What Are the Meanings of Colors?

It’s understood that a color and its dosage should mean something.  It should tie a feeling to a something.  The thing is, in your artwork, you determine what that meaning is. 

Don’t assume colors mean the same thing to everyone, they don’t.  And the way a color makes you feel, will resonate with the people meant to understand and deeply feel your artwork.  

If you ask Google, there’s a ton of people giving mundane explanations of colors and it’s effect on us, meaning that for them has not seemed to change since the 80’s and I’m telling you dear reader, the meaning of color has changed 100%.  It aint always yellow for joy and red for passion no mo.  

As the world has progressed and more people have been able to share their stories (thank you Internet) we see that color is understood differently by all of us. 

And the colors we have at our disposal are different!  We live in a world with a black so black it appears as a void.  Black now stirs a feeling of exploration and acording to author, Judith Rubin who wrote Child Art Therapy,  the color black is often a symbol of pride for black children. 

Also, with regards to atributing meaning to color, Rubin says that children will often grab colors left to right without a particular preference.  Chew on that. 

The traditional color associations no longer satisfy us. They fail to capture the depths of our experiences. Just for fun here's what a few colors mean to me and consequently, to my artwork:

Orange

A harbinger of change and social upheaval. 

Kelly Green

A playful and expensive shade that stands out. 

Blue

Vast and hopeful, evoking skies and seas.

Yellow

A hue of caution and despair. 

Black

Knowledge, personal power and exploration

Beige

Quiet luxury

Yves Klein Blue

Vacation, Portugal, coastal living

Purple

Whimsical and joyful, associated with family. 

Highlighter Yellow

Music festivals, rock&roll

Red

Cozy like a room filled with books. 

Pink

Synonymous with babies and home.

But what do these colors mean to you? Have their meanings changed over time? What are your new favorite colors and what colors no longer serve your artwork?