Color Play: Second Edition
Joen Wolfrom
C&T Publishing; $29.95

As a fan of Joen Wolfrom’s original Color Play, I was excited to hear that she had updated this wonderful resource. This new edition has been completely rewritten and reorganized, and it includes more than 100 new photos. What will you find in this edition? Chapters include historical facts and basic color information; the five most beautiful color plans and their color partners; the importance of value and how to use it; the characteristics of the major color families; a color reference for each of the 24 colors in the Ives Color Wheel; and how-to steps to create depth, luminosity, transparency, shadows and other landscape illusions. Joen’s work is based on the Ives color wheel with primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan (turquoise blue), rather than the traditional yellow-red-blue color wheel we learned in elementary school. This shift will make a significant difference in how you develop your color sense in your work. Nature also becomes the key to organize color, with four unique color groups. This is wonderful introduction to color theory to those needing one, and a valuable reference for all creative artists.

You can look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.