CLASS NOTES:
AD100 Applied Color Theory

An older woman attended a John Pike seminar, and approached the artist afterward perturbed. "But Mr. Pike", she proclaimed, "watercolor is just a happy accident." John Pike replied, "Yes Ma'am, but I have found that the more I practice, the more often the accident happens."

"Talent comprises Desire, Aptitude and Tenacity"

 

"Understanding is a three-legged stool."

Though it is an overused metaphor, implying that if you are missing even one of the legs you will fall on your butt, often the understanding of a particular concept can legitimately be broken down into three separate components. While theologians argue the merits of the metaphor, upset that the implication is that each leg is of equal value and how dare someone have the presumption to equate various aspects of understanding, I think that is taking the metaphor to an extreme where it loses its usefulness. For Color Theory however, we will ignore the relative length of the legs, generalize that the seat which the legs support is "understanding", and state that for our purposes that The three legs of understanding Color Theory are: The Newtonian Color Wheel, The Faber Birren Triangle and the 9-Step Value Scale.