From the beginning of recorded time we know that one of the higher aspects of humankind has been our appreciation of the aesthetics – and their importance in the creation of art and colour.

In free societies, from clans to the great nations, the practice of body adornment and decoration of our environment is witnessed. We judge others upon the level of sophistication they display through their dress, their home and their possessions – this being in part an extension of their individual personality and a deliberate representation of them, to the outside world. The level of individual expression within tribal connections is a way we judge individuals and their groups: just as we are in turn judged by our choices of fashion and colour.

Colour Education has an important place in many professions as this instance of Interior Design and Interior Architecture courses from the following higher educational institutions offer examples.

CURTIN UNIVERSITY
MONASH UNIVERSITY
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
RMIT UNIVERSITY
SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

With schools specialising in color education such as the International School of Colour and Design  in Sydney: to companies supplying the educators such as Zart Art  in Melbourne, we are surrounded by colour.
Colour is also a strict science where expert colour manufacturers such as Dulux invest vast fortunes to ensure that their precious hues, tints and tones of colour may be repeatedly reproduced upon demand; with great confidence in accuracy. Here, human eyes are disregarded as insufficient to discern the minimal colour tolerances made available through modern spectrophometers.   

Harmonies have been created for Centuries – using the artists’ Colorwheel as the guide. This is the selection of the accompanying Hues or Colors.

The Monochromatic color scheme is based on only one color area of the Colorwheel – and relies on shades and tints of that color to create the contrasts.

The straying a little either side of the Monochromatic scheme – makes the slightly more complex Analogous and Harmonious schemes. The Analogous scheme adds one or two families from the side of our main family color hue – whilst the Harmonious scheme draw from four families – one complete quadrant of the Colorwheel.

The Complementary color scheme is a contrasts color scheme. It draws colors from the opposite sides on the Colorwheel. This adding of the opposing warm and cool hues creates a color dynamic. These schemes are tempered by using tints and shades of the colors. Because equal parts of opposing colors cancel each other – a harmony requires one color area to be larger and dominate

The Split Complementary is a more complex version of the complementary scheme – offsetting the contrast with the colors either side of the complementary.

The triadic scheme is the most complex of contrasts – relying on colors spaced equidistant around the wheel. These colors – when using a high chroma level are vibrant and energetic.

The Light Reflectance Value [the lightness or darkness of a colour] is one of the most important areas in any composition as the effective use of scale of tone in a scheme helps creates the drama or mood of the scene.

A tonal scale of black, greys and white..

The Importance of Tone and colour.

The painting of the Mona Lisa shown first – has no Hue [colour] values, but gives a sense of form and modelling.
The painting in its pure colour without tone, tint or shade is flat feel lifeless.
The final image with Tone and Hue is the subtle blending of many different tones.

The use of different tones and colour effects our perception of size and form and mood not only in paintings, but in photographs, room decoration and the world around us.

The Colour Society of Australia welcomes people who share a love for colour, whether in a professional capacity or otherwise. In previous time when the great artists who would rush to the docks of Venice to visit the arriving fleets to purchase the exotic and at times poisonous pigments and dyes from which they would construct their magical colours – they were by necessity - part scientist, part artist, part psychologists and part philosopher.

Today, around the world, similar minded people come together under the umbrella of the International Colour Association to share and to learn more about the nature and characteristics of colour. In Australia, whether you are a chemist working with pigments, a technical expert who is working with experimental lighting or a student learning the techniques of digital art– you will likely find entertainment, stimulation and enlightenment through the diverse range of topics covered during the years’ Colour Society meetings.

Educational is a lifelong pursuit – and often more enjoyable when being shared.