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Pink and Purple People Tend to be Different—


Or so Sara says.

You see, my partner’s favorite color is orange, and hers is a strong preference.  You might say it borders on the extreme.

I suppose, it’s not unlike my extremist point of view when it comes to empty cat food cans, my over-indulgence in un-iced strawberry Pop Tarts, or my craziness for cake (a heavily frosted fanaticism, in this instance).

I tend to tease Sara less about color and more for being particular about placement, since where one puts things matters so much to her.  I’ve even been known to unkindly and thoughtlessly call her a placement Nazi.  (She claims it’s the architect in her.  I’m not buying it.)

However, her feelings about color are almost as strong.  You could say she has palette preferences:

Orange is good.

Pink is bad.

Thus, “Pink and purple people tend to be different.”

“Different from what?” you might ask.  Do these fuscia-loving zealots differ from folks who have a simple, everyday preference for, say, orange?

Okay.  You’re right.  I tend toward hyperbole.  My mocking is merciless, and Sara deserves a partner who’s more respectful of her color likes and dislikes..

However, my tireless, some might say, manic making of art in recent weeks has me thinking lots about color..

But you should decide for yourselves.  Has my creation of art become as extreme as Sara’s palette preference?  Do I need to slow down, get some rest, read a few blogs, maybe even leave a comment or two?  Has my morphing of things as ordinary as empty cat food cans into fun-filled art gone a bit too far?  Have I taken this scraps-into-craft and junk-into-joy thing a little too far?

Take a look.  Decide for yourselves.

The first set of photos shows the containers I’ve created out of empty soup cans.  They can be used as vases, pencil holders, or anything else you might imagine.

Next up is wall art made out of empty cat food cans that have been painted and mounted on scrap pieces of lumber.  Notice how I use tabs from Coke cans to create flowers and the plastic lids from two liter soda bottles to build a border.

And last but not least is wall art sans cans.  These pieces incorporate prints of art I created in a one-dimensional form some years ago but reinvent here three dimensionally.  Check out how I build dimension in some pieces toward the end of this post, by mounting prints on scraps of painted cardboard and elevating them on recycled soda lids.

So, whether or not my manic making  and crazy creating has gone on long enough, whether my love of trash is as extreme as Sara’s anti-pink propaganda or her adoration of orange, I’d love to know which palette you prefer.  Do you have a favorite color?

100 thoughts on “Pink and Purple People Tend to be Different—”

  1. The thing I love most about your home, Kathy, besides the people in it is the abundance of color. You two are fearless with brightness which makes every room warm and inviting. While I have a fondness for purple, I also love orange and anything fall. I love color of all sorts, which is why your house and your art really speaks to me. As for whether or not enough is enough, you are creating in whatever form. Enjoy it and who cares about the rest.

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  2. Blue – my color of choice is blue. Any shade – but I love cobalt or the color of the Caribbean. My sister, on the other hand, has a pink fetish. Everything must be pink (preferably flowery). After much time with her, it gives me a headache, all the pink, fuschia, mauve…and I long for a cool peek at something blue.

    Love the art, love the layout today. You are so creative and I particularly like the recycling aspect of your creations.

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    • So happy you appreciate the recycling aspect of my art. It’s fun to experiment with what I find in the trash and see what I can do with it. I think the experimentation is almost as fun as the art-making itself. Kind of weird, isn’t it? By the way, I, too, love blue!

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  3. I’m glad you’re also creating art without cans. I was starting to worry about what you were going to do when you run out of cans! Your cats can’t possibly eat that much. 🙂

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  5. Favorite color: red! That is why I loved that piece of art you made for your nephew!!! Your palette of colors is always so vivid and eye catching and the colors pop off the page so I imagine they are even more brilliant in person! Never have been a huge pink and purple fan and had a friend who was an orangefanatic so i am well acquainted with love of that color but I truly think they are all lovely—-they definitely all have their places! Thanks again for sharing lovely works of art!!!!

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  6. Blue and green together – the colors of sky, ocean, and forest. And I tend to agree with Sara about pink. I’m still grateful that B had all boys and I never had to shop on the pink aisle at Target or Toys R Us. I did however recently but a pair of canvas sneakers that might be described as pink, though I prefer to see them as light red. Orange is lovely – like pumpkins. Love the prints!

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  7. Kathy,

    I think there is a color preference for everyone. There are moments that I am attracted to one color over another. And sometimes it is the energy that the creation emanates whether the colors speak to me.

    of course if you are using color in the form of healing or awareness of your Chakra purple or violet are higher vibrational colors, orange a lower vibrational tone, all effecting the way we view the world.

    I tend to lean more to blues and greens!

    I think your creative energy is a good activity, writing or saving cans, recycling is a good use to make objects beautiful !

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    • I find what you say about color vibration fascinating. I had no idea about any of this. I may have to read a bit about it. Green is my favorite color. However, purple is a close second. Great to hear from you, Jeff! Thanks for mentioning this vibration thing. Will check it out!

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  8. I used to agree with Sara about pink but as I get older I find it a vibrant color I actually look good in, which is not necessarily true about orange. If I have to pick a favorite it’s probably green, though some days it’s purple or red or blue. Oh, and your obsession? It’s only over the top if you don’t sell it, give it away, find a spot to display it or otherwise move it along. 🙂

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  9. Who knew? Who — but you — on this planet knew that items typically found in a recycle bin could be turned into fun, eye-popping art! You need to be teaching this craft somewhere. And I’d be willing to bet money that you find it therapeutic — as would others.

    As to color…

    …every wall in our house is soft yellow, with the exception of the biggest wall that’s sage green. We have indigo and chili-pepper red accents throughout, and just to keep us on our toes, we mix and match every color of Fiesta Ware when we eat (we don’t limit ourselves to one or two colors).

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  10. Inlike both pink and orange, it I think orange is more of an accent color and you can use pink as the primary in everything! I own a lot of pink, as does my daughter! Loving your art!

    P.s.- I hate purple. Don’t like it at all!

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    • I also think pink and orange look great together! Have you ever tried that? Also, fascinating that you think pink can be used for primary purposes. I actually agree that some shades of pink almost read as neutral–if that makes sense. Great to hear from you, Jamie!

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  11. My favorite color is brown, go figure. Being a quiet reserved kind of person I love the earth tones. The forty shades of green in Ireland makes my soul feel at peace. Bright flashy colors are like grandchildren. They bring joy into my heart, but I wouldn’t want them living with me.

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    • Hmmmmmmm– I don’t think you’re all that quiet. I found both you and Colleen outgoing. However, yes, you seem more reserved than your wife. Plus, I think brown is a very masculine color. Great to hear from you today, David!

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  12. I think you are creating wonderful pieces of art – out of something that most people WOULD consider trash – but turning it into something lovely and useful! 🙂 I say – GO FOR IT! Create your ♥ out!! 🙂

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  14. So, Kathy, how do I place an order? I love your wall art (fifth one down using cat food cans), and the last photo of the soup can/pencil holder. You are incredibly talented! What I love is how you see art in trash, and most of us see trash in trash. You have managed to turn it around into a thing of beauty. I love bold colors of any kind, which is why I love your work so much. One of my favorite colors is orange–but orange looks fab with hot pins, lime green, bright blues–you name it! I love purple, too!

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    • I totally agree that orange looks great with hot pink. Orange and pink are next to one another on the color wheel. I can tell you love color, Monica. You definitely have an artist’s response to it, at least in my mind. Just let me know if you really want to place an order.

      It’s all for sale. We haven’t solidified our prices yet, but I suppose the cat food can piece will be around $100 and the can–maybe 15? I don’t know how to do prices. Mostly I feel guilty charging anyone anything. If you truly decide you are interested, however, I would throw the can in for you as a friendship/patron bonus. LOL

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      • Kathy, I wish I could, but I’m going to have to save up a long time first, things being the way they are these days. Good luck with all the creating. I’m making progress with the scrapbook I told you about, but am far from finished myself. Also my daughter’s been home but she left today, so now I’ll have more time for reading other blogs and commenting, too. Miss her, though. Sigh.

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  15. Some folks are frou frou and some aren’t.

    I fall into the latter category.

    I was on a housework site where we practised getting good routines etc. and I think I was the only woman on it that had very little frou frou.

    Maybe it has to do with there’s enough chaos in my head that I can’t cope with it in the environment? My fav “style” is simple Japanese style wood, marble, natural and little in the way of “extras” short of paintings [most of which I painted]

    I make the sign of the cross at pink 😮

    I think it rather weirded them out, LOL.

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  16. The hub caps are back!! Love this art you have created, it has inspired me to rummage through my recycling! I love pink and purple. Orange, however I think we should leave for oranges and sunsets. It’s a rotten colour and for some reason reminds me of vomit. Bring on the purple parade!

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  17. I am with Sara, pink sucks. I never even owned a scrap of pink fabric until I had nieces. Now I have some pink, but it is hidden away until I need it because I detest it so much. Red is my color, my favorite being the shade you find on so many new cars these days. A nice deep red. Like Bethann, I adored the piece you made for Johnny. LOVED it! You are just an art making machine, Sista! I hope you make lots of green with your green artwork. Cold, hard cash is everyone’s favorite color!

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    • LOL! Sara would agree that pink stinks. I kind of like it. But GREEN is my favorite–in the form of cash and anything else, for that matter. I know about you and red. WHen I made that red can, I thought of both you and Beth Ann. You all have become a red-loving pair in my mind. LOL Hugs to you, my dear!

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  18. I want to say I don’t like pink. Or orange. But, you know what? It’s just the mind that THINKS it doesn’t like these colors. In actuality, I like lots of different colors at different times. Your picture of the cat with the tree in its cheek is really cool. OK, lots of your stuff is cool, but I like this one a lot.

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    • How cool that you like the cat, Kathy. I think of that as my spiritual stuff. I have LOTS of stuff in that vein, actually. However, I have to agree that color preference can change according to context. Thanks so much for your comment!

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  19. Don`t feel guilty about not blogging/commenting when a money making opportunity rolls around which allows you to do something you love! Oh- with the bonus that others do too. Color? To thine own self be true….

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  22. I’m a purple lover. It is much more lush than pink. It’s doubtless got to do with my preference for being a queen over being a princess. Is Sara a Volunteer fan? She could wear gratuitous amounts of orange, then. I love the process behind your art. That one of the cat is kickass awesome.

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  23. Kathy, your art is incredible! I can see that you are a perfectionist with it too, as every line is a perfect line, every flower has perfect petals…you must have the steadiest hand in the world!

    As for colours, I prefer different colours for different things. I like blue cars, but wear a lot of pinks, reds and mauves. Around the house I have a lot of maroon tones, but they have to be lightened by some beige. I hate white cars, yet enjoy wearing white clothing during summer. And when I’m choosing colours for websites, I often favour yelow tones. It all depends on the place and the mood, I think. Well, for me it does.

    You have chosen such a huge variety of colours and they all look fabulous together! I can see you are a woman on a mission! Hugs to you and Sara. 🙂

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    • Oh, thanks, Joanne. I have to confess that I cheated on some of those flower petals–though I won’t go into how. Actually, my hand is not nearly as steady as Sara’s, though I AM a perfectionist, for sure. Hug to you from both of us!

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  24. I don’t think I have a favorite color but my bedroom is a soft green which I love. It’s so soothing and relaxing.
    So I just love the color combination of the 5th can – the one with the green, orange and pale blue. It seems unexpected. I may have to steal that from you and use it in my bedroom somehow. 🙂

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  25. Red and orange are my favorite colors, but generally speaking anything bright and cheery will work for me too. Fuchsia, bright greens, bright yellows, I love them all.
    But more importantly, I was discussing ways to earn income without having to return to the work force (I am currently unemployed) and someone suggested EBay and Etsy; so now I pass the same tip to you, These are wonderful works of art, not to mention the effect your recycling effort is having on the environment!

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  26. ONE of my nicknames is “Pinky”. I don’t know why. Other than it rhymed with “Stinky” and the neighbor boys and my brothers were “pigs”. 🙂 But I’m leaning more towards the oranges for a color palette.

    So technically I have a foot in both worlds. 🙂

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  28. I hate both pink and orange. I love black and when I feel like mixing things up I throw in charcoal. That said, the lively explosions of color in the art you so cleverly create from ordinary refuse does not offend me in the least. I find your sculptures very entertaining. That said, you must eat a massive amount of soup, but who’s eating all the cat food? You guys have two dogs. Is some “funny business” going on with Lucy and Ralph’s diets?

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    • How funny what you say about the cat food and our having dogs. I hate to confess the truth. However, the cans are ones I saved years ago and have moved with me from place to place. In fact, when my sister saw the ornaments, she asked, “Are those the damn cans, I’ve helped you move so many times?”

      And I’m glad to know you actually mix up your palette. Daring, aren’t you?

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  29. Orange has long been my favorite color, so Sara and I agree on that one! (This might have something to do with my love for the blue-and-orange Denver Broncos, though).

    I say keep on keeping on with converting trash into art. You’ve got such a great talent for it, Kathy!

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  33. I used to have a closet full of cream, beige, and black. I’ve branched out and added a brown or two. 🙂

    Actually, I used to like the nuetrals the best. Restful. But now I feel like I need a little zip in my life, so I’m trying out colors. I just don’t have a lot of confidence using colors. I love the work my son does, and he uses a lot of bright color.

    Creativity is our connection to God, or the universe, or however you’d prefer to think of it. When you are inspired to create, you need to be creating.

    I love the soup cans, but then I’m a practical sort who likes things to have a useful purpose, mostly.

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    • I’m surprised that you are not naturally a color person, as I somehow had thought of you otherwise. I think I must have associated with the flowers you photo, most of which are bight. Glad you are beginning to branch out. Thanks for reading, Christine.

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  34. i like your whimsy. also, fwiw, i’m partial to a purple-blue-green palate, and i’m not much fond of either pink or orange, though i sort of like them together.

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  35. I am a pink and purple loving zealot. 🙂 And I even like orange and red too. 🙂 All warm colors make me smile a whole lot. Anyhoo, I really hope this comment goes through and I even more love your art work. I wish I could buy some. It’s all so vibrant and lovely. 🙂

    Hugs to you,
    Currie

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  36. Hands down, it’s a tie between Turquoise and Purple 🙂

    Have you considered an Etsy shop with a link on your blog? I’d so buy one of your repurposed soup cans-pencil-holder-thingys.

    Hugs
    MJ

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  37. Your artwork is wonderful. So much amazing color! I think your time not blogging has been very well spent. 🙂
    My favorite color is purple. And blue. Sometimes pink. Or green. Orange is nice too. As is yellow. Actually, the color of the sky at sunset is my favorite color.
    I am married to a placement freak so I can relate. M likes things “just so” which is why I long ago relinquished any claim to arranging furniture. That’s fine with me. It’s one less decision I have to make.

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    • I know what you mean about the furniture arrangement. Sara tries to ask for my input, but really stuff has to be where she wants it in the end. But—she also has really good ideas, so we both win, I suppose. Great to hear from you, Robin.

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