Plus Many Fascinating Facts About the Color Blue
The color Blue has been referred to as a magical hue that has the power to induce relaxation, tranquility and inspiration and even connect us to highest states of consciousness. Suffice to say, if you want to bring any of those qualities into your physical surroundings, seek art with the color blue. You can choose from many different shades of the color found in a variety of styles of art. Varieties of the color blue may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness), or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness).
In this presentation, we share “Blue” artwork by famous artists from the past as well as several contemporary artist members of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS online art gallery. and from our Featured Artists ~ Art Review Series and from our “Special Friends”. We also offer some fascinating facts about the benefits of the color blue and famous quotes.
Georgia O’Keeffe, the renowned American Modernist, created a spectacular series “Sky Above Clouds” (1960–1977). It consisted of 11 cloudscape paintings including “Above the Clouds I” which is predominantly in shades of blue contrasting with white clouds. The series of paintings was inspired by O’Keeffe’s views from her airplane window during her frequent air travel in the 1950s and early 1960s when she flew around the world.
Did you know… Claude Monet created many paintings that incorporated the color blue, such as “Blue Water Lilies”, shown above. The calming presence of the color blue in this painting is undeniable. His Water Lilies (French: Nymphéas) series includes approximately 250 oil paintings he created from 1840–1926. The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny.
Did you know… The “Blue Nudes” is a series of color lithographs by Henri Matisse made from cut-outs depicting nude figures in various positions. The artist created them by cutting and painting sheets of paper by hand, after his cancer operation, and continued until his death in 1954. You may want to read more about his series of cut-outs in “Henri Matisse and The Healing Power of Art”.
Did you know… “Blue” is the name of four watercolor paintings that Georgia O’Keeffe made in 1916. It was one of the sets of watercolors that she made exploring a monochromatic palette with designs that were non-representational of specific objects.
Did you know… About the color blue, Wassily Kandinsky wrote, “The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite, awakening in him a desire for the pure and, finally, for the supernatural…”
Did you know… The Italian artist Giotto communicated his powerful obsession with the color blue in his painting of the ceiling of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Northern Italy.
Did you know… Picasso had his renowned “Blue Period” between 1900 and 1904. It was his response to his emotional turmoil and financial destitution. The color dominates every piece and the mood that pervades these works is one of profound melancholy.
Did you know… Often referred to as ‘true blue’, the brilliant deep-blue Ultramarine pigment derives its name from the combination of Latin for ‘ultra’, meaning beyond, and ‘mare’, meaning sea, referring to Europeans having imported the stone over the seas from Asia. Because it was so costly to produce, Ultramarine was once worth more than gold.
Member Artists Share Art With the Color “Blue”
We hope you enjoy this presentation “Blue” by some of the participating member artists, who use this color in different ways. Click on their names to visit their pages. Also visit their websites to view more of their artwork.
Peter N. Van Giesen
Known for his “Capturing Nature’s Eternal Aura” paintings, Peter N. Van Giesen is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and has had many exhibitions including those at The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. He shares, “I reach into the fabric of the world to explore the dynamics of tension and elasticity, creating images based on the interplay between darkness and light…”
Did you know this about the color blue? The color blue has a Biblical meaning symbolizing heavenly grace. The Virgin Mary is often depicted wearing blue clothing. And, John Ruskin professed, “Blue color is everlasting appointed by the deity to be a source of delight.”
Tanis Bula
Tanis Bula is an extraordinary internationally renowned artist whose life-affirming floral bouquets and serene landscapes and water scenes have won many awards. You will find her artwork in many private and public collections, bringing joy and positivity to people around the world. She states, “In nature the light and shadows are always forming complex shapes, textures, patterns and colors.”
Did you know this about the color blue? In color therapy, blue governs the throat and the thyroid, so has an important role to play both in speech and communication, and in the body’s metabolic functions.
Andrea Robinson
Andrea Robinson exhibits widely within New Zealand and internationally in galleries and alternative-space exhibitions in addition to international on-line international galleries. The award-winning environmentally conscious artist states, “Creating artwork is as important to me as the air that I breathe. I love celebrating nature and paint our natural environment to inspire and uplift viewers.”
Did you know these facts about the color blue? Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as to any other color. Blue birds can’t see the color blue. Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue.
Therese Boisclair
Thérèse Boisclair is an internationally awarded artist who has lived in Ottawa for over 40 years. She has won numerous prizes at national and international exhibitions, including a “Best of Show” in Ferrara, Italy. She also had the privilege of being chosen for an artist residency in Nice, France. She states, “The act of painting becomes a path of meditation, and each canvas is like a spiritual journey, a bridge to transport viewers into my world.”
Did you know this about the color blue? Blue is often used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms.
Beth Sheridan
Beth Sheridan is an extraordinary photographer who captures breathtaking moments that exude hope and resilience. Her nature-inspired works of art are life-affirming and magical. She explores a variety of themes ranging from cultural identity, to tradition and heritage, to place and light.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? Softer shades of blue are ideal for capturing tranquil and relaxing landscape photos. The tones are even and there is no worry about poor dynamic range. The only challenge to “blue hour” photography is that it’s available for a short period of time.
Sandy Iseli
Sandy Iseli creates awe-inspiring paintings with clear vibrant colors that depict our environment in its idealized, purist form. It is an artistic choice that also enhances them with a sense of the sublime. Shown here is “Marshland”, acrylic on canvas, 39” x 39”. This painting was selected for the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2023 juried exhibition.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? The word ‘Ultramarine’ comes from the Latin ‘ultra’ meaning ‘beyond’ and ‘mare’ meaning ‘sea’. It is one of the oldest blue pigments. The earliest evidence of this color’s use is in 6-7th c AD and can be found in the Temples of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.
Nimi Trehan
Nimi Trehan is a Maryland based artist with a background in Art and Interior design. She creates gorgeous paintings with lustrous colors of her native India. She captures nature’s beautiful depth and diversity with a stylistic interpretation using gestural brush strokes and dynamic compositions. Nimi’s paintings are in the collections of numerous individuals and corporations locally and internationally.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? Art with shades of blue, when placed in business offices, will enhance stress-free learning and clear thinking for employees.
Morgan Jane Miller
Morgan Jane Miller creates resplendent photographs of the sea. They immediately embrace us with an ethereal, mystical quality that speaks to our soul. She satiates our deep longing to feel a peaceful and harmonious unity with the universal consciousness and its omnipresent splendor. She also reminds us what we may lose if we don’t actively protect our natural resources and ecosystem.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? Art with a predominance of blue is highly recommended for therapy rooms, where it will induce a state of calm and aid in recovery.
Monique J. DuFour
Monique J. DuFour is an expressive abstract painter known for creating “Healing Art”. She has received several honors and accolades for her art and her collectors span the globe. Monique paints with unbridled spontaneity from the heart and enjoys creating customized paintings for her clients that provide personalized healing energies for them.
Did you know this about the color blue? Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other color. These can be easily explained by pinpointing the specific shade of blue.
Roopa Dudley
Roopa Dudley creates bold, colorful and dramatic paintings that engage the senses and challenge the intellect. She has exhibited her art in many juried exhibitions. She states, “I try to tell a story with the paintings I create. My purpose is to give a visual voice to Abstract Concepts and Dreams.”
Did you know this about the color blue? There is evidence that as early as 600 BC the Mayans used their own blue. Maya Blue can be found in the ancient city of Chichén Itzá. The pigment came into prominence in the 8th century, when it was widely used to paint murals of the classical Maya period.
Shirley Wallitsch
As an artist Shirley Wallitsch exudes an infectious and unbridled enthusiasm and shares her affinity with the natural world. Her oil paintings emanate a resounding vibrant medley of colors and forms. Textural qualities applied with confidence and spontaneity bring a luscious depth, dimension, and luminosity to her work.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? It has been said that royal blue was created by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Imperial blue is recorded as an alternative name for the traditional royal blue color.
Poul Nielsen
Poul Nielsen is a masterful contemporary Color Field artist who creates illuminating and meditative paintings in pastel. His vast, spacious and vaporous “Atmospheric Possibilities” are ephemeral and metaphysical. Analogous and complementary colors and their co-existing relationships coalesce in harmony and balance. His images are enlivened with saturated and blended hues, subtle and soft gradations, contrasting transitions, and smoothly painted surfaces.
Shown above is “Atmospheric Probabilities (Agua)”, pastel on paper 30” x 22”, with various shades of blue.
Did you know… Raoul Dufy noted, “Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones. It will always stay blue.”
Britt Michaelian
Britt Michaelian is a contemporary abstract painter and a quintessential artist/healer. Her transformative paintings are infused with spiritual intuition and healing modalities. They emanate a universal and eternal presence of equilibrium, tranquility, and restoration.
Shown above is “THE TRUTH IS INWARD. LET CREATIVITY FLOW OUTWARD”, Third Eye Chakra: intuition, wisdom, self-reflection. Energy Healing, Sage and Palo Santo Smoke, Selenite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Blue Apatite, Fluorite, Aventurine, Thulite, Love and acrylic on canvas, 48″ x 48″.
Did you know this fact about the color blue? Blue in feng shui has a natural affinity with water and so shares with this element the potential to be either still and calming or freely flowing and liberated.
Julia Underwood
Julia Underwood creates vibrant paintings with rich colors, rhythmic curves and fluid movement that evoke feelings of bliss and tranquility. She applies her knowledge of feng shui principles in her art that spans a range of styles and is always positive and hopeful.
She shares this about the color blue: “The water element and the flow of communication. Blue supports the flow of information. Light blues promotes peace and calm. Dark Blues are good for safely and security and security and is good for Wealth & Blessings and Career areas of your home or office.”
“Special Friends”
Share The Healing Power of Blue
Teri Leigh Teed
This photograph by Teri Leigh Teed is from her new “Eleanor’s Dream” series. Her photographs reveal the life-affirming presence of a power greater than us. Teri’s brand name is “Healing Spirit Art”.
David G. Rickman
Beyond the Blue, acrylic, 30″ x 40″. David states, “My process of co-creating with the Creator is a spiritual and therapeutic experience that promotes healing internally.”
Renee,
This was such a peaceful moment to view the art work but to learn the historical and scientific meaning to the
color blue. I have often joked with other artist: “You probably have as many blue’s in your palette as I do!”
Thank you for this most informative article. Color is fascinating and as I do design work or build projects, I am keenly aware of the way color (considering the light and purpose of the space) needs to feel. Yet your article was a keen affirmation to the intuitive. I even design my small gardens with blues, whites among the greens and then a warm color close by in another space. Kindly, Vicki
Vicki, Thank you so very much for your comment. It’s wonderful to know you enjoyed this presentation and appreciate the research I did. The different shades of blue that you bring to your art are always inspirational and calming. I can only imagine how gorgeous and serene your small gardens are!
Thank you for including me in this collection !
Hi Monique, You use the color blue with so much healing expression and versatility that I felt inspired to add your art in “Art by Members with the Magical Color Blue” online exhibition that was originally published in 2019. 🙂
There is a small city built in 1471 in northern Morocco called Chefchaouen that is painted entirely in blue. Though nobody knows for certain, stories ruminate that the shades of blue were originally painted to represent the sky and the heavens — and also to remind residents of this little mountainside city to live a spiritual life. Perfect for a “blue-lover’s” bucket list!
Thank you Jim for sharing this fascinating fact about the color blue. Your pastel paintings are exquisite!
That is so cool! I want to go or at least see photos of Chefchaouen, Morocco.
I enjoyed this article. Recently I learned from an animal communicator that a rich neon blue in the mind’s eye is the color of eternal love.
Leanne, that’s fascinating information — especially the source from which you obtained it. 🙂
Lovely Blue art.
Outstanding art and very informative, well done article. Loved reading it. Thank you. Diane
Thank you Diane. You positive feedback means so much to me, as you are such an extraordinary, expressive and colorful artist!
This is a fascinating article that obviously required a great deal of research and time. Thank you, Renee, for putting this all together. I appreciate the opportunity you have given to me and all the artists who have art featured in this article. It is an honor.
Very beautiful exhibit plus lots of interesting facts about the color blue. As you know, it is my favorite color and appears frequently in my paintings. May I recommend to other lovers of blue the book “Blue: The History of a Color” by Michel Pastoureau.
Thank you so much Renee for this informative article about the featured artists plus the very interesting and fascinating information about our much loved color blue.