CC: A Bit of Blue

[EDiT: Please note change in the due-in-the-mail date from April 15 (eeek! taxes!) to April 22.]

From a nighttime sky to a deep blue sea, the color blue expands our horizons and blankets our dreams. We trust blue (bestowing its authority on our men and women in uniform), depend on blue (granting blue chip stocks their fiscal reliability), see blue as masculine (bundling up our baby boys and decorating their nurseries), and perceive it as both calming and cooling. On the other hand, we all get the blues at one time or another, and blue can be the moody underside to our otherwise rosy dispositions.

For centuries, blue has remained unique in its polarities. It represents both the working class (whether they're clad in blue denim or blue collar) and the very rich (outfitted in royal blue, with blue blood running through their veins). It's a color ever present in our sea and skies—hence our "blue planet"—but rarely present in more earthbound plants and beings.

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 blue. After this, we have one more swap in the series: "A Bit of Purple."

The "A Bit of..." series will usually have the signups due by the 25th of the month, and swaps due in mail by the following 15th of the month. I'm late again (!) getting this swap up, so I'm extending the signups to the 30th. And because April 15th is Taxes Day, the deadline for getting swaps in the mail is now Earth Day, April 22nd. But Mother Earth has a whole lot more than "a bit" of blue, so don't listen to her. =laugh=

So! Your challenge, this month, is to make one collage postcard of any size or shape with mostly neutrals and just a bit of blue as the allowed colors. You may use any shade of blue—pale blue, bright blue, turquoise, 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 22nd of April.

Mini-FAQ:

How much, exactly, is "a bit of blue"? 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 at turquoise, so the last two examples may look sort of green.) 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 blue? Yes you may, so long as the amount of the other color(s) is quite a bit less than the amount of blue.

Some examples of mostly neutrals with a bit of blue:

• May by Liz Cohn—> a larger view of the one featured above
• Head in the Clouds also by Liz Cohn
• Merz 33 by Woefoep
• Basement Memories by Rogrigo de Filippis

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