I love summer…and the colors and lightness of the season. In artworks, the blues of summer and association with clear sunny skies and crisp waters inspires artwork that appeals to many. As summer ends (too quickly, as always) the light starts to change, days get shorter, the nights are getting cooler and suddenly it feels good to think about fall, the change in colors, weather and a return to a different routine. Artworks reflect this as well, artists capture the golden rays of sun and warmer deeper golds and oranges of the night sky, especially beautiful when they are mixed with blues.

The sky has been particularly beautiful these past few months. Instagram feeds have been filled with posts of sunsets that we instantaneously see from around the world. The colors are inspiring. Artist Kim Romero spends time on the water boating around the CT coastline. She sent me this photo of a late summer night that inspired the painting Shooting Star that follows.

I’ve previously written (in Summer Sunsets // About Nature, Color and Art) about how being part of and experiencing nature “feeds our soul” and makes us feel good. Bringing artwork into your home is a way to hold that feeling and maintain the connection in daily life. I find that people respond to color, to landscapes and seascapes whether realistic or abstract, that brings them to their “happy place”. Even when clients are initially unsure of what they want to live with in their artworks, we can find the pieces they connect with, it’s often associated with color, and a “gut” feeling that brings then to a place or experience that’s meaningful.

Gold is…”optimistic and positive, it adds richness and warmth to everything with which it is associated - it illuminates and enhances other things around it.” The depth and layers in Anne Raymond's painting that ranges from soft golds to rich burnt orange makes this meaning come to life.

While reading about the meaning and psychology of color, I also read that “gold is generous and giving, compassionate and loving”. Artist Nancy Woodward "connected bits of sky and trees as though I was piecing a puzzle together. I imagined the inner workings of compassion, the many parts joining together to become a new whole. It gives me hope for a world that has seen too many acts of violence.”

Color expert Kate Smith, of Sensational Color, on the golden color, it “shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness.” Buddha and the Moon, is from Kit Kittle’s book entitled Enlightenment. I love how it combines the beauty of the night sky, the meaning associated with the Buddha with the the richness and contrast of color and composition.

We just launched Artifexx’ Golden Lights Collection, a curated collection of artworks that lead us into the colors of fall. Some of the artworks I’ve included here are in our online shop and more. Please browse the site, I would love to hear from you, or be in touch if you have any questions about artworks for your space.

Kittle’s Bubble collection combines striking landscape photography with the flight of fleeting bubbles. How beautiful is this last photo, Adventure, of a striking sunset within the sphere of a giant bubble?

I hope you enjoyed the last of summer….and have an easy transition after Labor Day weekend! September is a beautiful month, and like these golden artworks, help us ease into fall.