A full five days devoted to the in-depth study of colour will release your creative genius. The Colour Institute will cover colour perception, aesthetics, dynamics, theory, and use. Working from diverse historic and cultural sources, this class moves through classical concepts of colour to ideas of contemporary artistic and designer practice. The workshop will conclude with insight into the world of colour forecasting and the development of colour trends.


Michele joins us from Seattle to explain how methodologies such as colour bridging, composition, and creation may be learned and mastered. Colour systems such as NCS and Pantone will be presented. Theories developed by Johannes Itten, Josef Albers, and Albert Munsell will provide the tools to understand the chromatic realm with specific reference to textiles. Students will learn how colour functions in various environments and how it interacts both with other colours and with components such as texture and lighting. The Colour Institute will include exercises performed on yarns, cloth, colour chips, paintings, and drawings. Students will learn how to problem-solve colour mistakes and develop a deep understanding of value and saturation and how these affect finished work. As sessions progress, the focus will shift to student design problems and challenges. Students will apply the concepts of the class to their own work.

This inspired class is a must for designers, artists, or anyone interested in the complex world of perception, meaning, and interpretation behind the use of colour.

Michele Whipplinger

Michele has been a consultant in Nepal for the development of colour and natural-dye processes for the Tibetan hand-woven carpet industry. She has developed products and consulted on colour for Aveda, Origins, Martha Stewart Living, Esprit, Terra Verde, and Nature Conservancy. Michele is on the Executive Board of Directors for Colour Marketing Group and received the United Nations award for her environmental stewardship on the development of an ecological natural-dye process for the American textile industry. www.earthues.com