Welcome to Friday Feature! A weekly feature showcasing artists and designers who focus on color, pattern and inspire us all. Today we have another lovely creative soul who has been taking part in the Color Challenge to tell their story of their journey of color and creation.

Jaime Barks

I am so excited to showcase the work of Jaime Barks. Jaime has been on the color journey with me since I started in 2010.

1) What has your journey with color been like so far?

I’ve always loved bold colors but in the past I’ve tended to shy away from them when painting. The color challenge has provoked me to explore a broader color range and has really helped me to “find” myself as a painter. I feel like working with one isolated color has helped free myself me up. I find I can approach a piece now with a little more courage.

Jaime’s work from the Tangerine Tango January color challenge.

2) Tell us a little about the mediums/materials that you like to use? If the challenge is more difficult for you depending on the materials you use, please tell us about that.

I really love to use a bit of everything. I tend to favor watercolor and acrylics. I’ve actually used the challenge to break out a little bigger and explore other mediums like oil pastels and water-soluble crayons. Here recently, I have been branching out using reclaimed wood as opposed to a regular canvas. I love the idea of turning something that most would throw away, into a vehicle to display art and creativity.

Jaime’s work from the Lavender & green February challenge

3) What has been your favorite color to create in?

Definitely yellow. Which is kind of funny because it isn’t one of my favorite colors.

Jaime’s work for the Tranquil Blue March challenge

4) What is it about this color that makes it so fabulous for you?

I think it just radiates joy. Last year there was a lot of darkness in my life and yellow just seemed to help lighten my life a little. It’s hard to explain, but there is a liberating joy that I feel in seeing a canvas smeared with a bright happy yellow!

Jaime’s work for the Mustard Yellow challenge

5) How has the color challenge helped you stretch and explore color more?

I touched on this a little bit in the first question, but the color challenge has definitely helped me move beyond my own “color inhibitions.” It has caused me to explore a broader spectrum as it pertains to color but has also stretched me to my creative limits and allowed me to reach out past my normal painting routine. I’ve found that even in the way the challenge is set up, it encourages this kind of exploration.

Jaime’s work for the Pink May challenge

6) In what ways has it enhanced other parts of your life?

Creativity has alway been important in my life but this year it has really been an invaluable coping mechanism. During some very rough times throughout this past year, creativity and painting especially as it relates to the color challenge, has definitely been a grounding tool for me. It has allowed me to clear my mind and focus on happier things in the midst of some very unhappy situations. Painting, and really any project that inspires creativity, is very therapeutic for me. Throwing paint on a canvas is almost as good as Yoga. (But I’m not giving up my Yoga anytime soon)

Thanks again for organizing these. The challenge has been huge in helping me transition from an occasional painter into at artist.

Jaime’s work for the red & roses June challenge

Connect with Jaime here: Blog | Facebook

Thanks so much Jaime for sharing your journey and lovely work with us. As I mentioned above Jaime has been working through the color challenges with me since 2010.

Below are some sneak peeks into her earlier work from those color challenges (2010 and 2011).

	Yellow challenge - August 2010	Red - Aug 2012
Blue- August 2010	Sea green - August 2010	Purple - August 2010

Learn more about color here….

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