The power of COLOUR

"Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”

– Wassily Kandinsky

Colour is not only one of the most fun and joyful elements to explore in photography, but colours can hold incredible significance as nostalgic triggers, and symbols for social change.

Colour maximalism inspires me to no end. My eyes awaken when I see a building in my grey city where an architect has had permission to splash colour into their design; I feel hope when a brightly coloured wildflower pops through a crack in the sidewalk; and I am energized as I appreciate the work of artists who wholeheartedly embrace colour: Iris Apfel, Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, David LaChapelle, Sarindar Dhaliwal, and Takashi Murakami, to name a few.

Colours can be used to direct our navigation (red stop signs). They may be used to signify a social issue (Orange Shirt Day). They can signal corporate brand awareness (McDonald’s yellow) and encourage or repel our consumer choices on an emotional level.

The artists in this edition work with colour in beautiful and intentional ways to open viewers’ eyes to the world around them, guiding gazes and analyses in bold new directions.

Editor, Rita Godlevskis

The COLOUR issue IN PRINT • Cover image by Finn O'Hara • photo by Marie-Louise Moutafchieva

Our Winter 2024/ 2025 edition features Leslie Hossack and Peter Owusu-Ansah, two artists who have quite literally zoomed in as close as one can get to analyze single pixel colours and have zoomed back out again to explore the emotional impacts of chroma combinations.

Michael Seleski’s studio fashion work was inspired by the idea of light travelling through the colours in pride flags. Meanwhile, Patricia Parsons works to explore making images to describe how a person with achromatopsia (a form of colour blindness) may see the world.

This issue features:

Scarborough Made: Culture in Colour by Sid Naidu
Finn O’Hara: Conduits in colourIn conversation with Craig D’Arville
Michael Seleski: After All
The Colourists: Peppa Martin reflects on the art of Leslie Hossack and Peter Owusu-Ansah
Brianna Roye + Wanna Thompson Portraits of Mas: For She/For He/For Them by Corinna vanGerwen
A Vibrant Vision by Djenabé Edouard
Patricia Parsons: Perceptions of Colour An interview by Rita Godlevskis
A Whole String of Pearls: The Hand-Tinted Lantern Slides of Mary Schäffer Warren by Mina Markovic

This edition also features, our Books + Resource recommendations for further explorations, and our PORTFOLIO featured artists:
- Amanda Devison
- Manfred Mueller
- Stephane Alexis
- Daphne Faye Boxill
- Eva Kolcze
- Monica Rooney
- Paul Gravett
- Trina Turl
- Vanessa Pejovic
- David Dorrance
- Ryan Puchalski
- Marie-Louise Moutafchieva
- and Tessy Morelli, our TAMRON Award winner
  
  + More