ABSTRACT
Rich colors, like strong flavors, hit our senses full on, but for the same reason that they give us plenty to react to, they quickly become too much for comfort. Visual excitement, which is what they deliver, works best for most people when part of a balanced diet-and this is where plainer colors come in. Here, we’re back with the Shakers, last visited on pages 60-61 and for much the same reason. The entire subject of Shaker design and architecture revolves around their religious principle of simplicity, restraint and the avoidance of anything decorative. Shaker colors tend to be muted, and that worked best for the book I was shooting when the light itself contributed to the effect. In this case, a softly raining morning. The illustration shows how otherwise the autumn hues might have gone (increasing saturation outwards). You might ask what the difference is between muted and drab. The answer does not lie in the actual color scheme, but in our own value judgment. If you’re in the mood for color pizzazz, then its drab; if you feel like restraint, it’s muted.
