Today I Learned: Chilly weather brings hot chilies.

"Chili Suite #5 - Yellow on Purple", $100, 8"x10", acrylic on canvas panel, c)2010 valerie@berkelydesign.com

Well, I've been cooking great big pots of hot chili because the weather is turning chilly too.  As I prepare for my upcoming exhibit at the Center for the Visual Arts which opens to the public on September 24, I can see that I have several chili paintings for display and sale.  You can have your pick!  Ooooo, so many color combinations.  This yellow on purple is a good lesson in color complementary balance.  As a warm color, the orangey yellow reads hot.  The opposing purple brings a cool depth with hints of red to echo the warmth.

Lesson: Color is never really just ONE color.  Use lively hints of complementaries within the basic hue to let you dance through the colors.  Have a warm color?  Hints of cool.  Have a cool color?  Hints of warm.  Keep a color wheel handy and you will always know which colors "go."  Stay tuned...