Sunburns, Water Test Strips and Lipstick – What’s the Connection?
Most of us know if we have some degree of color blindness. The half percent of women and the 6 percent of men diagnosed as being color blind learn early in life to make compensations in color identification in their daily lives. It’s the tints and shades of colors, not so much saturation
where the “gray” areas become a challenge for color blind people.
In particular the purples and browns are frequent color challenges for people who are color blind.
As an artist creating art quilts using my own hand dyed fabrics, I was intrigued to learn where in the light spectrum my vision could be deficient without my knowing.
Color confidence is essential in making decisions for our artwork. I have made a number of art quilts where I blend shades of gray to explore illusion and luminescence. Many of the fabrics I use for these quilts are hand dyed in 8 step color gradations. I find that batik fabrics can be manipulated in many ways to produce color gradations. Many batiks are subdued in hue and it’s possible that a fabric artist is “misreading” hue and tone by not knowing they have a latent color deficiency.
I located a website where I took a four part color vision test which gives instant results rated on a scale of 1 to 1000. The test took me about 8 minutes to complete. I could take it over again if I wished.
If you want to take this same test to reassure yourself that your color selections for your artwork are “normal” , go to X-rite color test and select your country. For each bar of color chips, slide the chips left or right until you create a smooth transition of shades from one end to the other. The end chips do not move.
I would be interested in hearing back if any of you have made a discovery about your color vision after taking the test.
View my Trembing Diamonds quilt as an example of using 8 step gray hand dyed fabrics blended with batiks to simulate luminosity. It hangs in a private collection in London, England.
Color vision is a gift. Eventually the current genetic modification research currently being done using mice as a model will make a breakthrough. Perhaps one day people who are color blind 
no longer will have difficulty recognizing sunburn, reading water purification test strips and noticing lipstick on women’s smiles.
Hi Gina, Thanks for the comment on my blog. It is great to speak with someone in the same – well not exactly same- but at least sharing the same blogging class. You are very proficient at social media- your site looks great and the forum works so well.
I love this entry- good information and a link to a really useful test for artists- or anyone. I picked this entry because my husband would always ask our children at some point in their early school years- how do you know the red you are seeing is the red I am seeing? This question provided many thought provoking ideas and questions- not just at the time but for many years to come!!! Hopefully you will still get this comment!!!
Hi Gina, I love your web site, I want to make some changes on mine now! Your blog about a Vision Test for Artists is great. I also dye fabric and have learned so much about color. I am always trying to teach people to really look at color and learn that this purple has more blue or more red etc. It is amazing that quilters do not really know colors. Thanks for your help, I hope to use some of this blog in my class (like the color test). Keep up the wonderful work, your quilts are beautiful.