Color in Corona Times

Who knew a pandemic would give my color consulting business a boost?

Barbara Clare in her spectrum face mask. Photo by Ray Greenfield

In the past few weeks, I've helped an upstate NY resident choose exterior colors for her rental property in Durham. And I've accomplished a first - I've selected exterior colors for a house I've never seen. One was a large Queen Anne Victorian that's located an hour from my home in Chapel Hill. With Google images, emailed photos and Facetime, I helped the owner choose a beautiful and appropriate color palette.

I'm helping another client decide on flooring, countertop, tile and wall colors for her office, plus wall, ceiling and trim colors for her kitchen.

Colors for a newlywed's kitchen. Photo by Barbara Clare

In other words, I don't have to be inside your home to help you with color selection.

If you're angst-ridden about color and would like to make the selection process easier, more fun and successful, shoot me an email and we'll get it sorted out.

Speaking of walls, do you enjoy gazing at paintings? Or do you paint? I'm talking to you, Barbara R, Daphne Mc, and Jane L. If so, I highly recommend my artist friend's blog. Julie Holmes is painting in oils and through her blog she carries on a conversation about the challenges of light, composition and the complexities of pigment. These musings take her to interesting thoughts about life in general. I can tell you about Phsyocarpus Opulifolius (See my Corona of Color garden video), but Julie can tell you all about Quinacradone Magenta. Check her out: www. julieholmesdesign.com/surrounded

Another aspect of Color in Corona Times relates to face masks.

Meg's Mask Tale

My friend Meg in Minnesota tells her mask tale:

As I scrounged around my house searching for material to make a face mask, I found the frog material that I had originally purchased to make a skirt. It had a light-colored background and was populated by frogs and dragonflies - perfect! After watching numerous videos on YouTube, I settled on the woman who enthusiastically said that it would take only 10 minutes to make. And hour later, the mask was finished.

Frog mask made by Meg E in Minnesota.

The following day, I wore the mask at work. Upon seeing it, a co-worker remarked that his 5-year-old son loves frogs. I went home that night and made one for Henrik, the frog-loving boy. It was finished in 10 minutes, honestly.

I delivered the mask to my co-worker. He was delighted and said that his son would love it. The next morning someone told me that when Henrik's father checked in on him at 11pm, his son was sound asleep, the mask still on his face.

My Mask Tale

At the end of a conversation with my friend Camilla one day, she said, "A friend of mine is making masks as her gift to the pandemic world, would you like one?" "Sure," I said. Two days later, a package arrived in the mail from Susan K in Raleigh, NC. "Hmmm," I thought. "What could this be? I don't remember ordering anything from Raleigh."

Inside were not one, but two beautiful cloth masks. Susan K knew nothing about me when she chose the particular fabrics that she sent me: a color spectrum and a botanical print! Amazing. Talk about woman's intuition!