Why Muted Colors Feel Calmer: What A Dictionary of Color Combinations Taught Me
COLOR AND RESTraint · JORDY KOUMANS
When a color becomes less prominent
What Sanzo Wada shows me about muted colors and tranquility
⏱️ 5-minute read
Sometimes while painting, I am not looking for a stronger color, but for a more subtle one. The hue is already there. Yet the whole only feels right when that color is slightly less prominent.
Muted colors play an important role in my work. Not because they automatically mean tranquility for everyone, but because I can use them to explore nuances and transitions. In A Dictionary of Color Combinations by Sanzo Wada, I find combinations that draw my attention to this.
I am Jordy Koumans, the artist behind KOJO Art. From my studio in Carré in Tilburg, I explain how I look at those colors, what Pale Divide led me to explore about them, and how that color exploration continues in Utsuroi.
01 / LESS INTENSE, NOT LESS COLOR
What do I mean by muted colors?
By muted, I mean here a color that looks less saturated, less bright. Think of dusty blue versus a bright blue, or a restrained reddish-brown hue versus signal red. There is still color, but it asserts itself differently.
Muted is not the same as light. A dark hue can be restrained, and a light color can actually draw a lot of attention. Warm and cool are also different properties. A muted combination can be on either side of that spectrum.
That is why, while mixing, I do not only look at the name of a color. I pay attention to how it behaves next to the other hues in the work. A mixture that looks good on my palette can still end up being too strong or too flat in the composition.
Less saturation does not mean less character to me. It shifts the attention to the nuances.
02 / THE WHOLE COUNTS
Why I experience some combinations as tranquil
A soft hue can help me look at a transition for longer. There is not immediately one bright area that demands all the attention. My gaze gets the opportunity to move between the colors.
But saturation does not explain everything. A strong difference between light and dark can also create a lot of tension with muted colors. A sharp edge tells something different than a gradual transition. And a large area has a different presence than a small accent.
That is why I do not see tranquility as a quality you can buy with a single color. It is something that can arise in the whole: between hues, proportions, shapes, and the space around a work.
That is also personal. What I experience as restrained, someone else may find gloomy. I am talking here about my gaze as a painter, not about a fixed effect on your body or mood.
03 / A BOOK TO LOOK WITH
What A Dictionary of Color Combinations Taught Me
Wada's color book helps me look further than individual favorite hues. A color that does not appeal to me on its own can add exactly the tension I find interesting within a combination.
I do not use the book as proof that certain colors always bring tranquility. For me, it is a reason to explore. Which combination feels restrained? Which hue makes the whole warmer or cooler? What happens when I change the proportion?
In doing so, I do not need to give all colors equal space. A small accent can be enough. And sometimes while painting, I notice that I need to deviate from the starting point.
Want to know more about my use of the book first? In my complete guide to A Dictionary of Color Combinations, I explain how I go from a palette to my own choices. You can read my earlier process story in From Book to Canvas.
The book gives me colors to look at next to each other. I have to build up the atmosphere of the painting myself.
04 / RESTRAINT IN THE PAINT
Pale Divide as Color Exploration
With Pale Divide, I was looking for a quiet transition, more the atmosphere before sunrise than the exuberant moment of color afterwards. That thought gave direction to my choices while painting.
A hue could be beautiful on its own and still feel too prominent within that whole. Then it was not about a universal rule for beautiful colors, but about what this one work needed.
Thus, restraint became not a lack of color, but a way to explore the proportions. You can read more about that starting point in the story about palette #134 and Pale Divide.
View Pale Divide and the current product information →
How This Continues in Utsuroi
With Utsuroi as well, the choice of a palette is only the beginning. On the panel, the geometric structure, the size of the areas, and the soft color transitions come into play.
In From Sanzo Wada to Utsuroi, I place the color combinations next to my paintings. There you can see how differently a starting point can develop.
Next is the build-up in paint. I work with many thin layers, also with colors that later are no longer visible separately. In Why I Paint in Thin Layers: The Colors You Do Not See Right Away, I take you along in that making process.
I tell the broader inspiration behind these works in Utsuroi: Abstract Paintings with Japanese Inspiration.
View Color in the Paintings Themselves
Take the time for my original works and the proportions between their color fields. I paint from my studio in Carré in Tilburg and ship worldwide.
Discover Utsuroi →05 / A WORK IN YOUR SPACE
Choosing Muted Art for Your Interior
If you are looking for a restrained work, look beyond the individual color. How large are the contrasts? How clear are the boundaries between the areas? And how much space does the work need to come into its own?
Muted art does not have to disappear. A large, tranquil area can have a lot of presence. Conversely, a smaller work with a strong contrast can still draw prominent attention.
Also view a work in relation to the light and the materials in your room. I would not rule out warm and cool hues from each other beforehand. Precisely the proportion between them can add something. It is about whether you like to keep seeing the whole.
More considerations can be found in How do you choose the right painting for your space?
Are you unsure about a work for your home?
Send me a photo of your space. I am happy to look along with you at the size, color, and placement of the painting.
Send me a photo →Would you rather look for a small art moment on paper? Then also view Print Club.. The current content and price can be found on the product page.
Frequently asked questions
Are muted colors always light?
No. I use muted for colors that look less saturated. Light and dark are different properties. A muted composition can also have dark areas.
Do muted colors feel more tranquil to everyone?
No, that is not a fixed promise. The combination, contrasts, size, space, and your own preference play a role. Here I describe what I myself look for while painting.
Can a muted painting still have tension?
Yes. A light-dark contrast, a sharp edge, or an unexpected proportion between areas can also create a lot of tension in a restrained palette.
How do you use Wada's color book?
As a starting point to explore color relationships. I do not automatically take a combination literally, but translate it into my own composition and paint build-up.
Where can I view Pale Divide?
On the product page of Pale Divide, you can find the current information about the work. My other original paintings are together in the collection.
Related articles
Continue the color exploration in From Sanzo Wada to Utsuroi. For the process on panel, read Why I Paint in Thin Layers. The background of the collection is in Utsuroi and the Japanese inspiration.
My earlier stories From Book to Canvas and palette #134 and Pale Divide go further into working from a color combination.
About me and KOJO Art
I am Jordy Koumans. KOJO Art is the brand name under which I paint and sell. From my studio in Carré in Tilburg, I make original paintings in which color, composition, and atmosphere come together.
View my original paintings or read more about me as an artist. I ship worldwide.
