Colour Inspiration Tuesday: The next Colour in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge is Orange.
This year at Clever Chameleon, the colour of the month is defined as our monthly focus colour in Jen Shaffer’s Monthly Color Challenge and blog hop. And with April nearly here, our thoughts are now turning to orange.
Orange is the colour of many things that I value very highly. Orange is associated with enthusiasm and fascination. Also, determination and encouragement, creativity, success, health and freedom. If that is not enough, orange symbolises balance and enjoyment too. That is one impressive list. By rights, orange should be my favourite colour! (But it’s not……)
April is Orange
April is Orange! Do you like orange? There is actually a fair chance you are not a big fan…. orange seems to be one of the least popular colours in the rainbow, especially among women. On the other hand, if you do love orange, you are probably quite passionate about it.
But either way….. Isn’t orange a great colour for April?! Here in southern Australia, April is autumn. And orange is most definitely an autumn colour. Pretty leaves, pumpkins, berries and other late season fruits, and spectacular sunsets caused by the dust left over by summer. Orange is the colour of harvest.
Yet orange is a good colour for spring as well. And I know that many of you are relishing the thought of spring right now, or are even seeing the first signs of life stirring after winter. Orange is the colour of hope and joy, optimism and health. Orange is the colour of fresh flowers and monarch butterflies. Orange can be very alive!
And if you live somewhere where seasons are largely irrelevant?….. No matter! Orange is still for you! Orange is also heat and warmth, a marvellous colour for capturing the essence of the tropics. Hibiscus, mangoes, papaya, cocktails, the blistering heat and the setting sun……. they can all be conveyed in orange.
The Heart of the Matter is often Orange
Orange is at the centre of so many things. The heart of the earth sends forth lava, in orange. The glowing coals at the heart of a fire – orange. The centre of a flower? Quite often orange.
And orange is for Harmony Day, the day that says Everybody Belongs. Harmony Day is March 21, and is our Australian reminder that the heart of a functional community is in there being a place for everyone.
I love to hate Orange
Orange. A colour of strong associations and strong reactions. I hate orange. It is too strong, too overwhelming. And at the same time, I love orange, it is so vibrant and happy. Perhaps I just love to hate orange. Unlike yellow, I use it all the time. But usually only sparingly.
Somehow, orange sneaks into a great many of my projects. Orange makes a fabulous feature colour.
Orange seems to go with everything. It’s complement is blue. Orange goes well with green. And purple. If in doubt and things feel a little flat…. add a little orange!
The Trouble with Orange
Orange stands for so many great things. But, in and of itself, orange is often a difficult colour to work with. It can easily become too much or too distracting. And it is hard to pin down. Orange often gets accused of being red or of being yellow. Which is kind of funny, since technically, everything between pure red and pure yellow is actually an orange of sorts.
Not surprisingly perhaps, orange shares many of the attributes of red and yellow. But orange is also things that red and yellow are not. Orange is sometimes peach and sometimes apricot. Orange also morphs easily into brown. This coming month would be the one to substitute out if you want a brown bear on your Beary Colourful quilt. In August we will revisit yellow-orange, so feel free to stray into brown with this month’s bear. but don’t forget that you’ll still need an orange block or project for April’s Monthly Color Challenge!
And speaking of the Monthly Color Challenge……
Have you made a yellow bear or other project for March’s Color Challenge? If so, make sure you have entered this month’s draw for your chance to win one of three 6-month subscriptions to Make Modern magazine! You still have a few days to link up your March yellow creations at Jen’s.
And then, April’s Orange Challenge will be sponsored by Island Batik. The prize up for grabs in April’s draw will be a Fat Eighth pack of fabrics from their glorious Pumpkin Patch collection. Good luck!
I intensely dislike orange, in almost every variant! I have used it a wee bit in a few quilts and do have some in my stash, but it is usually the last color I go to. I don’t really like yellow or red either…I’m much happier on the cool side of the spectrum!