A few weeks ago, I felt inspired to return to an old favourite—purple. When I was a kid, I was crazy for purple. I had a purple pantsuit and an orange coat with a purple lining. I used to sit and stare at my mother’s irises and “accidentally” break one of the stems. Then I’d take a dark, unfurled bud and crush it in my hands and smear purple all over myself. I didn’t just like purple, I wanted to BE purple.
My relationship to colour is still ardent, but I’m not fixated on purple like I was when I was ten. My reading glasses have purple frames, but I’ve only got one purple top. I love purple tights, but I haven’t been able to find a good pair for a while. (Honestly, I haven’t really tried since the last pair stretched out.) Most of my clothes are black or green these days.
I was reluctant to create a series of purple paintings, because, well, purple can be kind of Easter-y, or ultra-girly, or too likely to attract Prince fanatics (?!). I don’t know. I had some hesitation around it. I think it boiled down to me worrying that purple wouldn’t be a “sophisticated artistic concept.” This was one of those times where I figured less thinking and more doing was a good idea.
I started playing in my sketchbooks, exploring all the different ways to make purples and all the variations. I made colours that reminded me of lilacs, lavender, hyacinths, bruises, irises, sunsets, smoke, the heart of a flame, tulips (dead or alive!), Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes, that pantsuit I had in the 70s, royal robes, and emperor’s togas. I covered the waterfront. Dark purples, palest tints, more red, more blue, and on to murky browns and greys with just a whiff of violet.
I fell in love all over again. At this point, I felt pretty committed to putting purple at the heart of a series of paintings. And while the swatches were fun, and sketchbooks are great, I’m not the patient sort who can do preparatory stuff for weeks on end. I was itching to try a canvas or a board, something big…
A PURPLE ROOM
Yikes! I quickly discovered I’d given myself a serious challenge. What a tricky colour. Early layers looked like Easter egg packaging or hats the Queen might wear. Undeterred (or just plain pig-headed) I continued, mixing colour like a woman possessed and eventually, it all started to come together. Or at least not look frightful.
And as this was happening Fall in Love with Me by Iggy Pop came on. I cranked the volume and suddenly I was super-energized and the paintings magically turned a corner. The song is only about 6 minutes long, but somehow it gave me the feeling of freedom and possibility I needed at that particular moment. That’s our song now—me and the paintings. (Just to be clear, I do not advocate dependence on Iggy Pop songs. A little Raw Power goes a long way.)
“White wine and you
A table made of wood
And how I wish you would
Fall in love with me.”
A stunning lyricist he is not, but somehow that’s part of his charm.
Writing this post is a bit foolish. The paintings are only half-way there. Maybe I won’t be happy with them. I still wonder sometimes if this purple thing is a good idea. My husband is not enthused (he likes earth tones). But hey, what’s a little risk between friends? Lots of things don’t work out. Lots of paintings don’t work out. That’s just how it is.
If you’re keen to see how this all pans out, subscribe to my email list. I’ll let you know when I figure out the release date. (Or there will be an embarassing silence, as I move on to the next thing.)
Iggy Pop, October 25, 1977 at the State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, photo by Michael Markos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
HRH Queen Elizabeth II, photo by Joel Rouse, Ministry of Defence, via Wikimedia Commons
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Great post (not silly) and I totally relate! My favorite colour as a young girl too. Came home from camp to find my mother had painted my bedroom purple – AND two purple throw rugs in the shape of big footprints (it was 1972, soo groovy!)
And like you, I worrk about it being unsophisticated artistically (thanks for saying that) and also struggle for shades that don’t look sickly or like the queens hat 😆.
Maybe it is best in a sketchbook? For my own private viewing, me thinks.
Lucky you! I would have loved purple walls back then.
I have had a similar love affair with pink. Loved this part
A stunning lyricist he is not, but somehow that’s part of his charm.😊
Good old Iggy! Thanks for reading.