Kandinsky (1866-1944), a nonobjective painter himself, wrote one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. His theories had an incredible impact on the development of art then and still does now.

Kandinsky's book contains two parts. In the first one, "About General Aesthetic," there is a chapter on spiritual revolution in painting where he teaches how artists can express their own inner lives in non-material terms. The second part, "About Painting," Kandinsky dives into the psychology of colors and the language of form and color.

SHEPARD FAIREY
ARTIST / LOS ANGELES, CA

"That beautiful Kandinsky quote is the poetic version of an art principle I utilize. Elegant color can seduce and bold color can arrest or provoke, but either way, color is a route to the soul through emotion rather than intellect. As I create, I’m consciously considering how color can open the door emotionally and my visual ideas can charge in behind to impact intellectually."

Shepard Fairey is one of the most influential street artists working today. His poster Hope became the defining image of the 2008 presidential campaign, capturing Barack Obama's message for change. (Cover artwork, Evolve Devolve, 44x60, Mixed Media Collage, Spray on Paper, 2018)

JOAN AGAJANIAN QUINN
JOURNALIST, PRODUCER & ARTS ADVOCATE / BEVERLY HILLS, CA

"I think the soul is filled with vibrant color, powerful color,
transforming color... color that is alive."

Joan Agajanian Quinn has been referred to as the “Culture Queen” and the “Gertrude Stein of her day” amongst the artist satellites of Los Angeles, New York and London. Joan and her late husband Jack Quinn together created a legacy of alliances and influences made through friendships of which she still continues to this day.

RYAN & TREVOR OAKES
ARTISTS / NEW YORK CITY, NY

Ryan Oakes: "It does, interestingly. Color defines the behavior of light and we utilize it so pragmatically everyday just to move around the world, yet it also has this incredibly potent emotional power that can deliver such a wide range of feelings from the sickening nauseating sensation of color clashes to the captivating joy that hits you in your chest when the color combinations just sing, like in a Matisse or Van Gogh painting, and even in the gray muted tones of Morandi that are so delicately and subtly balanced against one another."

Trevor Oakes: "Color is invented by our minds to assign meaning to light. Lightwaves in the world hum at a variety of frequencies and our brains create the sensation of colors to differentiate those frequencies from one another, giving us a spectrum of hues to experience. And it's interesting that there's somehow enough magic in those hues to capture artists’ attention for their entire lives. Cezanne speaks of feeling his gaze unflinchingly fixed to the scene before him. And anyone who loves art knows this pleasure one can get simply from looking."

Identical twin brothers, Trevor and Ryan Oakes, are American artists based in New York City. They pioneered this curved picture-plane to be in harmony with the spherical shape of the human eye and the characteristic that visual space wraps around each viewer.

ATLANTIQUE ASCOLI
FASHION DESIGNER / PARIS, FR

"Color is everywhere, eyes closed or open... do we take it for granted?

Associated with my memories, souvenirs, events in my life,
I realize it instinctively guides my present."

Atlantique Ascoli launched her fashion line to breathe life into the thought of “the ease of an interchangeable module” and to mine her personal collections of Victorian blouses for inspiration mixed with effortless Parisian style.

CHAZ GUEST
ARTIST / LOS ANGELES, CA

"Color influences the soul as it influences mood and sound. When I'm working, the gift of color will beckon the viewer to see what I would hope to be an ever-lasting taste on the pallet of History."

Chaz Guest, discovered during his Parisian days by renowned fashion designer Christian Lacroix, worked as an illustrator for French fashion magazine Joyce, where he left his indelible stamp on the world of haute couture, working for Dior, Lacroix, and Yves St. Laurent. Collectors include Oprah Winfrey, and Maya Angelou, as well as Stevie Wonder, Angelina Jolie, and President Barack Obama, and the late Blake Byrne.

ALLEN JONES
ARTIST / LONDON, UK

"The drawing has to take its chance when colour enters the room. Colour can change everything."

Allen Jones became instrumental in the birth of British Pop Art. Jones is best known for his sculptures, paintings and prints incorporating female figures.

His sexually charged early works, with their provocative eroticism, have, over the years, given way to more stylised, lyrical compositions often involving elements of performance such as fashion shows, dancing and cabaret. Alan Cristea Gallery - Malborough Contemporary

ALEXANDRA HEDISON
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER / LOS ANGELES, CA

"I always start a project with some geometry but it's no match for color. Color feels like a raw thing, an organism that enters through my veins and takes over when I think I’ve got everything figured out."

Alexandra Hedison is a contemporary fine art photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Committed to visual narratives as metaphors for themes of impermanence and change, Hedison address the interstices between tradition and novelty by exploring the transitions between the two.

BILLY AL BENGSTON
ARTIST / VENICE, CA

Billy Al Bengston has had major solo presentations in museums across the US. Bengston was recently the focus of the major retrospective California Dreaming: Ed Moses, Billy Al Bengston & Ed Ruscha at the New Britain Museum of Art in New Britain, CT. More info here...Various Small Fires