Colour is the most fascinating element of a painting. In both figurative and abstract painting, colour is used for its decorative beauty, to create mood, to express or arouse an emotion. In nature and in art, colour has a profound effect on the viewer. By convention, grass is green and water is blue. However, artists do not have to imitate the colours that they see in the physical world. Henri Matisse is the man who is credited with revolutionising attitudes towards colour in art. He famously said, "When I put down green, it doesn't mean grass, and when I put down blue, it doesn't mean sky." Interesting, isn't it?

What do you feel when you see the colour red? A study by researchers at Dartmouth College found that a common emotional association to red may be innate. A study involving monkeys found that they avoided people who wore red as opposed to those who wore green or blue. Neuroscientist Jerald Kralik explained that colour provides cues for everything, from what is fine to eat to determining how others feel in different situations. This study is useful for designers as they can figure out the impact of colours such as red on people and use colours accordingly.

Cuprite-Malachite
Cuprite is named for the Latin cuprum, 'copper', with reference to its copper content. It can form as bright transparent red crystals, or as lustrous, submetallic opaque crystals. Even the opaque form usually has slightly red edges and faint transparency upon back-lighting. Cuprite is often associated together with Native Copper in copper deposits, and often forms as an encrusting reddish coating over the Copper. Malachite is believed to fully or partially coat a layer or pseudo morph over Cuprite, with a fascinating shape and sometimes with a sparkling green crystal form. Doesn't it look marvellous?

Brecciated Jasper
Brecciated Jasper is considered a stone of vitality and strength. It is a detoxifying stone that stimulates the base and sacral chakras in addition to cleansing and stabilizing the auric field. It promotes good health and recovery from any illness. It is believed to bring focus and mental clarity. It is a wonderful grounding stone which can help those who feel overwhelmed when it comes to the task of organization. It can also help in developing creativity and finding outlets for the expression of this creativity. It sustains and supports the wearer during times of stress, and brings tranquility.

Shades of blue!
How often do you look at the sky and get mesmerized by its beauty? The colour of the sky provides valuable information about its condition. Learning about the significance of the sky colour allows you to make an educated guess about the presence of natural haze and air pollution. Azure is a variation of blue that is often described as the colour of the sky on a clear day. A deep blue sky indicates a clean sky. A medium blue shade suggests large amount of water vapour in the sky whereas a pale white milky sky indicates considerable amount of air pollution.

Why does the sky turn pink?
Do you often wonder why the sky appears to be in beautiful shades of pink, orange and yellow during sunset? These colours are due to a phenomenon called scattering. During sunset, as the sun is low on the horizon, sunlight passes through more air than during the day when the sun is higher. More atmosphere means more molecules to scatter the violet and blue light away from your eyes. When the path is long, all of the blue and violet light scatters out of your line of sight. The other colours continue on their way to your eyes. This is why sunsets are often orange and pink. The sun is red when it's on the horizon, because red has the longest wavelength and thus its extremely long path through the atmosphere blocks all other colours.