Spring in the studio

It’s spring in the Netherlands! Well, it is spring in many places but there is something extra, extra special about experiencing spring here.

Our first winter in the Netherlands was grey and chilly but not to the degree we were warned. Last fall, our neighbor came over to pick up a package and remarked: ‘Say goodbye to summer because it ends next week’. I thought he was joking but within a week, boom, it was cold, dark and wet.

It may be raining but that doesn’t stop people from shopping on foot and bike.

Since we still had starry expat eyes, we found it charming. Ask me next winter how I feel. But something has shifted for me since moving here, a desire for color in my work. My color palette is neutral. For years. But I noticed when we visited Europe over the past two years, I would crave bright color while there, only to come back to the U.S. and slip comfortably back to making neutral artwork. And once we moved to the Netherlands and I set up my studio practice, I continued through the winter with my natural linen palette.

But then spring arrived in the Netherlands.

There was color EVERYWHERE. First the crocus bloomed, then the daffodils, now the tulips. And the trees! So many blooming trees! The Europeans do color well inside too. I’ve never seen a prettier display of management books.

I also couldn’t ignore the light and bright colors outside my studio window even if all of my thread was grey and black.

And then some new commissions arrived that jolted me out of my boring taupe and black.

There are now colors entering my studio that I never anticipated but I now welcome.

Before, there was color in my studio, but it was carefully controlled. Tucked away in bins and used sparingly.

Look at all of the beautiful Valdani thread colors below! Oh wait, they’re hidden away in a wood cabinet, with only sad labels hinting at the color hiding behind.

My sketchbooks and ideas storage? Black and white, of course! But why??

I need color in my life. ASAP! I love the idea of introducing a single bright color into new work. Yes, I move slowly and methodically. But which color to choose? We are headed to Lyon, France in a few weeks for vacation. France is known for that vibrant blue … maybe I will create some new medieval street inspired designs made in French blue.

It will be an interesting plot twist in my studio practice and in my life. I now own two bright green sweaters and one in electric blue. I also think welcoming color has something to do with the serious amount of stress reduction we’ve had since moving abroad. I never saw it coming but I welcome it. Anyone else dip their toes slowly into color?