Can Colors Make You Sick?

Well, can certain colors (or color combinations) make you feel nauseous?  Back in the day, when I was a painter, art teachers liked to call me "a colorist" because I used unusual color combinations to create interesting paintings.  I'm not quite a fauvist, but I do like unusual colors.  It's probably because I grew up in Seattle and most of the year the sky is gray, which causes all colors to dull down.

So, I was just playing around in Photoshop with a palette taken from the cartoon Yellow Submarine, and I started to feel sick.  When I look at the photo at the top of this post, I like it...in limited doses.  However, if I had to live in a room full of those colors, I would puke.  (On the other hand, if I lived in a room that was all blue or all white, I would feel cold and tired.)

Here's a site that seems to confirm that too much color can make you feel awful.  (Caution: If you get migraines from flashing lights, don't click on that link.)  Instead, take this fun color test.  The color quiz is a psychological snapshot of how you are feeling right now.

Happy New Year!

I didn't get my New Year's cards out because too much was happening this year.  So, here is the digital version.  (My dad used to write for "Gunsmoke", so I put "Miss Kitty" on the design.)