour for some, signifying danger, anger, prohibition, blood, warning - and some people find it too aggressive, confrontational or disturbing.
According to colour psychologists red actually can actually have a physiological effect on a person, increasing the heart and respiration rate. It is an energising colour, full of heat and passion. A colour of power and strength, love and courage.
I’m not generally an angry person and my attraction to red is more about red’s more ‘positive’ associations. When I use red I would say that it’s the energy of the colour I’m drawn to and wanting to bring into my painting. I think also it gives me energy to use it, it stimulates me and gives me a boost! I sometimes use it consciously to convey an idea of intense emotion - literally, something heartfelt, as in this painting ‘Blind Hope’.
My absolute favourite red paint is cadmium red light (left) and this one by Amsterdam is just gorgeous. I always buy the ‘expert’ rather than the standard in this colour because it’s so thick and rich, and I love applying it with my fingers! I’ve also become fond of red oxide light, which looks very much like brown (I don’t like brown!) but when it’s used with other shades of red it works really well. And then there’s carmine, which I’ve recently got into - more of a pinkish red.
Talking of pinkish, the current work I’m doing is veering heavily towards the pink end of the spectrum. I love pink when it’s paired with strong, saturated colours, including red of course. These two paintings are from my last ‘pink period’ - you can see how the red oxide and cadmium red light work together in the left-hand piece.
I’ll be releasing my new series of paintings on August 23rd - sign up to my mailing list if you want first dibs before everyone else sees them!