Current Events in Color

The second and final lunar eclipse of the year will bring a blood moon that is sure to be bigger and brighter than the first. The lunar eclipse will occur in the early hours of Wednesday morning, before sunrise in the Eastern Time zone. If you’re on the west coast you can get a glimpse in the middle of the night. When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, it’s called a solar eclipse. When the Earth passes between the moon and the sun it’s called a lunar eclipse. Unlike a solar eclipse, the use of special telescopes and fancy goggles won’t be needed to view the eclipse, binoculars could help enhance the view though. The appearance of the moon during this lunar eclipse will appear to be a dark red, almost burgundy. A Lunar eclipse is the earth’s shadow appearing on the moon so why the red color? The Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are all in a straight line. That's why. The Moon appears red because the reflection of every sunrise and sunset is happening simultaneously because they are aligned.

I’ve heard a few urban legends about the occurrence of a blood moon. Some Christians attribute prophetic significance to the blood moon that just occurred on April 15, 2014 because it will be the first of a lunar "tetrad" or four total lunar eclipses in a row, occurring in 2014 and 2015. Also because each of those eclipses falls on an important Jewish holiday, Passover and Sukkot. I’ve always heard that the spotting of a red moon meant the “end of times” were coming. The blood moons never have an impact on me, negative or positive. However, I am repeatedly amazed at what happens in our universe. 

Image credit: CNN

Sensible Sundays

I’m going to start posting weekly on the day I feel daydreaming is most appropriate. Sunday is the day I use to fantasize about the goals I’d like to accomplish throughout the upcoming week and relishing in the joy I feel from completing the goals from the previous week. If I make it to Sunday and realize that I managed to complete the week’s tasks it’s time for a reward. I usually have a glass of wine (Roscato is my favorite) at some point and indulge in some internet browsing, searching for colorful beautiful destinations and funny videos. I often end up on one of my favorite blogs, such as Elite Daily. After having been rewarded on numerous Sundays I’d like to share some of that positive energy for the upcoming week with my readers. Come check out my blog on Sunday’s and from now on I’ll be posting colorful beautiful destinations for you to take a short mental vacation to. 

I’ll post colorful cities landscapes, beaches, and other exotic places featuring every color that exists in the Crayola crayon box. There are many colorful places around the world that some people may be unaware of. For example, the colorful architecture in Charleston, South Carolina called Rainbow Alley. We will also look at places around the globe, such as Bo-Kaap, Cape Town in South Africa. I was unaware of most of these places before I started searching. I hope these pictures make my readers develop a curiosity for color in far away locations.Feel free to comment and let me know of any places you feel I should know about.

Image Credit:Tumblr

Image Interpretations

"Origins"

The first time I saw Sean Mundy’s work I was amazed. Sean Mundy is a surrealist photographer. He takes basic images and manipulates them in a way that makes you think deeper about what your eyes are actually seeing. When I look at “Origins” the first thing I notice is the giant red smoke rising to the sky from a single persons silhouette. The red smoke stands out to me against the gray and misty sky and the black silhouettes of people resembling shadows. This photograph contains contrast that is noticeable without having to stare at the image too much. I also feel that there could be many explanations to the meaning behind the photograph. 

Red is the color of extremes. It’s the color of passionate love, temptation, anger, violence, danger, and adventure. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the color of energy and primal life forces. Most of red’s symbolism today arises from its powerful associations in the past. I connect Mundy’s use of red and his title for the photograph “Origins” to mean that following the red smoke is like following the path that modern society has laid out before us. In the photograph everyone is seeking the person with the red smoke. It is like an uphill battle, or a quest the feel they must take. Almost like life itself. “Origins” is a photograph that I would hang in my home because I find the colors, along with whatever message one pulls from the image to be shockingly refreshing. It could serve as a reminder to be yourself at all times.

Image Credit: Sean Mundy Fanpage

About Bright Design

Why does color matter?

I decided to start a blog simply about color. Although color is an abstract concept, it is something we’ve all seen. Our own culture and personal connections affect our experience of color. Ultimately color has had an affect on each and every one of us. Colors have the power to influence the body as well as the mind. Color is a source of light and light is a source of energy. Scientists have discovered that physiological changes take place in human beings when certain colors are revealed. Colors have the ability to stimulate, excite, depress, and create a feeling of warmth or coolness in a room or towards a subject, among other things. 

Whether you’re designing a new theme for a room in your home, wrapping up a gift or creating a presentation, the colors that are chosen, along with the overall content, will largely affect the final outcome. This blog would be a good read for anyone who is interested in making color work for them, or even people who just have a general interest in color.

The first time I became fascinated with color and the emotions it can evoke in a person was when I moved to my first apartment. I couldn't decide on a theme and it bothered me because I wanted a comfy home with pops of color to look at. I needed for people to be fascinated with the color scheme but I still wanted there to be room for the eye to breath. I ended up deciding on white and black furniture, white walls, and pops of color in trinkets, wall decorations and curtains. I settled into my new space and was happily content. The second time I found myself being fascinated with color was about a year ago when I started my job at Wine & Canvas, a painting studio in Granger, Indiana. With painting being one of my outlets of expression it would be easy to make the connection on how color continues to affect my current life. 

I expect anyone who has an interest in color and it’s affects on life to check out my blog and feel free to share. I am always interested to see what colors excite you.

Image Credit: Personal photo