Why can't I get a grown-up bike that looks like these kids bikes?
Simple, fast, modern form. Bold, technical, fun graphics. Amazing color that just pulls you in! Not just the saturated, alive pink and orange, but the bright, clean whiter than white.
Might I ride my bike more??? It's a thought!
Connection to color is a powerful thing. It can change a mood, make or break a decision to purchase something, make us feel beautiful, or identify an entire culture. Just like blue represents my beloved Greece, in a most special way where natural and man-made have chosen the same palette, the connection is obvious.
So when I say red... you say... China. But I'm a new student to China, and not sure where it came from, more research to do. But in the meantime, here's some glorious red.
Composing the year's last spectral study I got to brown, and in reviewing my photographs found them to be a wonderful composition of the year. Particularly a retrospect of the amazing journeys 2008 held in store for me. From Mexico and Milan, to Munich, to Marathon. The Pergola's, Biergarten's, Cafe's and great furniture all express a warmth, depth and luster that is imprinted in my heart and soul as we begin 2009. Next year, I plan to focus on color combinations and continue to post a monthly spectral study, with the hope to inspire us all to look at what surrounds us a little differently.
Happy New Year!
Perhaps the skies in Oregon are the inspiration for this month's spectral study in my choice of grey. But it's not always gloomy, it can be deep and intense, rough in concrete, sparkling in silver and stainless.
Grey was the hottest trend color in fashion this past year. I love it most in combination with dark brown. Hard to wear for many, it never became the new black. It will always be a mainstay in architecture, interiors and automotive, and always feels new, innovative and reliable.
I like grey. As a color goes I think it's pretty friendly. A good team player isn't it? Willing to support other colors, stand in the background and let others be in the spotlight. But in this study, grey shines bright. Alone, as silver, with it's extroverted partner gold. This composition is my favorite of all the spectral studies so far, for it's subtlety and surprise.
... not a guarantee.
I heard a friend say this many years ago, and she's right. Like most, I've come to rely on technology in my day-to-day, and when something doesn't work, it can feel like things come to a screeching halt. Granted, standing in front of a large audience with a powerpoint presentation that has redesigned itself during the walk over to the auditorium can unnerve even the best of us, for the most part technology is my friend.
My spectral studies continue to bring me great joy. Composing my own photography into the 12 spot grid, with a monthly color theme, and publishing it on this blog, is in itself a bit of techonological wonder. OK, maybe not so much a wonder.. not in comparison to this very cool website Multicolr Search Lab by idee that Jesse shared with me this week. Thanks Jesse! Although a bit dangerous for someone like me who never gets bored with color, combinations and composition.
Check it out! With over 10 million images from Flickr's Creative Commons, select your color, or colors and let the technology do the rest.
You will be inspired, I guarantee it!!!
I've been waiting for October to work on Orange. The color of fall in my corner of the world. My wedding anniversary is in October, and the year we were married in beautiful New England, had to be one of the pinnacle years for the fall foliage season. Or as the Germans call it "Indian Summer". Where I come from, Indian Summer always referred to those rare 80 degree plus days you got in October. Both definitions speak of warmth and energy, either through the power of color or temperature.
When the sun shines in October, it's a gift wherever you are, because of the beauty and warmth that accompanies it. It's a month of transition, fall, autumn, herbst, φθινόπωρο, the end of summer the beginning of winter. The color orange is equally at home in both seasons.
Creating the spectral study for September has been a blast. I chose purple, and it has sparked some amazing inspiration for me. In a summer that was all about grounding, connecting and releasing, it's no surprise to me that purple bubbled up as the color for this month.
For a good part of my early years purple was my favorite color, it started at about the age of five. It was pretty simple back then, the colors of the high school I hoped to attend were purple & white. Go Wildcats! My dad had season tickets to the high school basketball games, a quite normal thing to have in Indiana. I went to most games with him on Friday and Saturday nights at the Civic Center. At some point, he gave me the ok to sit in the cheering section, and I would dream of wearing the purple and white uniforms of their cheerleaders.
So the first photo in this study is a bit nostalgic, as it was my most prized possession from back in the day. My love for purple remains, although I don't wear it head-to-toe anymore! In fact a quick inventory of my closet accounts for no purple except THE jacket.
Purple is a big color this fall. It tends more to fuschia, but I haven't seen this much purple at retail in a long time. I think it maybe time to add a bit to my wardrobe. The old letter jacket fits, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the consumer that should be rocking vintage in that way. We'll see.
Here's to Purple, modern and nostalgic.
When I started my spectral studies in January, I tackled the most difficult color for me personally Blue. As I mentioned in that post blue is the favorite color of 75% of the population globally. I happen to be part of the 25% minority. But I like challenges, so I'm going back to blue.
This blue is the true blue. Like many colors it's an adjective too, defined as loyal, constant, reliable and devoted. You know, like I am a True Blue Democrat. I'm taking creative license to call this True Blue, many may have another blue in mind, but hey... it's my blog, and that's the freedom, beauty and joy that this media of expression brings! Gotta love that.
True Blue, the blue skies and seas of Greece are all this and more, and give me a new perspective on a color that is quickly moving up on my favorite list. Surrounding us everyday during our happy days there, constant, reliable and oh so naturally Greek. So here's to blue, again.
This month's spectral study is Clay, a little unexpected, but it's all around me these days that I have spent in Greece. From sunsets, to earth and rocks, to clay roofs against crystal blue skies, coppery Clay is a new favorite. It shines and glows, matte and flat, all natural in every interpretation.
As it stands alone in tile work, or as a background color, it is strong but subtle. The combination of Clay, White, Beige and Crystal Blue cannot be beat, at least today, at least in Greece. From the villages of my grandparents, to the beaches of Schinias, and the sunsets over Marathon, this is the authentic color of Greece.
My sixth spectral study is late, where did June go? I'm not wearing a watch these days, and only know that today is the 4th of July, so I missed June. Well here goes, in a pinch, go to your favorite. Go to what you know, what you can rely on, what inspires and looks beautiful to your eye no matter what. For me, it's Green.
It's April, and we're sun deprived here in Pacific Northwest. The warmth of yellow is calling out. Yellow is a difficult color to wear. Despite that I still predicted that yellow and grey would be the colors at this year's Academy Awards. I was wrong. That's surprising, a shock really... at least to me. Grey yes, yellow no, but RED.
So I gave it some thought, and here's where I landed. With the writer's strike in full swing earlier this year, the Golden Globes, normally held in January, were canceled. All those RED gowns chosen for January's ceremony, were held until March, and pulled out for the Academy Awards. Thus no yellow.
So was I wrong? We'll never know. In any case. There's a reason why yellow was chosen for the Smiley face popularized in the 70's, it's happy. It begs the question, can it ever look sad? Best in small doses, here's this month's spectral study - yellow.
Technically white is not a color because there is no hue. But we all know that our whites don't always match, and some whites are whiter, and along with black it's the most versatile non-color-color there is. I love white, crisp Brooks Brothers blouses, T-s from the Gap, fresh notebook paper. The car companies compete at their highest level for the best white. All that for a non-color. Nothing is cooler, cleaner, fresher, crisper or bolder. It's spring, and it's time for white!
If any month is pink, it's February. In the spirit of "Girl Power", and Hillary, I'm going for pink. I know a lot of women find it condescending to be "pinked", the phenomenon to take any product, make it pink and sell it to women. That philosophy has resulted in some landfill I'm sure. But there's truth to pink and girls! Like it or not. The best pinks have lots of blue in them, they don't get fleshy and peachy. They are crisp and have a natural energy, even a glow about them.
We've had a couple of sunny, crystal blue sky, mid 50 F days here in the Pacific Northwest. I took my camera and me out for a long walk yesterday to see what I could find. It's still pretty drab here, but I tried for pink anyway. I found a few fresh images to supplement what I had already. You'll notice there are no car images here, probably one of the few months that won't have one. There are some limits... cars should not be pink. Although I could take on the challenge to find THE perfect pink to put on a car. Would love to hear thoughts on what car it should be... I'm tending towards a Corvette or a BMW X5.
Here's to PINK!
I love photography and photo composition is something that brings me great joy. Of course, color is one of the easiest and most beautiful methods to bring disparate subjects together. A friend of mine suggested that in my next career I write a book for each of the color families. Not sure if that's ever going to happen, but I thought I'd get a jump start on the covers for each of these books. For 2008, I am going to attempt to post a composition of my personal images by color family every month. The images are simply of things that have caught my eye. Each have specific significance and can be classified in many categories of this blog. This particular series aims to bring them together under another unifier, color.
I start January with Blue. Even though it is the favorite color of 75% of the population globally, it's the color I have the most difficulty relating to, the one I find the least inspirational. Here's to blue!
I was in New York City last week, the first time in many, many years that I was there during the holidays. Getting a chance to see the city, especially Rockefeller Center and 5th avenue decked out in holiday splendor was a treat. Here are a few photos to get you in the mood. Special thing was the super white lights on the trees, they are energy saving LED lights, and really looked liked ice drops frozen on the branches. Magical.
I cannot think of one area that is not better when it is diversified. This would include neckties.
I would like to suggest that just because you wear a blue or red tie, this does not make you more qualified to be the President of the United States, or more American. What it does suggest is that you have no idea how cookie-cutter it makes you appear. When did this nonsense start? Is there some kind of rule that says if you are running for political office in the US, or are somehow involved in a political campaign, and you are a man, that your tie must be red or blue?
Let's be honest, the shades of the American flag, are not flattering when placed in close proximity to most skin tones. In fact, the shades of the American flag were probably never meant to be worn on the human body. Seriously, politicians, check out the vast array of beautiful ties available. A
chance to communicate something about yourself, non-verbally. Color and pattern are powerful weapons, use them. There are people who specialize in helping the color challenged, reach out!!
I've abandoned chartreuse momentarily for a new favorite color. It's the vermilion red-orange seen throughout Japan on Shinto shrines. I love it. It's unwearable really, but who cares. Sorry chartreuse, something else has caught my eye. Flirting with Shinto orange, I hope there's not some legend that says this will not end beautifully.
If you have the chance to own a Lotus Elise, here's a color tip before you buy that car. Today I saw an Elise in Anthracite. Poor Elise. It looked like a black & white photo in a color world, and not in the good black & white photo kind of way. It looked like a teenager in Greek widow garb. So unfortunate. So "Fuer Elise" , be one of the colors that makes this car so fun to look at. No Anthracite, no Black, not even a Dark Navy. You're not intimidating enough, nor should you be, to dress in austerity. Go for it, you have the right body, the attitude and stance to pull it off!! Solar Yellow. Krypton Green. Chrome Orange.
Because it's my blog
Because I wanted to see these four images together
Because I still love green
Because fuschia keeps winking at me
One city, one day, one street, one minute _ is red the new silver? _ an Avanti, an Audi and a custom pickup truck _ things that make me go hmmmmm .
A great example of a trickle-down trend here too. Now that skulls have made their way to pickup truck grills can we now say they are officially "out"? Please?
This should be fun, a weekly favorite. This week, it's favorite color.
Mine, Chartreuse. Kitty, tag you're it.
In the same store, "End of History" mentioned in my earlier post, about Coral, I fell in love with these mid-century Italian ceramics by Flavia or is it Bitossi.
Amazing color, richness and depth. I am especially fond of the horses. I have never been a big fan of blue, but this work is changing that fast! Such original work, imitated today, but not duplicated.
I think our tastes are all about balance, what's visually needed in our spaces, as well as what we love. We moved to a very modern home, with great strong lines, hard surfaces, and modern details. Filling it with texture and depth is what feels right. A year ago I may not have even looked at this ceramic style, but now it's perfect.
One more thing to LOVE about Italy.
...or massive color conspiracy?
3 days, 3 cities
Don't you just love. things that make you go hmmm...
Any other examples out there?
I just love these smart, subtle color shifts on these attached houses on a side street off of Brick Lane in East London. The thoughtful color choices of a rich, deep green and chocolate brown, in gloss so shiny and fresh, contrasts so beautifully with the common worn, warm brick foundation they share. Perfectly executed, I would not do a thing different!
I'm usually pretty good at keeping my eyes open for random beauty, that perfect proportion, perfect tone, just the right balance of color, the texture, finish just right. Framing it up in a photograph let's me remember it just the way I want to see it, over and over and over again. Like this random shot, taken in Madrid, on a rainy day. It was on a wall sitting across from a beautiful building, most cameras were facing that. I'm so happy I turned around. During the day to day, I need to remind myself to look for the random beauty that sparks the next idea, or simply makes me smile.
That's a purple wall, and I loved it. I'd do it all over again. Yes I would!
It wasn't so easy today, I had my eyes opened wide, and at the end of a long, hot, lazy, hazy summer day I found these flowers on the riverbank.
My comrade in Purple Arms birdie is a wonderful artist, and this fabulous piece that she gave me makes me think that this fear of purple thing is a bit of a front. The way she combined purples with intense oranges in this collage is mesmorizing, pieceful and energetic at the same time. Purple and Orange, I love it!
My friend birdie and I were inspired by a recent Color Week, and decided to take on the challenge of the color purple. She feels she's a bit purple challenged, although the photographs on her blog are pretty fantastic so far. I'm not afraid of purple, it must go back to the days of high school, my school color's were purple and white. From the time I was little, and we would go to the high school basketball games, a BIG thing in Indiana, I dreamt of wearing the purple and white uniforms of the cheerleader's. So my first entry is a nostalgic look back at my most prized possession back in the day. Go Wildcats!
I love this photo, the bright red looks surreal. Thanks color week, it's been a blast!
One more chair, can't resist sharing this one. Dreamy.
I just love color week! Am thinking that I could keep this up for a month, a year maybe!!
An older photo that was taken at the Milan Furniture Fair this year, a source of color inspiration for me every year.
Multimedia brown, the new black.
It's the start of color week, brought to me by little birds, a wonderful site. Here's my contribution to white monday. What a wonderfully simple idea, can't wait to see what the week brings!
"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment" Claude Monet artist
Mark Rothko and Dale Chihuly are two of my favorite artists. Their love of color and their connection to the Pacific Northwest was a personal connection for me. Inspiring me to use glass and color to create mosaic birdbaths that would sit surrounded by nature's beauty. Learning how nature colors harmoniously, has allowed me to create my own vision. Glass, color, then water, reflection and finally birds has provided me with hours of smiles looking out of my kitchen window. Of course, one garden can only handle so many birdbaths, so I keep creating for others. The one shown here is the first I created and sits in my garden in Portland, Oregon. It is becoming one with the beautiful landscape.
