CC: A Bit of Purple

Is there any color more extraordinary, exquisite, exalted, delicious, delectable, desirable, more je ne sais quoi? The color just seems to call for prose that is purple.

Purple speaks of high places; it's been associated with royalty for centuries—and for good reason. Nature did not provide an easy means of dying fabric purple. Historically, the production of the dye was one of the most noxious, laborious, time-consuming, and expensive processes around. Only the rich could afford it, and aside from King's robes and priest's stoles, the hue was hard to attain. Those who wore it certainly did so with pomp and circumstance. No shrinking violets in the courts.

The intention of this series of swaps is to explore the power of color used sparingly, with the greatest part of the collage being colors I am calling "neutrals." By "neutrals" I mean not just white, the infinite greys, and black, but also all the various shades of brown, which include cream and pale tan. This time you will create a collage with mostly neutrals and just a bit of purple. "A Bit of Purple" is the last one in the series.

So! Your challenge, this month, is to make one collage postcard of any size or shape with mostly neutrals and just a bit of purple as the allowed colors. You may use any shade of purple—lavender, periwinkle, royal purple, aubergine, and so on. This swap is "sender's choice," which is another way of saying, "don't look at your partner's profile." In fact, this whole series is about developing your own imagination as a collage artist, not about pleasing your partner. Think of it as a chance to expand your repertoire! You may, of course, add other media of all ilk to the PC, but collage should be the main medium. Mail it naked unless there are flimsy bits. Mail it by the 18th of May.

Mini-FAQ:

How much, exactly, is "a bit of purple"? I've debated about naming a specific percentage—such as less than 5%, less than 10%, whatever. Instead, I've decided you should let yourself be guided by the examples I've provided below. (Please note that my scanner is no good on colors, so the purple in those examples may look a bit blue or red.) Past that, it's up to you to decide what's "a bit."

Does the neutral portion have to include a shade of brown? Not at all. You may restrict yourself to black, white & grey in the neutrals, or even purely black & white with no shades of grey. You get to pick which neutrals you use. But if you can stay away from the very orange- or yellow-toned browns, and very blue- or green-toned greys, please do so. In other words, in your neutrals, lean toward undersaturated.

May I include a teensy bit of other color(s) than purple? Yes you may, so long as the amount of the other color(s) is quite a bit less than the amount of purple.

Some examples of mostly neutrals with a bit of purple... sorry I don't know the artist for "Intellectual Faculties" (computer problems are to blame). If they're less than obviously purple, it's because images of collages that are neutrals with a bit of purple are hard to find!
* Heart of Darkness by Lisa Eisenbrey —> a larger view of the one featured above
* Poe's Dream by Theo Mercier
* Intellectual Faculties by ? —> be sure to scroll down

Have fun! I hope the examples will inspire you to try new and different things. =grin=

This has been a fun series to host: thanks for all your support, and I hope you learned a little bit about mostly neutral collages! =smile=