Afraid of Color? Is it Chromophobia or a Fear of Expensive Mistakes?

Posted on | January 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

There is nothing wrong with white walls. Let’s just get that out there. Though white isn’t a “color” on the color wheel, it certainly is a paint color, and one that many people love. But if the only reason you have white walls is because you’re afraid of color, you may have a touch of chromophobia or “fear of colors”.

Or maybe you just have a fear of making expensive mistakes with paint color. That’s more often the case.

Although paint is often touted as a cheap and easy interior design fix, in reality painting your home can be a big and messy project. With paint prices between $20 – $60 per gallon, plus the cost of application, color mistakes add up fast.

And now is where I usually say, “Which is why you need a color consultant.”  But not everybody can afford or find the right color consultant.

So, what should you do if  you are determined to create your own paint color plan? Here are some color choosing tips if you’re looking to freshen a room with color:

• Take time collecting samples of colors you love. Look outside of paint store swatches to the ordinary things in your life that you enjoy. The color of your morning latte may be your best soothing warm brown color.
• Assemble your samples of the colors you love with samples of the colors in your room that you have to live with, like that ugly tile or flooring you can’t afford to replace.
• Now, using a paint store fan deck, look for a way to bridge the colors you love with the colors you are stuck with. A “bridge” color is my way to describe a color that is a version of what you love, that will work with what you have.
• Give yourself time with your color choices before you ask for anyone elses opinion.
• Life is short, live with the colors you love.  (And that includes white!)

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Hiring a Paint Color Consultant

Posted on | January 24, 2012 | No Comments

Choosing colors can be overwhelming. Most any paint display will dazzle you with hundreds of colors and combinations. The Benjamin Moore line alone has over 3,600 colors in their paint line. Paint companies have developed marketing tools to help you choose color,  but you’ll quickly discover that placing those colors in your home can result in a new level of confusion. Calling a expert color consultant will help you cut through the confusion and get to your best color plan.

Most people have a lot of questions around hiring a color expert. If you don’t have a personal referral, you might wonder if the person you’re calling is qualified. Hiring a color consultant to choose paint colors for your home can feel like a toss of the dice. You might wonder: Will their sense of taste and style be one I share? Will they boss me around? What if I hate their ideas? Etc.

I’ve heard all of those concerns (and more) from my clients. Here’s my advice:

1. Do your due diligence and find out about the color consultant’s education and experience.
2. Call them up and ask them about their process.
3. Ask to see photos of their projects so you can get an idea of their level of expertise.
4. Ask for testimonials or references.
5. Ask them about their pricing and how they estimate the time and cost of the consult.

Remember, anybody can call themselves a color consultant. Just because somebody “loves” color or happens to be standing in a paint store, don’t presume expertise.

Read more about what to expect from a color consult with me.

 

The Colors Inside Beige, Taupe and Other Neutrals – Dying Suede Shoes with Acrylic Paint

Posted on | June 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

Tan, taupe, beige, mushroom, sandstone, putty and stone are just a few of the names for light neutral colors. Think of a neutral color and if you are new to color mixing, you might think of a neutral as brown mixed with white. And you can get a typical version of a neutral from that combination.

But here’s the thing about a neutral color. Neutrals can be the result of a surprising blend of colors. And a “good” neutral, one that works with or complements a wide variety of colors often has some distinct colors as part of the mix.

The photo of the suede shoes with a bottle of paint shows you the neutral paint color I obtained after mixing together a variety of colors then painting them on the suede.  After painting the shoes I saved the remaining color in a bottle. A few days later I was surprised to see how much the colors had separated within the water mixture. Note the small layers of red and gold at the bottom, then the majority of green-brown earth tone with a blue layer topped by a beautiful light bright layer of sky blue.

This example showing the color ingredients behind a neutral paint color is a visual explanation of the mixture of colors that can be present in a lovely neutral. This quality is especially important for neutral wall paint colors as they are exposed to different levels and colors of light throughout the day and their base colors can become more or less prominent depending upon the light quality.

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Directions to Color Suede Shoes at Home

Note: Embrace the randomness of this process and hope you like the result (or learn to) as it is PERMANENT. You may get permanent water stains or blossoms (as some watercolorists call them) on your suede item.

You will need:

• Artists acrylic paints (in the tube or jar)
• palette knife (for mixing paint)
• stir stick or kitchen whisk (for mixing it with the water)
• water
• painters tape to mask off areas you don’t want to paint (find this in any hardware store)
• a large soft brush and a fan brush for applying the color (or whichever type of brush you prefer)
• Note: Acrylic paint colors I used are: White, Cadmium Red Light, Thalo Red, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Gold, Thalo green, Burnt Sienna
• New (or very clean) light-colored suede item.
• Hairdryer to dry shoes.

What to do:

• Use the painters tape to cover and protect any areas of the suede shoes you don’t want to paint. This only works on things like the soles or hardware. The color will bleed under the tape if you try to section off parts of the suede.
• Mix together a color you like. I began with artists acrylic paint, creating about 3 or 4 tablespoons of color. I mixed the final color with about 20 ounces of water.
• Note: when mixing the color, keep in your mind the color you are covering as it will effect the outcome. Do a small test if possible.
• Saturate your brush with the watery color mixture and apply from one end of the suede item to another. BE SURE to not be too wet as this may cause watermarks. Too dry and the color won’t be even on the item. Applying the color is tricky. The idea is to not go back and retouch an area, but to get all of the color down the first time and dry it all at the same time.
• NOTE: The paint MUST be very watery to not negatively effect the texture of the suede. Too little water will result in smoothing out the texture of the suede.

That’s it!! Hope it all works out. I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

 

Is Blue the New Green, or are they Just Best Friends?

Posted on | April 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

The other day I was listening to the streaming radio station Kink FM out of Portland, Oregon  and heard an ad for Northwest Natural Gas. It’s official. NW Natural Gas company has co-opted the color blue, even renaming natural gas “Blue”.  And the characteristics they’ve assigned “Blue” are many. According to the NW Natural website “Blue. . .Hates Wasting Energy . . . .. Blue is Reliable . .  Blue Despises High Bills. .  (and).  . Blue and Green are friends.”

Is blue now a responsible, conservative color that also happens to be the environmental movement’s new BFF? The gas company would like us to think so. Especially now that  the marketing kudos for environmental sensitivity are a big positive in the world of commerce.

It’s nothing new for a company to use color to relate both subliminal and overt product and marketing ideas to their potential and repeat customers. It’s a smart thing to do. Ask someone in a roomful of people to describe the color Coca-cola red and you’ll soon find somebody who can. Color and marketing are natural partners.

But a color has more than one personality, despite any one expert or company’s declarations. And when a company uses mainly color to define itself and it’s product, they are also declaring themselves the most pertinent and contemporary interpreters of that color.

Taking that position with a product or a color invites comparisons. If a product is clearly a greater good, comparisons are welcome. But natural gas isn’t one of those products. Like all petrochemical energy sources, there are defined environmental disadvantages to natural gas. Those product disadvantages don’t go away with a re-branding, regardless of the color assigned to it or any of the attributes that color may possess.

Calling natural gas the new “blue” doesn’t turn it green (or make it green’s new BFF) no matter how many times anybody says it. And when the gas company insists that it does, their efforts to tint the green movement into a shade that they wash their product with takes green-washing to a new low.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Are You Tired of Struggling with Paint Color Choices?

Posted on | March 15, 2011 | No Comments

Have you ever found the perfect house paint color only to put it on the wall and discover that it isn’t so perfect after all? Then, you try again, and again . . . until maybe you just stop trying.  Choosing exterior paint colors can be especially scary. Your process and progress is there for all the world to see. Not only do you have to decide what you think about each color choice, well-meaning neighbors may feel compelled to offer their opinions and suggestions. It can be  nightmare.

So how does a person pick exterior paint colors? There are a variety of color solutions to this question ranging from the custom to  off-the-rack choices. As a color consultant, when I work with a client to choose colors, the process is completely custom. Together we build a color palette that works with their personality, architecture, environmental setting and possibly the local neighborhood association.

If you don’t have access to a color consultant or color coach of some type don’t despair. Most paint lines market groupings of exterior paint colors specifically to homeowners. If you are completely without an idea of what you want, studying color sample groupings is a good place to start the color choosing process.  You can find these samples colors at any paint store or building materials store. The paint store employees can usually send you home with samples.

If you aren’t shy, check out a paint color fan deck from a paint store and start cruising neighborhoods looking for color schemes that appeal to you. When you find colors you like, stay in your car and find an approximate match. In my quest for a perfect color I have been caught red-handed with a color fan deck against a garage wall by surprised homeowners. I wouldn’t recommend that method. I’ve surprised more than one sleeping dog!

Here are a few exterior paint color choice tips:

• Pick three to four colors for your house: The Body color (main color). The trim color (around doors and windows). A fascia color (the fascia is the board that edges the roof).  And a door color.
• Paint the garage doors the body color of the house (unless they are natural wood) so that they don’t stand out and compete with your front door as a focal point.
• Use good quality paint that has built in  UV protection.
• If you paint your house yourself, ask the paint store employees for a few application tips, you’ll almost always learn something useful.

Enjoy!

www.CristinaAcosta.com

 

 

Choosing Colors Can be Like Chasing a Rainbow

Posted on | March 16, 2010 | No Comments

Color communicates. Any color expert, designer or artist will agree with that statement. But ask those creative types what exactly a color is communicating and the answers you get may have surprisingly little in common.

Here’s why: Color is a language that continually evolves with the cultures that contribute the shades and tones of meaning each of us sees. And, each individual brings their personal biases and perceptions to the mix, further complicating things.

Yes, you can open most any home decor magazine and read at least one color experts’ opinion based on a study about the calming effects of green – or beige – or . . . whatever the next color may be. But the truth is, the focus group that decides green is calming one year, may decide that mauve is calming next year. And, one more thing to keep in mind,  the experience of an individual and the particular mix of individuals in a focus group is always changing.

Consequently, the meaning of a color is a moving target. One person’s irritating red is another person’s energizing red. It’s all about time and place, people and perception.

So what do you do with this information when you’re standing in the paint store looking for an idea or some advice? Here’s a few tips:

• The first thing to do is to choose a group of colors you love that you think might work for the project. For example – If you’re choosing exterior home colors and are looking for 3 colors, pick at least a dozen that you think will work.

• Then (ideally, take some time with this step) clip the color samples into individual pieces and spread them on the table. Start choosing your favorites.

• When you’ve narrowed it down to at least 4 choices, THEN start choosing where the colors go. Such as this color for the body, this for the trim, this for the gable trim, etc.

Remember that when you are choosing colors, you are bringing a lifetime of experience to the process. Respect that first with a little exploration, then listen to the advice you get from friends and professionals. You’ll have a better feel for the color choices that are right for you.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Creating with Colors from the Landscape

Posted on | March 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about color and culture, and have been exploring that theme in my fine art for many years.

The landscape around us effects how we perceive color. The geography of a place along with the cycle of seasons as well as the weather and light  combine with the presence or absence of human culture to create the colors of a place.

In my  paintings and drawings other concerns (like image or texture) overtake this concept, so I decided to work with these color ideas in textiles.

Painting silk scarves for myself or friends is a relaxing way for me to play with color stories.  (And I have something fun to wear when I’m done!) This week I painted this silk scarf directly from the inspiration of some recent travels. I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel with my teenage daughter, Isabella Barna during her fencing competition season. She competed in a few fencing World Cups, so we both enjoyed traveling to both small and large towns in Europe for the events.

The many changes in landscape I’ve experienced this year contrast in my mind, mixing with the sensations of place. Each memory has a different palette of colors and values. Playing with these memories and translating them to visual ideas allows me to re-live the sensations of the memories as I create visual structure around them. It’s sort of like selecting photos for a scrapbook page, I select among the thoughts and feelings of memory for the creative expression.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Modern Metallics Meld Traditional Surfaces with Contemporary Design

Posted on | March 4, 2010 | 2 Comments

Mixing metallics into your home design can give a small space a stylish vibe. Put the metallic accents on existing cabinetry and your small space can remain clear and uncluttered – both practically and visually. And when those metallics come in a coppery pink tone, the result is gorgeous!

Metallic finishes can play up modern architecture like this master bath at the same time they link traditional materials like marble with the contemporary shapes of the home design.

The perfect wall paint color brings together the variety of surfaces with a unified color. With that in mind, choosing the color that works with every color in the bathroom is very important. Helping my clients choose the best color for the room meant first determining a few basic concepts. Here’s a list of things I consider and the thought process I went through to arrive at my choice that may help you:

• Should the color function as a warm color or a cool color?

Pink is usually perceived as a cool color. But in this instance, it was important that the pink be perceived as a warm color. By choosing a very warm pink with yellow and earth undertones the pink copper cabinet facing and the warm pink and brownish tones in the marble were “pushed” to the warm side of perception.

• What is the percentage of warm to cool tones in the space?

The warm white of the marble is “pushed” to function as a cool accent color against the warm tones of earthy pink. The cool tone is about 20% of the total color plan. This is a good balance as one color temperature being dominant strengthens the overall design.

Choosing wall paint colors can be complicated. Remember to consider basic concepts like overall color temperature and you’ll be able to make an informed color choice.  If it’s too much for you, give me a call.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Thank you Paula Watts for your beautiful photo.

Cooking Up a Color Story

Posted on | February 10, 2010 | 3 Comments

With color on my mind, this past weekend I cooked up a dinner party and menu with a color theme – the red, white and green of the Mexican flag.

Inspired by the cookbook, Frida’s Fiesta’s – Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo by Marie-Pierre Colle and Guadalupe Rivera, I’ve been experimenting with the recipes and themes in the book. A very beautiful cookbook, the photos and stories are inspiring. The recipes. . . well, they remind me of my abuelita’s (grandmother’s) recipes. Something very important is missing from most of them. The missing item is usually an ingredient, amount or technique that ranges between  crucial to the success of the recipe to a minor taste problem. Maybe the recipe editor had more to do with this than Frida did, but nonetheless, reading her cookbook reminds me of my abuelita’s passionate artistic temperament (she was a concert pianist and gifted chef). The recipes that my abuelita  gave me were always more of a suggestion than a solution.

With that in mind, I’ve been playing with the recipes, using them as a melody line I can embellish or rearrange as I play. I’m putting together Mexican / Chicano inspired recipes for a new cookbook I’ll publish this summer. Till then, here are a few of the dishes. Last weekend I presented each dish in the Mexican flag color scheme of red, green and white as a homage to Mexico and because it was a  fun design element to work with.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

See Clearly When the Clutter is Gone

Posted on | January 8, 2010 | No Comments

If winter weather is keeping you  home more than usual, you may find yourself looking around your house and mentally remodeling or repainting. Before you do anything drastic (and expensive), began with clearing the clutter in closets, cupboards and storage spaces. Clearing clutter is an ongoing project for me — a little effort here and there saves me from being overwhelmed with the task. But even though I’m good at clutter maintenance I still take the time to completely clear a closet at least once per year.

And, all of those tidy spaces make it much easier to change the wall color when I get the urge!

Here’s a peak at the piece I wrote for Latina Style magazine titled, Clearing Spaces:

Dear Cristina,

During the winter my family and I were stuck in our house more than usual. Now that we have time to relax, I’m looking at a lot of clutter and mess and it’s making me loca. I don’t have any money to remodel, but I want a fresh start on a budget that’s mostly going to be hard work rather than cash. Where should I begin?
Ana Louisa P.

Have you ever moved and noticed that after you unpacked your things and put them in your new home, you saw your belongings in a new light? The process of moving is all about preparing for a change. You probably had a garage sale or giveaway before you left your old house, taking a look at your things with the view, “Do I really need this?”

The good news is that you don’t have to move to get a new view of the same old stuff in your life. The easiest way to focus your vision is to clear out the clutter. Without the distraction of clutter you’ll be able to see what you have to start with so you can determine the best way to begin a big change.
This change won’t have to cost you a dime, though you will have to work hard. You may even make some money if you sell your discarded items.

Working from where you are and with what you have can bring about amazing results, whether we’re talking about fitness, emotional growth or home décor. You always have more than you think – just not in the way you usually think about it.

Focusing on what you really like and want to continue to live with won’t stop at your home décor. Even more surprising is that changing your home on the cheap can be a creatively challenging project that will not only result in a “new” way to live in your home, you’ll discover talents you didn’t know you had. You’ll quickly realize that refining your focus will extend to other areas of your life, maybe even including your work and personal relations. . . . READ MORE

When the Color Yellow isn’t Sunny

Posted on | January 4, 2010 | No Comments

Most people expect  a few changes in their eyesight as they age. Changes in eyesight are so common that racks of inexpensive reading glasses in a series of strengths stand in most any variety or drugstore.

One of the unexpected changes that can happen to the aging eye includes the color yellow. For some people the lens of the eye becomes increasingly dense and more yellow with age. With that change, contrast sensitivity declines and dark colors can be difficult to distinguish from each other.

The yellowing effect may not be affecting you personally, but if you are a retailer or manufacturer selling products, how your products are being perceived by the older customer with this condition affects your sales.

Yellow labels can “disappear” against a bright yellow background. Decreased contrast sensitivity can cause blue and black  or blue and green to appear the same. White or light colored type on a black or dark colored background may be almost impossible to read for that customer.

Colors not only affect people differently because of personal and cultural conditioning and experiences. The visual  abilities of each person affects how and if they perceive a color. Keeping in mind the possibility for differences in color perceptions is especially important for color consultants. Yellow is not always a sunny color.

Read more about the aging eye at LighthouseInternational.org

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Matching Pantone Colors to House Paint Colors – Is a Color Match as Good as Buying the Real Thing?

Posted on | December 2, 2009 | 8 Comments

When color consulting clients look at paint color samples the most common question I get from them (after they choose their colors) is this: Do I have to buy “this” brand of paint to get the color I want, or can I buy something cheaper? The answer isn’t simple. Sometimes the answer is  yes, other times no.

Here’s why. There are at least 3 parts to how a latex house paint color looks: Base tint, pigment and sheen. House paint isn’t just white paint with colors added. Depending upon the color, the paint store selling the brand uses a particular (there can be several choices) tinted base color to which  they then add measured amounts of their color pigments. Each company has their own group of pigments. And some companies such as Benjamin Moore, Pantone or Divine Paints use very particular pigments.

What this means to the homeowner trying to match a paint color from one brand to another (usually cheaper) brand of paint is that there will be differences between brands.  Sometimes you can’t tell the difference, and you’ll be happy with the result. Other times, differences may include subtle things like sheen changes, and sometimes (especially when using Divine Paints) the difference between the actual brand and the cheaper copy results in radical shifts in how the color actually looks on the wall. Depending upon the skill of the paint store professional who matches the color, the differences between the color specified and how that color looks on the wall can range quite a bit.

So what should you do if you want certain colors but want to save money? The first thing I suggest to clients is that they buy a cheaper product from the line of colors they like. That way, color consistency will be the same across the product line with some exceptions. Benjamin Moore for example, won’t sell their Affinity colors in their lower priced product lines because they can’t deliver the exact match and paint qualities.

If purchasing the color sample paint brand isn’t going to work because of availability issues or some sort of arrangement with a painting contractor, then ask to see large samples (dried) of the colors so that you can be sure the color match is acceptable between brands.

Recently a painting contractor asked me about matching Pantone Colors from the Pantone Matching System (PMS). He said that the professional paint stores he worked with were hesitant to match the colors. When this happens, it’s likely because the paint store personnel does not have a clear sense of the base tint that will yield the best result.

The bottom line is that if you’re not willing to buy the brand of paint consistent with your color sample, you take a risk that you won’t get exactly what you want. Buy the best quality paint you can afford from a professional paint store, and  it’s often not a problem. If you’re trying to save money on house paint it’s important to  make an informed decision that works for both your sense of aesthetics and your wallet.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Feeling a Color or Tasting a Sound isn’t Crazy, it’s Synesthesia

Posted on | November 16, 2009 | 6 Comments

Have you every noticed that a color can feel heavy (even if it’s a light color)? Or tight, or smooth, or have a flavor? If the colors you see register as tastes, sounds or physical sensations, then you might have synesthesia.

Synesthesia is a condition in the brain processes that describes when the brain  mixes up the senses – taste, touch, smell, hearing and vision so that the person with synesthesia may experience a taste as a shape (for example) or a number as a color.

Though modern scientists first documented synesthesia in the 1880′s it wasn’t until recently with the aid of brain scans and other technology, that science has found a way to ascertain that synesthesia is not just a gift for metaphor, but is an actual brain condition.

In the article, Hearing Color, Tasting Shapes, by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard, published by Scientific American, the authors discuss the phenonmenon of synesthesia and explain the possible reasons for the condition.

“Our insights into the neurological basis of synesthesia could help explain some of the creativity of painters, poets and novelists. According to one study, the condition is seven times as common in creative people as in the general population. . . . In addition to clarifying why artists might be prone to experiencing synesthesia, our research suggests that we all have some capacity for it and that this trait may have set the stage for the evolution of abstraction–an ability at which humans excel.”

When I walk through a client’s home, the colors, shapes and textures speak to me kinesthetically  as well as visually. And sometimes I get the sensation of a taste or sound, depending upon how the colors in the room interact. I never gave much thought to this ability until I read Ramachandran and Hubbard’s work. Then a way of experiencing the world that I had considered a personal idiosyncrasy  was suddenly something with a name that I now know is experienced by others.

When science “proves” something that artists have been perceiving, the necessity of the arts in education is even more apparent to me. People who have neurological wiring that gives them problems or  idiosyncrasies  such as dyslexia or synesthesia don’t often fit into the standard learning and teaching styles enforced in the average school. Including the arts in school curriculum allows these people to succeed and flourish and maybe someday, even become artists of one kind or another.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Choosing Room Colors

Posted on | November 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

One thing leads to another. That’s as true in life as it is for interior design. It’s especially true if you’ve ever started remodeling or redecorating just one room of a home, then stood back when it was done only to realize that other areas of the house need updating.

And in the same sense, one color leads to another as you walk through any building. Creating a paint color scheme blending good color design with the architecture of your home is like putting together a 3-D puzzle. One part of that puzzle changes and everything changes. And change can be complicated.

It’s easy to think about home color as mostly about the walls, but the reality is that the walls, floors, ceiling, trims and decor are all design elements that combine within the open spaces of the home. Now add to that the thousands of choices you have in most any tile, furniture, lighting and paint store and the puzzle pieces of design that seemed so easy to sort are now in danger of becoming a pile of confusing shapes and colors.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by color, you’re not alone. Putting together entire interior design color schemes can be a lot to think about. But, mixing colors around your home gets a little simpler if you think about those color combinations as a master color plan.

Creating a master color plan is what I do for my clients. They choose the paint colors they like and I help them make those choices (or similar choices) work with the rest of their home decor as well as the architecture of the home.

Here are a few tips I share with color consulting clients to help them organize their interior paint colors:

• Identify the colors in your home that you aren’t going to change, such as the flooring, kitchen cabinetry, window coverings, countertops, etc., and be sure that the paint colors you choose complement the colors of those things.
• Look at the paint colors in natural light and at night under artificial light to be sure the color looks good 24/7.
• Sample your color choices in several places of the room so that you can see the effect of light on the paint color.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

The Colors of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead)

Posted on | October 28, 2009 | 10 Comments

The mystery of life and death and spirit, the reality of change and the beauty of everything is a defining aspect of Mexican culture. Throughout Mexico and most anywhere a significant number of Mexican-Americans live, altars adorn public & private spaces. This spirituality with ancient roots is most visible during the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival  November 1st and 2nd.

Dia de los Muertos  (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the U.S. As a holy day it is connected to the Catholic holy day All Saints’ Day, but is actually much older and pre-dates the Aztec. The celebration is spread through various other countries in Central and South America.

Through the month of October, people prepare for Dia de los Muertos by preparing altars (ofrendas) to honor the dead. Depending upon the family or community traditions, altars can be elaborate rooms with effigies of the deceased surrounded by beauty, food and candles, or simple altars with a picture and a few items.

Brilliant colors and stark value contrasts between dark and light with the addition of warm earthen tones make up the complex palette of colors associated the Mexican Celebration of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Not only are these colors seen among the flowers and decorations that make up the various ofrendas  (altars), foods and decor that are part of the celebration, the colors metaphorically and symbolically mirror the mystical underpinnings of the Dia de los Muertos celebration.

Because the veil between the living and the spirit world thins at this time of year, the colors of the Hispanic celebration of the Day of the Dead are both strong in hue and in contrast. Bridging those

strong colors and values is the warm brown color of pan de muerte, the traditional bread of Dia de los Muertos. Motifs of crossed bones emerge from small loaves the warm color of brown skin. What a beautiful metaphor and visual symbol of the ephemeral quality of life expressed through color meanings and symbology.

I didn’t grow up with the actual Dia de los Muertos celebration. Instead, when I was under the age of 10 my family celebrated a unique combination of All Saints Day and Halloween with a piñata (a Mexican tradition of a paper effigy of an animal or object that is stuffed with candy and then destroyed by children to release the treats). It was the type of culturally morphed celebration that fit into the surrounding neighborhood of Palos Verdes, California during the 60′s and 70′s.

Since then I’ve explored how the holiday is celebrated in Mexico and incorporated some of those ideas into my personal life. Being that I love making retablos (altars) with images of the divine feminine, such as the Guadalupe and Conquistadora, and have those retablos all over my house, decorating an altar for the season comes naturally.

For me personally, the time of Dia de los Muertos begins in October and continues to about mid-November. This is a beautiful season and  a time that I  specifically ask my ancestors and deceased friends and relatives to visit me with their gifts of wisdom and love. I usually get some sort of revelation or enriching experience during this time that especially helps me for the ensuing year.

Here are some guidelines to the symbolism of the items on a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda (altar):

Composition of a Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda (altar of offerings):

• Water – Source of Life
• Salt – Purification
  

  An effigy of the deceased (in photo) made of loofas draped in her clothing is the centerpiece of this huge ofrenda (altar) taking up an entire bedroom. I visited this home in Ocotopec and the family allowed this photo. Note the beauty and care put into every aspect of the decorations and offerings.

• Candle or light – Eternal love
• Copal or incense Offering to the gods -  Transmits prayers
• Flowers — the yellow flowers represent the sun, wealth and light to help souls find their way. The white flowers represent purity and often represent children.
• Mat, bed, table — a symbolic place of rest for souls. This is often the surface on which the altar rests.
• Toys — for young souls.
• Bread, tamales — sustenance
• The neck and the canes (bones) in the form of a wheel — this is the symbol on the Pan de Muerto, the traditional bread for Dia de los Muertos
• Items that pleased the deceased person and usually a photo, sometimes an effigy draped in
  

  Candy skulls made of sugar or chocolate are traditional food items for the Dia de los Muertos altar. I took this photo detail of the food offering at a public ofrenda (altar) in Tpotzlan, Mexico.

  the deceased’s clothing.

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