unleash the power of inspiration...

                                         unleash the power of inspiration...

I was working on a chapter for my book; Inspired Fair Isle Knits, based on the element fire and was looking for ways to temper hot colours in a pleasing way - because if they aren't used carefully they tend to be over powering. 


By adding a cool pale lilac to a palette of hot oranges, yellows and reds it serves not only to add a punch to the colour story but also adds some balance to the heat of the overall palette. Then by placing those areas of high contrast, (in this case a commentary colour to the yellows), in the area where you wish to focus attention the eye will immediately be drawn to it. 


I invoke this principle often to highlight the face mostly, rather than other areas like the derriere which might not be most people's best feature.  Of course if it does happen to be one of your best assets then place the contrast there instead.


Thank-you for reading and I hope that you enjoy the photos - this month's photos are the colours of Autumn. ​Please check back next month to see what my latest fascination is.


 See you next month!       

Fiona xxxx


The eye is always drawn to the area of most contrast!

I often point out that you can find inspiration everywhere - it’s true. With practice you can train your eye to pay attention to the world that surrounds you and find sources for your own creations. I find it particularly gratifying to find inspiration just as I go about my life…I don’t have to be anywhere exotic. One of my favourite jumping off points tends to be the way other artists, working in a variety of different formats, have used a specific colour palette. So in this month’s post I want to share one of my sources for colour inspiration.


If you know me, or have read last month’s post, you will know that I am a big movie fan. Sometimes I just enjoy them for the story or filmmaking but often they inspire me! It can be the cut of a particular garment (usually not knitted) or the overall mood / styling look, but when an especially well executed colour palette is introduced it always excites me.  


Many movies use many diverse means as a way of conveying the story, not limiting them simply to the actors dialog & actions, but also using visuals effects or other tools to direct our attention. Movie making is after all a visual practice and art form.


Of course I have favourite actors & I really love to watch Julianne Moore in films. She has such striking personal colouration, and in most of the films she has appeared in, they have made the most of this. Either dressing her in green - the complementary colour to her red hair, or an analogous palette of oranges and reds like in Boogie Nights  or in the case of The Shipping News allowing her hair to standout as a beacon against a bleak grey setting. 


Far From Heaven starring Ms. Moore &  Denis Quaid  is a terrific film but it was while I was watching it for the first time that I became aware of how the manipulation of colour in a specific scene became part of the storytelling. 

Let me set that scene for you: Ms. Moore’s character is chatting with a group of her girlfriends outside her house, the setting is a really beautiful backdrop of Fall trees in New England. Everybody is wearing oranges, red, brown & yellows…it’s a strikingly beautiful scene. The one thing that stands out is the scarf that Ms. Moore is wearing. It’s lavender and therefore in direct contrast to the rest of the palette - which is why it catches the attention. As the scene unfolds there is a gust of wind that blows away the scarf. As Ms. Moore chases it, it is caught by the gardener played by Denis Haysbert. Eventually, much later in the film, they engage in a romantic relationship, which is one of the pivotal plots of the whole movie. The scarf is how they first meet. 


By creating a visual focus in the scene, by means of a complimentary colour, we, the audience, have been shown where to focus our attention without us even being aware of it...it’s a very clever instrument of filmmaking. I was so struck by the scene that afterwards I created a colour palette of my own based on it. 





On-line, on-nine

Monthly post on the 9th of each month!    


On-line, On-nine October 9th 2014