My Color Bookshelf 3

Nita Leland, if her books are any indication, is both a gifted artist and teacher. I have mentioned her several times in previous posts, including Concentrating on Value. I had already thoroughly enjoyed, and learned many techniques from, Creative Collage Techniques and  The New Creative Artist before buying two of her books about color. Both books are a complete course on the subject, replete with examples in glorious (what else?) COLOR!

Exploring Color by Nita Leland

Look for color everywhere–in music, in poetry, in life. You’re the sum of all you see, hear, and experience. Enrich yourself, and the richness of your life will be revealed when you paint.

Confident Color by Nita Leland

From the start, Leland promises that this book “will help you find a winning strategy for using color in your unique way”  (p.10). To that end, she has artwork from more than 50 contributing artists and 85 “Try it” activities, so that you can “develop your awareness of the colors and combinations that resonate with you” (back cover).

I found both books to be comprehensive, clear, and motivational. For instance, Leland recommends using color schemes to “help you break old habits and rise to a new level of creative expression.”

The illustrations in all Leland’s books are superb, and quotations sprinkled throughout give little jolts of energy to those of us who really respond to a well expressed idea. Here is an excellent example, from Hans Hoffman (Confident Color, p. 125):

The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color. Our entire being is nourished by it. This mystic quality of color should likewise find expression in a work of art.

#NitaLeland #comprehensive #clear #motivational #winningstrategy #Exploringcolor #ConfidentColor #HansHoffman #mysticrealmofcolor