Every time I set out to design a new collection, I start by looking backward. Usually, I have a general idea or theme in mind for what I will be creating. Then I open my huge black leather art file which is filled with all of the original and printed patte rns for each collection I’ve designed. For Color Theory , I knew I wanted to share my passion for the language of color. As an art teacher, I wanted to bring in the creative joy of my middle school art classroom. When I opened my art file, I was particula rly drawn to the hand - painted color palettes I created for each collection. I don’t use Pantone or any color system for my collections. Rather, I hand paint the palette for each collection and cut out odd bits of those papers, glue them down to a larger pi ece of paper, and scribble the name for each color next to it. Windham uses those swatches to digitally create my palettes. When I looked through the file, I had the crazy idea of using all of my old color palettes as the basis of the feature print for Col or Theory . In my art classroom, everything is organized by ROYGBIV so I knew I needed a rainbow in there as well. The collection feels funky, fresh, edgy, and cool to me. And you can even learn something about, for example, the darkness of drawing pencil leads, or what an analogous color is! I can’t wait to see what you and your customers make. Hint: you’re going to want to sew things for all the artists and creatives in your life with this collection. Aprons, anyone? Celebrate your inner artist! ~Carrie
