Color-In-The-Mind @ NEO Show, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2005

Color-In-The-Mind

acrylic on canvas, 2005

The piece was accepted in to the North East Ohio (NEO) Show held at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Jul 10th - Sept 4 2005.  To say I was a tad chuffed is an understatement - they had 1289 entries, only 6% made the cut.  The piece was a bit of a departure from my standard works.

Background

This piece is about how we view the objects that surround us:
“What’s that?” a child asks when pointing at an oblong slab…
“It’s a table”…
“But what is it made of?”…
“Wood”…
“But what is wood?”…
“It’s a combination of carbon, hydrogen etc”…

As we learn from Plato, there are many ways to pose the question "What is a table?" We might seek the answer in terms of it's function--a place to set things down so that they are not on the floor. We might consider its physical form--a raised platform with a horizontal surface. Each of these descriptions might be included in Plato's forms, they are each aspects of the qualities required for something to be a table. Yet, while all tables contain common qualities, each is also unique in it's physical make-up. The wooden table the child sees in the kitchen exudes a certain warmth and comfort that is very different from that of metal table used in a commercial kitchen. They each serve their desired function, yet the material components of each give them very different qualities. The wood is comforting, the metal is easily cleaned. If they are each tables, each serving their intended purpose, what makes them unique?

Their designs are subtly different, their structure more so, but as we examine these objects on the material level; when we examine them elementally; that is when we discover their unique blue print or recipe. By analyzing these objects in such detail, we can raise our curiosity and awareness of the world around us, to not accept merely the notion of “table” but also to understand the difference between this table and that. Shakespeare asked "is a rose not a rose by any other name”? Is it? Or isn't it?

Method
I asked folks to think of a specific object for the following colors: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Brown, Black, White. From the pool of replies the most popular object for each color was determined, it’s chemical composition found and the elements depicted using the Valence method of chemical portrayal. Approximately 250 folks took part in the study.

Results

Red: apple
Green: grass
Blue: sky
Yellow: sun
Orange: orange
Purple: grape
Brown: earth
Black: coal
White: snow

Discussion

On the surface the question “Okay name an object when you think of this color…” would seem to be simple and straightforward. However when I began to analyze the responses a much bigger picture emerged:

I looked at how people respond to words and their associations e.g. a person mentioned that when seeing the word Purple they immediately thought of Purple Rain…however they mentioned that if they were merely faced with “purple box” they would very likely not even have thought of that work by Mister Prince. Other examples of word association are Purple Haze, Blue Moon, Yellow Belly, Blue Bird and Blue Print.

The order in which I wrote the colors down may have affected someone’s reply - a reply for orange was orange the fruit, the next color in the sequence was purple, to which they replied plum. “You know it is quite possible that because I was thinking of fruit for the previous color I went with fruit again.”

The season may affect the response - many of the respondent’s are located in Cleveland, Ohio, given the winter many replied with “snow” for the color white. During another season they may have replied milk.

The same goes for geographic location - people living on the equator may have never seen snow and might respond with coral, milk etc.

The state of mind of the individual – a person mentioned that given the preponderance of food items in their reply, maybe they were subconsciously hungry.

Cultural considerations such as people replying “Barney” to the color purple, and school bus for yellow.

Language may also play a part – in English the color orange is also the name of the associated fruit, what about languages where the color and the fruit have different labels.

Also even when an object is of the color and in the person’s field of view (visual) they were so focused on mentally trying to associate an object that they didn’t take in the visual information e.g. a person being unable to think of a white object while standing directly in front of a whiteboard.
The piece has many overtones from color and object association along with multiple psychological concepts.

The 6% Cut :-)

Folks asked how many pieces will be in the show.  At the time of the show, I found the following info on the Museum website.

Nearly 1,300 works were entered by artists who now live or work in the Northeast Ohio and were judged by former CMA Associate Curator of Contemporary Art and juror Jeffrey D. Grove; Jane Farver, director of the List Visual Arts Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Louis Grachos, director of The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York.  A final tally of 184 works were then submitted for final judging on April 22 to 24 with 80 of them being accepted into the exhibition.

Which is about 6% :-)

Thanks to the following for taking part in the study...

Aimee Marcereau, Alex Szabo, Allen Welty-Green, Allyson Walsh, Amy Seredick, Anna Chanakas, Angela Asquith, Angela Cipolla, Angela Raaf, Anita Jones-Talbott, Anne Smith, Anne Sereg, Barbara MacAdam, Beatrice Loyer, Betty Baechtel, Becky Blankenship, Bill Sebelin, Brad Fuehrer, Brian Asquith, Brian Ayers, Brian Schwartz, Brian Weinstein, Calum Campbell, Cara West-Ambrosio, Carlina Tejada, Carolyn Carr, Carrie Saylor, Carter Edman, Chad Bray, Charles Ellert, Charlie Dixon, Cheryl Reynolds, Chester Scott, Christin Libertini, Christopher Lentz, Chuck Masterpaul, Cindi Hido, Claudia Vitulich, Cori Hillermann, Corinne Gangloff, Courtney Volpe, Craig Corrigan, Damian Henri, Dan Roberts, Danae Remmert, Danielle Cosmos-Horvath, Dave Jager, Dave Stack, Dawn Radatz, Dennis Gill, Derek Mason, Don Baechtel, Donald Srail, Duke Vernyi, Dwayne Bensen, Drinks at Noggins Spoof, Ed Rettger, Elizabeth Lentz, Elliot Corrigan-Chaillet, Eilis Crean, Emily Talbott, Eric, Eric Ebenroth, Eric Richmond, Eric Schmidt, Erin Kenney, Erin Rettger, Ernie Schultz, Fletcher Miller, Gail Kula, Gail McCafferty, Gary Kula, Gary Teaman, Geof Pelaia, Georgia Palmer, Gianni Palmer, Gina Manco, Ginger Vernyi, Glenn Asquith, Harry Presser, Heidi Cool, Ian Rettger, James Ptacek, Jane Breitenbach, Jane Palmer, Janet Aldrich, Janet Czapor, Jason Painley, Jeff Renston, Jeff Wareham, Jenna Bianchi, Jennifer Bray, Jerry Woloszyn, Jessica Armstrong, Jim Marks, Jim Zimmerman, Jim Layton, Jim Ray, Jim Walker, John Bornancin, John Neeley, Johnny Johnston, John Rettger, Jolly Kosla, Judy Kuniansky, Judy Pitney, Julie Rettger, Karen Hansen, Karen Provenzano, Karla @ Noggins, Kathy Kowal, Kathy Heeter, Kevin Kula, Kevin Smith, Kyle @ Noggins, Larry Siders, Laura Cizmar, Laura Strauss, Lauren Schmidt, Leanne Royal, Les Howarth, Linda Whitman, Linda Jostes, Lisa Mendelow, Lisa Vann, Liz Kroepel, Lois Moss, Lori Boehm, Lynda Pendland, Lynn Kramer, Marcie Khrenovsky, Marilyn Dickerson, Maris Kampe, Mark Loomis, Mark Talbot, Marla Gasser, Mary Malloy, Mary Anne Rettger, Matt Thompson, Matthew Minar, Meredith Kinner, Michael Ujcich, Mike Bosak, Mike Galka, Mike Substelny, Nancy O'Dea, Natalie Wakulchik, Nathan Hodgen, Nick Vacarriello, Nicole Kyle, Nikki DiFilippo, Pam Pantages, Pat Geyer, Patrick Devine, Paul Delbane, Peggy @ FLF Press, Phoenix Rettger, Rachel Battaglia, Rachel Price, Raj Reddy, Randy Demusy, Randy Zimmerman, Rebecca Osborne, Renae Battaglia, Renee Trivisonno, Rhonda Kisel, Richard Tuckerman, Rick Smith, Robert Walsh, Robert Webb, Ron Olson, Rhonda Miller, Rosemary Zalewski, Russell Kinner, Ruth Conway, Ryan Curry, Ryan Kelley, Ryan O'Dea, Ryan Olinger
Saamia Alam, Sandi Horvath, Sandra Asquith, Sarah Hersch, Sarah Huth, Sarah Spengler, Shannon McGuire, Sharon Bohaty, Sharon Romilly, Sharon Thome, Shawn Leitner, Sheila Assuncao, Staci Mihelic, Steve, Steve Kromer, Steve Manka, Steve Tyler, Rachel Romine, Su Rettger, Sue Howe, Sue Kendall, Susan Helm, Susan Kenney, Susan Matthias, Suzanne Howe, Syed Hasan, Teresa O'Reilly, Terri Hillermann, Thom Tyler, Thomas Zimmerman, Tim Bramhall, Tim Kanaley, Tim McFadden, Tom Vann, Tom Zovko, Toni Chanakas, Tony @ Noggins, Tony Caviggia, Tony Viola, Tori Mills, Trisha Stezzi Duck, Tyrone Pendland II, Vicki Bethel, Wes Douglas