This blog is a place for encouragement, color + design inspiration, tips for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners, and general creative musings.
Creative people need to be around creative people to thrive. When life is busy, it can be hard to make those connections, so the Art is a Record Creatives Community was born. Join our private Facebook group, where you can ask questions, share what you're working on, and be inspired. It is a place where we can share with confidence and encourage each other to grow. I hope you’ll join us!
The 2022 PANTONE Color of the Year is Very Peri 17-3938. This is an interesting choice. A periwinkle shade with strong red undertones. It’s hard to appreciate this shade in a flat single color situation, but PANTONE presented it with applications in metallic and shimmering finishes, or in moving video form and it’s very dynamic!
Read MoreI’ve always loved color. I love the way it can make you feel, and the way it can set the tone for a room, a painting, a brand, an outfit… everything! I’ve been doing lots of fun things with bold colors, but have really come to appreciate the beauty of neutral colors this year, so I’ve gathered up all my past favorite color palettes in shades of cream, gray, earth tones, olive greens, and deep navy, plus a couple new ones for fun!
Read MoreIt’s that time of year in Michigan where we have a lot of fogy mornings. Those cold nights and warm mornings really make for some moody scenery on morning drives! Seeing this phenomenon many times in the past weeks inspired this all new color palette collection.
Read MoreI’m looking to the mountains for this latest collection! Nature never disappoints when it comes to color. We’ve got your typical mountain colors, grays, greens, and blues, but scroll through for some unexpected pops of color too!
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot about travel lately, as I have been doing none. I’m generally a person who want to go more to nature and the country to vacation, but there’s something about big cities at night that look very alluring. Zooming lights, bustling people, buzzing neon, taxi cabs, marquees, nightlife… I like the intense contrast between the bright lights and the dark shadows. There is beauty to be found in the big city, that is for sure.
Read MoreI’m kind of obsessed with texture. I like to touch different fabrics, yarn, flowers, leaves, rocks, all of it. I’m one of those people at the store who wants to touch all the clothes, pillows, and blankets. I’ve been vert interested in the way color and texture work together in my paintings lately. I thought it might be fun to approach it backward, grabbing the colors from the finished image which is full of texture already.
Read MoreDon’t forget to look up! I’ve always been drawn to architecture. I love the way that design and beauty come together in the name of function. I love that people choose the ornate and push the limits of what’s possible. I love the geometry, the colors, the concepts, the sculptural elements. I love it all.
Read MoreWhat can I say, I just love flowers. I can’t wait for all the beautiful things getting ready to bloom. Here’s another color palette collection of beautiful flowers!
Read MoreI opened the spice cabinet the other day and saw cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, cardamom, basil… and I thought wow. Look at all those beautiful earthy tones, right out of nature and into our recipes! That was all I needed to see to inspire this fresh herbs and spice color palettes.
Read MoreI opened the spice cabinet the other day and saw cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, cardamom, basil… and I thought wow. Look at all those beautiful earthy tones, right out of nature and into our recipes! That was all I needed to see to inspire this fresh herbs and spice color palettes.
Read MoreI’ve always been drawn to teal, aqua, turquoise. Any shade of blue-green feels calming and inviting, but also energizing to me! There’s something special about the mix of blue and green together. Teal reminds me of the water, oceans and lakes, and the sky. There are so many wonderful variations in nature of this beautiful hue.
Read MoreWhat a big year for color! Being stuck at home for a great deal of the year really gave me some time to think about color and create all kinds of color palettes. I’ve created color schemes for branding plans for clients, and I made them for remodeling our home. I even let my kids make color palettes over the summer when we decided to let them paint their bedrooms. I’ve started a new series of paintings that are focused on color and texture. Color kind of saved me this year!
Read MorePantone has spoken! The 2021 Colors of the Year are PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating. I have to say when I first saw their choice I wasn’t super excited, but as I create these palettes to share with you it grew on me. I do love the yellow.
Read MorePink can be calming, kind, and is often associated with love. Pink can be soft and sweet, or it can be bold and impactful. It’s a stand out color. It’s a loaded color. Please use responsibly.
Read MoreI think of purple as a fun color. Deep like amethyst or light like lilacs… Regal or soft. It comes in so many beautiful tints and shades.
Read MoreIt’s time for another round of My Color Palette Magic! This is the second collection of color palettes inspired by submitted photos! If you would like your photo made into a color palette you can use #mycolorpalettemagic on Instagram or email me, for consideration.
Read MoreYou can look at some things and feel their age. They have a certain warmth. I love old things, rusty things, things that have stories. I love the faded colors, the bright colors, the retro colors. I love that certain colors can transport you to a different era.
Read MoreBlue is my favorite color. It’s so hard to choose just one, but I always gravitate towards it. It comes in so many beautiful tints and shades. Romantic, dark, bright, stability, depth, intelligence… it can convey so many things, depending on how you use it.
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