I recently attended a gallery, where one of my paintings was one of the entries in the exhibition.

At the launch evening, I realised that not all artists immerse themselves in colour. The subject matter may determine the medium and palette they use, yet a lot seemed to be the artist's own personal style as the main factor. One artist used pen and ink. His intricate detail and fine line work were very impressive. This was obviously his style and medium preference, as there were two of his pieces on show, different in topics but the same in mediums and style. I envied his control and the amount of patience he must have had to complete such detailed pieces. It reminded me of a pen drawing I did as a teenager. It was an image of the inside of a cathedral somewhere. It took me days sitting at my grandma's dining table. I think I saw it as a challenge.

It was either that or the constant encouragement and praise I got over my shoulder from my grandmother.

Personally, I cannot cope without colour. My hair is blue, my clothes are bright, and my artwork is drenched in colour.

Admittedly I went through fashion stages that affected the colours I wore. For example, the goth era saw me in black dresses, boots and floppy hats.

I then realised that being surrounded by colour deeply affected my moods and how I felt.

As an art teacher in a primary school, I presented an assembly on colour. It wasn't purely an art-based presentation but to educate the children in the importance and value of colour and how it affected their lives. I explained how blues and greens are cool colours often used in bedrooms and hospitals to create a calm ambience.

Reds and oranges are warm colours. Many people wear red, as a power colour, when attending an interview or important meeting to portray confidence and professionalism.

Perhaps schools should consider these suggestions when designing their uniforms. It would be interesting to monitor the difference between red-uniformed school children and navy- or black-uniformed schools.

On one occasion I was stopped by some year five boys on the corridor. I was wearing a black cardigan, and they asked if I was ok.
In my defence, it was worn with a red flowered dress. At least they had listened to my assembly presentation.

Painting in itself is a joyful experience, and there is nothing more exciting than slapping lots of colour onto a canvas. In my view the bigger the canvas, the better.

Of course, it can also be more restrained and controlled, lending itself to a topic or subject matter.

Colour makes me happy. It makes my heart sing, and to convey these feelings and emotions to children is a bonus for me as a tutor.

My students who come to me for private tuition love it when I give them a free option to be released with large brushes, a multitude of paint tubes and a large canvas on the easel.

The examples of children's art I have included in this article show how the artists have immersed themselves in bright colours. I think it is obvious the pleasure they have had in producing these artworks from digital to collage and to paint; they are all wonderful examples.

Thank you to all the artists

Please send more artwork to me via my email; purplegrandma48@gmail.com OR online via Curatorspace (Children's Art Opportunities)
December's articles will be focusing on the theme of Winter.