Artist, curator and self-declared colour maniac, Sue Kreitzman, isn’t afraid of standing out. Her lifelong love affair with colour dominates her wardrobe, her work and her home, but it all began with a box of crayons
“I’ll never forget when the first box of crayons was put into my hands; 64 colours! I still buy boxes of those crayons today, they changed my life,” says Kreitzman.
Though many of us leave our love of colour behind when we finish primary school, Sue has continued to embrace it.
“You get older and suddenly it’s bad taste to like bright colours; good taste is wearing black and painting your house in neutral colours. I don’t care if it’s called Eggshell or Latte or Magnolia, it’s all beige to me and I can’t stand it! It actually makes me feel ill, I feel old in a beige room. I’ve got to have colour. Colour is life. Colour is excitement. Colour is what the world is all about.”
Every inch of Sue’s home is brightly decorated in both her own artwork and that of her friends. “I love staying in because my house is so full of colour and art, but sometimes I’ll go on a colour safari in the East End of London where I live,” she says.
“The graffiti is so amazing and there’s so much colour this time of year. People tend to say bright colours are crass, that natural colours are better; but nature is not muted. Colour is all around us outdoors. I wish people would bring it inside as well.
Having worked as a chef before she became an artist, it’s not surprising that Sue still finds colour inspiration in the culinary world.
“I recently had Borscht (a vibrant, fuchsia pink beetroot soup) in a Russian restaurant. I loved the colour so much that I took away an extra serving and had a paint made up in that exact shade and decorated my bathroom in that colour. Valspar’s personalised colour matching service is really pushing the boundaries of what you can do these days.”
So what decorating advice does Sue have for those of us who need weaning off a neutral colour palette?
“I don’t believe in colour rules. You’re supposed to consult a colour wheel to look for complementary colours but I couldn’t care less. I go on instinct. I want excitement and contrast in my house, in my clothes and my art. Just go with your emotions; don’t worry what people will say. Do what you want and not what’s expected of you. I’ve become quite famous for living my life that way!”
Her colourful outlook on life even led to Selfridges letting her loose in its Oxford Street windows in a celebration of the “outsider art” she champions.
“I essentially recreated my home in their window,” she says. “I went a few times a week and it was always so lovely to see people’s reactions. I hope it inspired people to bring some crazy colour into their own lives.”
Sue firmly believes that colour can have a positive effect on more than just your walls or wardrobe; it’s also a great tool for improving your sense of wellbeing.
“I want to see people painting in bright colours. It’s a very easy and inexpensive way of bringing some happiness into your life. The world is not an easy place and colour can act as therapy, it’s almost like a drug. Depression is so pervasive today, but art and colour can help so much … you’ll be amazed what it does for your mental health.”
Introducing Valspar…
Established in 1806, leading American paint brand Valspar is inspiring the UK to get colour confident with the launch of its extensive range of high quality paints and unique tinting technology, which has the ability to match any colour the eye can see – that’s around 2.2 million shades. Using their unique colour-matching technology, any colour can be scanned; be it the blue sky from a holiday photograph, or a vibrant pink from a favourite garment, and recreated in paint form.
Available exclusively at B&Q, Valspar’s Premium paints feature a super scrub formula so paint won’t fade or chip off when cleaned and it comes in a range of wide range of high quality interior and exterior paints in a variety of finishes. Valspar is available at B&Q stores nationwide, visit valsparpaint.co.uk or visit any B&Q store to find out more.
