Christine's Color Connection

A newsletter for quilters in love with color

April 2012 
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You can now read back issues of my newsletter. Just click on Archived Issues   

  

In This Issue 

This month is about the third of the "big three" color concepts, intensity.

cover, small, june

The Quilter's Color Club has lots of info on intensity. You can find my book on my  website, at C&T, and in quilt shops and bookstores.

Be sure to check out my schedule; I've added a number of workshops since my last issue.

Intensity 

In earlier issues, we looked at value (the lightness or darkness of a color) and temperature (how warm or cool a color is).  

 

The third characteristic, intensity, is probably the most challenging because it can be very subtle. In a nutshell, intensity is about how brilliant or dull a color is. Synonyms for intensity are saturation, clarity, and purity. Low-intensity colors are often described as muted or subdued. In a section of the silk quilt "Facets" (above), by Karin Hannickel, the intensity ranges from low to medium-high, with the orange and yellow-green being the most intense.

 

In the quilt "Untitled" below, by Naoko Anne Ito, the colors are mostly quiet and low in intensity. In color theory, low-intensity colors are considered receding because they can seem distant. (This quilt is also a lovely example of transparency.)    

 

  

 

In contrast, the colors in "Eurythmia," by Rene Steinpress, are lively and intense. Colors like these are considered advancing because they seem to come forward and command attention. Rene's hand-dyed, dye-painted, and discharged fabrics appear even more vivid in the presence of black.  

 



 

Intensity does more than any other color characteristic to establish the mood of a quilt, so it's worth considering as you audition colors and fabrics. And though we tend to naturally choose fabrics of a similar intensity (they're safe, they "go together"), a quilt made with same-intensity fabrics can be boring. A few more intense fabrics will give your quilt vitality and originality. Another way to add a dash of intense color is to choose fabrics that have intense accents. If you analyze fabric in quilt shops, you'll see that designers do this all the time.  

  

You may wonder, What's the difference between value and intensity? As you look at a color or a fabric, first ask yourself, "Is it light or dark?" Then, "Is it bright or dull?" You'll soon be able to see the difference.

 

"Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" Retreat

My June 17-20 retreat at South Shore Lake Tahoe is shaping up. You'll find details on the Retreat page of my website and in my last newsletter.  We'll be exploring the illusions of transparency, luminosity, opalescence, and luster. I'd love to have you join us! Feel free to contact me with questions.     

 
Color Interview  

Check out this delightful blog! On April 17 you can read an interview Laura Nownes did with me on color. See How We Sew offers visually delicious posts, full of color and design ideas and inspiration. Thank-you, Laura!  

 

Lecture and Workshop Schedule  

Note: You can often attend guild meetings and take their workshops if you aren't a member. If you're interested in any of these lectures or classes, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with the guild.

  

Featured Workshop for May: "Black Opals & Ribbon Candy"  

Making this quilt will teach you about value, visual temperature, and intensity. Check out the alternate colorways on my website. You can do so much with this simple design! I'll be teaching it twice in May:

 

May 6, Thimble Creek Quilt Shop, Concord, CA (925) 676-5522

May 15, Foothill Quilters Guild, Auburn, CA (cebarnes@sbcglobal.net)

 

Black opals feature 

  

 

April 18, Fairfield, CA, "NCQC Meet the Teachers," www.ncqc.net

 

April 22 & 24, Arroyo Grande, CA, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, "Luminosity" workshop, Central Coast Quilters

 

April 26, Nipomo, CA, "Color!" lecture, Olde Towne Quilters of Nipomo

  

May 6, Concord, CA, "Black Opals & Ribbon Candy" workshop, Thimble Creek 

 

May 14 & 15, Auburn, CA, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, "Black Opals & Ribbon Candy" workshop, Foothill Quilters Guild

  

May 21 & 22, Merced, CA, "Color!" lecture, "Color Camp" workshop, Gateway Quilters Guild  

 

June 17-20, South Lake Tahoe, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects Retreat." Learn to create the special effects of transparency, opalescence, luminosity, luster, and depth in your quilts using fabrics that have light and life. Details on my website.  

 

June 23, Oakland, Ca, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, African American Quilt Guild of Oakland  

 

July 9-13, Sisters, OR, "A Quilter's Affair." I'll be teaching "Lotus Leaves Squared" (July 9), "Color Camp" (July 10 & 11), "In & Out" (July 12), and "Collage Vest" (July 13).

 

July 19 & 20, Santa Rosa, CA, lecture and workshop TBD, Santa Rosa Quilt Guild

 

July 21, San Rafael, CA, "Color Camp" workshop, Mt. Tam Quilt Guild

  

July 26, Groveland, CA, "Color Camp" workshop, Pine Needlers Quilt Guild

 

August 2 & 3, Oakhurst, CA, "Color!" lecture, "Black Opals & Ribbon Candy" workshop, Sierra Mountain Quilters  

 

August 12, Folsom, CA, "Color Camp" workshop, Meissner Sewing Center

 

August 15 & 16, Roseville, CA, "Color" lecture, "Elegant Circles" workshop, Roseville Quilters   

 

August 21 & 22, Sacramento, CA, "Buying Fabric with Color in Mind" lecture, "Luminaria" workshop, River City Quilters  

   

August 27 & 28, Santa Clara, CA, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, "Luminosity" workshop

 

September 9 & 10, Aptos, CA, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, "Luminosity" workshop, Pajaro Valley Quilt Association  

 

September 15, Lafayette, CA, "Transparency" workshop, The Cotton Patch  

 

September 20 & 212, Benicia, CA, "Magic Fabrics, Special Effects" lecture, "Lumiosity" workshop, Carquinez Straits Stitchers

 

September 23, Lafayette, CA, "Transparent Circles" workshop, The Cotton Patch 

 

October 6 & 7, Weaverville, CA, reception (Oct. 6) and "Color Camp" workshop (Oct. 7), Main Street Gallery

 

October 20, Folsom, CA, "Luminosity" workshop, Meissner Sewing Center 

  

About This Newsletter   

If you've received this newsletter, you may have attended one of my workshops or bought one of my books, patterns, or color wheels. It's easy to opt out, below, but I hope you'll stick around to see what's in store. It's all about color, using it, enjoying it, and sharing it with other quilters.

   

Thank-you! 

  

Contact Info

Christine Barnes

cebarnes@sbcglobal.net
www.christinebarnes.com