Warning: My talk with an old timer at the Portland studio changed how I see color bars

I was at the Portland studio last week and got chatting with a guy named Carl who's been blowing glass since the 70s. He told me he never uses more than three colors in a single piece anymore, saying 'More than that and the eye just gets lost... it's noise, not music.' I've been trying to pack five or six colors into my work for years, thinking it looked complex and skilled. Has anyone else tried limiting their palette and found it actually improved their work?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_singh1mo agoTop Commenter

Blowing glass since the 70s"? Honestly, that's a crazy long time to be doing anything. Tbh it makes his advice about using only three colors hit different. I'd have to listen to a guy who's seen that much.

danieltaylor21d ago

My last piece used five colors and I liked the energy, @the_miles.

the_miles1mo ago

Carl's three color rule reminds me of what @harper_singh said about listening to that much experience. I tried it on my last vase and the single pop of cobalt blue actually looked way more planned than my old rainbow stuff. Sometimes less really does let each color speak for itself, doesn't it?