Life in Color

Poisonous and Saturated COLORS (in frogs)

2012-01-01T17:11:00.052-05:00

Vibrant but toxic, there are more than 100 species of poison dart frogs, varying in color and pattern. Color shades vary among frogs within a species. It is the skin that contains the frog's poison. They do not manufacture their poison themselves, but rather it is theorized that they take the toxins from the ants, mites, and beetles on which they live. They absorb the insects' poisons into their body, which are immune to the poison. The poison is stored in skin glands just beneath the frog's epidermis... (information from wikipedia ).

These beautiful colors are warnings to potential predators that the frogs are poisonous. Other species, such as monarch butterflies, also sport bright colors to advertise their toxicity. Several species of non-poisonous frogs evolved with similar coloring to avoid being eaten. The fact that the more saturated the color is, the more poisonous the frog, is an interesting concept.

Color saturation refers to how vivid and intense a color is

and also refers to the vibrancy and purity of color.

Golden Dart Frog - its color from left (20% saturation, at right 96%)

Bright Yellow 2022-30 Benjamin Moore

Granular Poison Frog (from Costa Rica and Panama)

Orange 2011-10 Benjamin Moore

Granular frog at varying levels of saturation

Blue Poison Dart Frog (the blue here is at 87% saturation)

This saturated blue was impossible to find in a paint sample but I have a couple that are close.
Blue is paired nicely with grayish/whites but also with its opposite, orange.
The blue here is"evening blue - 2066-20" and the orange below is called "orange parrot - 2169-20".

Christmas Colors

2011-12-22T10:52:00.001-05:00

Traditionally the colors of Christmas are red and green. I am not sure why red and green have been used for everything relating to Christmas (wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, decorations etc.) The color green is used as a reference for the evergreen tree and the idea that green can be thought of as a symbol for life, nature, growth, rebirth AND a now a symbol of ecology as well. Red is used as the color of Santa's suit (why red? - see below) - red is a color of extremes - love, danger, anger, adventure AND a religious color (Christ, blood, crucifixion).

The tradition of Santa's suit being red actually derives from the Coca Cola company advertising campaign in the 1930s who thought Santa should be dressed in red rather than green. See: Coca-Cola-Santa.

So, if you like the traditional color palette of red, green with perhaps silver and gold accents - keep the tradition going. However, are some new palettes to consider that

I found on Porter House Designs that you might like to try. Here is one of my favorites from her site...although I personally might swap out the black from a soft, dark brown.

If you are thinking of using Feng Shui principles - here are some ideas.

Keep a sense of balance in mind when you place and decorate your tree and home, and you'll find it becomes a meaningful gathering space for family and friends.

Fire - red, orange, purple, pink (to activate personal energy- use in south areas of home)

Earth - yellow, beige, sand (create stability and harmony in relationships - use in center of home)

Metal -white, grey, metallic (to bring clarity and focus - use in west area of home)

Water - black, blue (to bring a refreshing calmness into home - use in north areas of home)

Wood - brown, green (to bring a sense of vibrant health - use in east areas of home)

During the holidays, this might mean adding candles throughout your home. However, if you have an unbalanced Fire feng shui element during Christmas season you risk creating an energy that promotes burn-out and even emotional outbursts. The low energy people often feel after the Christmas holidays is often created by an unbalanced fire element in their homes. Be mindful about balancing the strong feng shui Fire element of the Christmas season with a cooler color scheme, such as soothing light blue (feng shui Water element color), cool silver or gray and calm white (feng shui Metal element colors).

The Blue in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

2011-10-03T10:18:00.003-04:00

BLUE

I don't think there is any way to accurately describe this color blue.

Actually, not only the blue of the water but in combination with the

color blue of the sky.

See! Colour!

2011-09-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

The following link will take you to an amazing exhibition on color, showing now in Sweden.

See! Colour!

From their web site:

"For SEE! COLOUR! James Turrell has created several large installations including a permanent Skyspace, a walk-in-colour sculpture, a so called Ganzfeld (18 x 12 x 10 m), a Wedgework, Bindu Shards, the groundbreaking one-person experience in a spherical chamber, a Dark Space and a Tall Glass.
Additionally, a range of existing works by Turrell are exhibited, including models and pictures of Roden Crater and four Holograms."

It's only a 6 hour train ride from Oslo to Stockholm... should I go???

New color palette(s)...with thanks

2011-08-14T15:46:00.009-04:00

My husband, Keith Millman, an artist, photographer and new media guy, made this lovely color palette for me on his trip to Idaho last week. The warm tones of the tree's palette are balanced by the bright sky blue. Actually, if you pair up any of the colors; orange/blue or red/white or gray/brown, they all work as interesting combinations. I love nature!

Here are 3 more he worked on - they are subtle, soft, lovely and unique.

Fabulous Colored Chair

2011-08-11T19:17:00.000-04:00

Love this wonderful, quirky, fun chair designed by Anthony Hartley

http://www.anthonyhartley.co.uk/

The chair itself has a name "Mr. Smith the Second", which I discovered after reading Style Factory's
blog. I think this chair would just be totally fun to sit in.

From his website:

Anthony Hartley

Oak Cottage, Oak Street, Oxenhope BD22 9JR

email: eyeply2000@yahoo.co.uk

tel: 07758 779183

Anthony will be launching Mr and Mrs Smith the second, Edna and Sidney from stand G1 at Tent London , Truman Brewery in Spitalfields, 22 - 25 September 2011

All images by www.aspinallink.co.uk

Color in Architecture

2011-07-26T17:26:00.004-04:00

This is the most amazing door I have ever seen ... colored slides with pantone colors...just lovely. I found this on the Design Sponge blog (Design Sponge). the photograph was taken by Ingrid Heiss. It is from the house of Armin Blasbichlerin in South Tyrol in Northern Italy.

Armin Blasbichlerin is an architect in Germany- http://www.arminblasbichler.com/

Of course, as I started thinking about the light coming through the door - I realized that light is about color and color changes with the quality of light.

More to come..

Cardinal Red

2011-07-13T17:20:00.003-04:00

This is a flat-bed scan of a male cardinal that met its demise on the side of the road. My husband found the bird, took it to his office and scanned it. The colors of this beautiful bird are amazing and ethereal. Would you choose a palette based on these colors?

Below are the actual colors from the bird that I extracted from the photograph using Photoshop's eyedropper tool.

And below are some colors from Benjamin Moore that are similar to the bird's colors.

Ivy League

Vintage Wine

Nightfall

Sweet Rosy Brown

Note that these colors are not what you would think to see on a bright red cardinal but Ivy League is the color of the cardinal's leg and the other's are from the underside of his feathers.

Anniversary Roses

2011-07-04T12:46:00.003-04:00

These are some of the petals left from a beautiful selection of roses my husband bought me for our 23rd anniversary in late June. I loved the various color especially the top larger batch which had a range of colors from pale yellow to a dark peach.

I feel that all colors of roses are harmonious and can work together easily in an arrangement. These colors would not work well together in an interior color palette however. They are too intense and all from the warm side of the color wheel.

Here is a palette that might work well in a room however
(bathroom or girl's bedroom, perhaps)

Top color: Bubble Bath

or even...

top color: Victorian Purple

(both palettes found on www.benjaminmoore.com

Snake Color

2011-06-15T22:23:00.001-04:00

You already know I love to find the color matches in nature. My husband Keith found this snake in the Adirondacks and I loved the greens and browns on his/her head. Looking on the Benjamin Moore site, I found several pre-made color combinations which were suprisingly close to the colors on the snake. What do you tbink?

Forest Hills Green

Hearthstone Brown

Vellum

Wonderful paint palette in House Beautiful

2011-05-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

I loved this paint palette in House Beautiful that came in the mail yesterday - normally I don't particularly like the paint choices in HB but this was amazing. I can't seem to find this online on their site but will site it here nevertheless (House Beautiful). I did a post earlier last year on color found on a rainbow trout which is a similar idea - we don't find many scarab beetles in upstate New York.

If anyone finds a creature you would like me to extract colors from, please send them to me! I would love to give it shot - it could be anything from a pet to something you found in a stream.

FINALLY! SPRING IN UPSTATE NEW YORK!

2011-05-06T18:20:00.000-04:00

We finally are seeing some beautiful spring colors here in upstate New York. In particular, spring green, pink, and white. Here are a few flowering trees I shot last week. They seem dramatic more so due to the blue sky in the background - a type of light we hardly ever see in Ithaca. How these colors translate to interior design - I can only speculate.

Candy Green (#403) color combination

Strawberry (2085-50) color combination

Twilight blue (2067-30) and white combo

Shopping by Color

2011-04-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Per Color

Robert Mann Gallery - Group Exhibition

What a great concept - photographing items in a grocery store by their color and packaging - what I really would like to see are all the contents of the basket as well.

These images are part of a group show of photographs at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York titled "Food for Thought" that runs through May 11, 2011.

(These photographs are by Marco Ugolini and Pedro Motta)

Fun colorful notebooks

2011-03-28T11:40:00.001-04:00

These were just too much fun and colorful to not write about and add a link for you.

They come in all the hues and they are made from recycled leather in fun colors such as:

Poppy Red

Tangello

Lime

Lemon Grass

Blue Mist

Rhodamine (which I had to look up - a medium pink)

Plum

Kate's Paperie

Office color (dark!)

2011-02-17T09:31:00.000-05:00

Here are photos my one of my most recent painting projects - transforming an orange bedroom into a multi-use bedroom/office space. We used a first coat of a softer mid-tone red over the orange, then Benjamin Moore's Ruby Dusk in matte surface (using Aura -a new line - although this particular paint has a slight sheen which is quite nice).

Before

During

After (with flash)

After (no flash) - most accurate

Here is a screen grab of the chip and of the room which inspired me - although to be honest, it only looks like the chip in the third photograph where I used a flash. It looks washed out here on my screen (on a Mac with a nice Cinema Display monitor).

I am very much enjoying the value of the color - it feels cozy, warm, enveloping. I am looking forward to creating a display of my black/white photography on at least one wall. That will probably be a summer project when I am not working and teaching - let me know what you think !

Venice Color

2011-01-27T21:32:00.001-05:00

I have this photograph as my desktop background and was sitting staring at it for awhile this evening and noticed this section of the photograph where colored window openings were noticeable as an interesting grid of cool tones.

While I tend to think of Italian colors as reds, oranges and browns - this section was noticeable for its canal hues of blue and green.

Re-musings / more musings on office colors

2011-01-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

So...after painting a wall sample of the blue - I was not happy. I guess I should have known since I am not a fan of blue (clothing, paint, anything really - except blue skies of course). I have tried Ruby Dusk - a classic Benjamin Moore color - which, while dark, seems to be right.

Here it is in a sample office from the BM site - I do have Linen White trim

Musings about home office colors

2011-01-03T17:43:00.001-05:00

I am thinking about what color to paint a new office/guest room...the room gets quite a bit of light (faces west).

I love this blue - and for those who know me - I do not like blues usually but love the depth and warmth of this one. I also however, am intrigued by a coppery color or a green as well.

or even these colors are interesting as well...

Wasabi (wall color)

Etruscan (wall color)

Chronicle Books Art Books to Win

2010-11-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

this blog post is about books...books...and more books...

make a list of books (valued up to $500) that you would like from Chronicle Books - post it to your blog and you might win ! if anyone comments on the post - they might win too ! HURRY! the last day to sign in and post and comment is December 10 - that's soon!!

see Chronicle Books for details

Here is my list ! (remember to comment so you can win books too!)

ART BOOKS

Allure

Guastavino Vaulting The Art of Structural Tile

The Tulip Anthology

Taking Aim Unforgettable Rock 'n' Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash

Photowisdom Master Photographers on Their Art

Back to Us A Couple's Journal of Reconnection and Growth

COOKBOOKS and TRAVEL

Tartine Bread

Michael Chiarello's Bottega

Paris Changing Revisiting Eugène Atget's Paris

Village Walks: Tuscany 50 Adventures on Foot

City Walks: Rome 50 Adventures on Foot

Sandra Gustafson's Great Sleeps Italy Florence • Rome • Venice
Fifth Edition

I Love Macarons

The Winemaker Cooks Menus, Parties, and Pairings

October in Upstate NY

2010-10-24T14:10:00.000-04:00

There are many beautiful places to view the changing seasons and fall color in the Northeast. We live in the Finger Lakes region of New York State and the beautiful reds, golds, browns, oranges and yellows shift and transform daily throughout the month of October. All photographs were taken by me last week at the Plantations @ Cornell in Ithaca

Color Emotions

2010-10-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

Try this color emotion test... Color Emotions - it is very interesing - both the results and the questions (which aren't easy to answer) - the left wheel were my answers...I think I would pick different colors at different times of the year and depending on my moods.

Pictaculous - A Color Palette Generator (courtesy of MailChimp)

2010-09-20T14:28:00.001-04:00

Pictaculous - A Color Palette Generator (courtesy of MailChimp)

Try this site for fun color palette choices...

A Gift

2010-08-12T14:51:00.000-04:00

My daughter bought me a children's book while on vacation in Oregon. She went to Powell's Books, one of the largest bookstores in the US and found this remarkable book for me.

It is called "Il Mago dei Colori", the "Magician of the Colors."

It is about a magician who turns his black/white/grey world into first a blue world (but everyone was too sad); then a yellow world (too bright for everyone); then a red/magenta world (too much emotion). When he finally mixes up all the colors, and everything becomes a kaleidoscope of color, all becomes fine in his world.

In English the book is titled "The Great Blueness" which certainly doesn't have the same charm. Although translated, the final line in the book is,

"At last, the world was too beautiful ever to be changed again."

(From amazon.com)

Farmers Market beans

2010-08-07T13:26:00.002-04:00

Here are amazing beans I found today at the Ithaca Farmers Market.

How could I not buy these ? Purple, green and yellow - what a great color palette.

I am not even sure I want to eat them - maybe just keep looking at them.

(Images: http://www.thompsonmorgan.ca/ )

(From: Benjamin Moore)

Note: Springhill green isn't quite accurate - having trouble converting color to an appropriate green online)

Yellow, purple and green in a nearby flower garden

Take a color quiz or two...

2010-07-27T08:18:00.000-04:00

A few fun quizzes ro take relating to color... try some.

http://www.squidoo.com/colorquiz

Color of Trout

2010-07-20T15:14:00.000-04:00

Last week I made a post about color in NYC - while I was exploring urban culture, my husband was exploring the Adirondacks and learning to fish. Here is his color contribution to my blog...who knew that trout had such a great color palette !

Color in NYC

2010-07-16T11:13:00.001-04:00

Spencer Finch's "The River that Flows Both Ways", 2009

(700 laminated glass panels with color film interlayer)

High Line, NYC

The information below is from the High Line web site...

(http://www.thehighline.org/about/public-art)

Inspired by the Hudson River, Spencer Finch's The River That Flows Both Ways documents a 700-minute (11 hours, 40 minutes) journey on the river in a single day. The title is a translation of Muhheakantuck, the Native American name for the Hudson that refers to the river’s natural flow in two directions.

From a tugboat drifting on Manhattan's west side and past the High Line, Finch photographed the river's surface once every minute. The color of each pane of glass was based on a single pixel point in each photograph and arranged chronologically in the tunnel’s existing steel mullions. Time is translated into a grid, reading from left to right and top to bottom, capturing the varied reflective and translucent conditions of the water's surface. The work, like the river, is experienced differently depending on the light levels and atmospheric conditions of the site. In this narrative orientation, the glass reveals Finch's impossible quest for the color of water.

According to his web site, he is interested in exploring ideas about color, light, perception and memory.

This piece was particularly moving to me for many reasons - first of all was the general viewing of the work under the Chelsea Market.Intriguing location - special - almost as if it were a gift of color and light. At first, I almost thought that it was something original - something left there during the renovation of the High Line itself.

photo by David B. Smith (www.thehighline.org)

Strawberry Red

2010-06-26T12:59:00.000-04:00

Strawberries - fresh, ripe from the field - are the most amazing fruit. Warm from the sun, as soon as you bite into it the juice flows and you know it is the beginning of summer. Not only is it the "taste" of summer, but it is the color that lets you know it is ready to eat and enjoy.

I love red as an accent color in my home. I use it with pillows, bowls and art work.

Red can be difficult (too bold) to use on walls, but soft reds work great for small bathrooms and offices. On the BM site, a search for the color family-red, gives you hundreds of choices - but try something like BM Rosy Apple or Merlot Red.

Color in the southwest (New Mexico)

2010-06-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a business trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was struck by the open views, the brightness, and the overall color tone of soft sand colors. While there were other colors present, the tones in the photos above were predominant.

Here were some other areas I did find beautiful color...

Here are some Benjamin Moore colors that I think are related...

I will be adding more sample colors soon...keep your eyes open !

Idee Lab

2010-05-20T22:31:00.002-04:00

This is a very interesting way to search for images - by color theme !! Enjoy - you can search for multiple colors as well

(orange and green for example - orange below and orange and green below that)

Beautiful way to search for color themes

Spring Green

2010-04-05T09:42:00.007-04:00

Spring green is one of my favorite colors - bright, vibrant, bursting with energy...
Green calls to mind growing things and good health. It can be a cheery color that brightens our mood. It lifts us up just as a growing plants rises towards the sun.

According to some, "GREEN – Creates balance, contemplation, mentally and physically relaxing, balances emotion, creates openness between you and others. Spring green gives you a sense of renewal." (http://blog.livelikeyou.com/)

Here a few ideas for decorating with this color (I say use this color as an accent).
Sunset Magazine

A nice media storage box
Ikea

or...

an interesting idea for sketching this spring !
Sketch

Blue

2010-03-04T15:05:00.003-05:00

I am generally not a fan of the color blue (for clothing or walls). However, blue skies and the amazing blue of glaciated lakes are an exception. Here is a photo of the amazing blue of Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada. I have never seen it in person, but hopefully that will change soon! (The chip is from Benjamin Moore and the small square is from using the color sampler tool in Photoshop).

The following is taken courtesy of pbs.org which helps to describe why the color of

glaciated lakes is this unique milky blue color.

"A brilliant greenish blue"

"Moving glaciers grind together the rocks frozen within them, pulverizing them into powdery rock flour, which is generally very pale gray, almost white. The warmth of the long summer afternoons of the most recent ice age sent great freshets of glacial meltwater, milky white with suspended rock flour, into Glacial Lake Missoula. Rock flour settled through the murky water and deposited as a layer of pale sediment on the floor of the lake. Those pale summer layers varied in thickness from a fraction of an inch to as much as two inches or even more."

lSource: pbs.org

Life in Color - via National Geographic

2010-02-17T10:25:00.004-05:00

RED

On these bleak winter days in the Northeast, images rich in the

color red can certainly certainly help with the lack of color during
these grey and white days of winter.

Waterton National Park, Canada

An iron-rich creek bed

(Photograph by Michael Melford)

Al Berdain Mosque in Meknès, Morocco

(Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie)

Life in Color = National Geo

Color at the State of the Union address

2010-02-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

This dress has gotten a lot of press since the address last week. "Raisin" "plum" "red-violet" and even "purple" are all terms used to describe this color (actually there are two colors here if you look carefully). The color appears different if you look at many of the photos posted online so really the only way to decide the actual color is to see it in person (which of course, isn't possible).

Here are two colors which may or may not be close (via paint swatches online from Murobond - see post below)...

Colour in Australia

2010-02-01T10:41:00.001-05:00

The colors found in the new paint line I learned about recently are only available in Australia - too bad. Here is a sample of just the first page of their beautiful palette. Check it out at Murobond.

My favorite color is probably Arnhem, but those who know me already know that since it is similar to the color of my office and my dining room.

Color for a gray day

2010-01-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

The colors in this bag say it all...

Ronson Tote

See:

Franklin Covey

Subtle Color

2010-01-23T16:54:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I went through my spices and organized them into small, labeled neat little bottles. I threw out old spices that were beyond their prime for cooking, but certainly not for being photographed and enjoyed for their color. Check it out...

Color Palettes - slides & paint

2010-01-16T13:04:00.002-05:00

At work yesterday, I was pulling poor quality 35mm slides from the Ithaca College slide collection. I was choosing the slides to de-accession primarily based on color. Slides have three dye layers (cyan, yellow & magenta). When the cyan and yellow layers have disintegrated, only magenta is left. However, I happen to have all levels of red, magenta, cyan, yellow, and purple shades here. The palette of colors here is wonderful to view.

Last night I had dinner with some friends, one of whom is a painter (David Schaffner). He uses a piece of glass as his palette and this example is from one that he recently retired. I loved the contrast of the two different mediums, one - 35mm slides mounted in glass mounts, the other paint on glass.

Pottery Barn + BM

2010-01-15T10:34:00.002-05:00

Check out the Pottery Barn web site to see their selection of Benjamin Moore colors... especially nice is their descriptions of why they like certain colors...for example for Caliente Red they write that is both relaxing and rejuvenating and I agree - it is FUN to wake up in a red room ! Check it out for color ideas and suggestions for different rooms in your house.

You are what you eat (color...)

2010-01-10T13:17:00.002-05:00

Flamingos get their pink color from the shrimp they eat...the more they eat, the deeper PINK they get ! How cool is that ? According to wikipedia:

"Young flamingos hatch with gray plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta carotene obtained from their food supply. A well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly coloured and thus a more desirable mate."

Color Trends for 2010 (part 1)

2010-01-07T12:55:00.001-05:00

According to Benjamin Moore, GREEN is the color of the year for 2010, along with neutrals.

Colors shown here are; Pale Celery, Meditation & Cedar Green

Some sources say gray, oatmeal and stone will be the colors of choice, with citron, orange and purple as accents.

(From: http://www.remodelista.com/products/alphabet-sofa )

I am leaning towards enjoying the calmness of the gray, oatmeal and stone palette. Here are a few other examples.

(From: www.potterybarn.com )

(From: www.restorationhardware.com )

and then there's Pantone - and their color of the year for 2010 is well...
let's just say it's "not my favorite."

Winter White (s)

2010-01-03T09:10:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I hear people say they want their rooms painted white - however, to me, that means an infinite number of possibilites. For example, Benjamin Moore has over 140 whites available in their Off-White collection alone.

Benjamin Moore whites selection

Winter white is an interesting name for a color - usually it means a cool white in paint(with blue in it), however, very often different paint companies interpret the color differently - sometimes adding yellow to make it a creamier white (cream, ivory, ecru) (usually for clothing).

Sherwin-Williams' whites (only a few of them!)

If you think of snow as white - listen up...snow is actually colorless. It appears white because light is so scattered when it hits the snow reflecting back all the colors in light. Depending on where you find the snow, snow can actually appear red, blue, black, green, and more.

["No one really ever sees one snowflake at a time. Most of the time, we see huge collections of millions of snowflakes on the ground. As light hits the snow on the ground, there are so many locations for light to be reflected, that no single wavelength of light gets absorbed or reflected with any consistency. Most all of the white light from the sun hitting the snow will reflect back and still be white light. Therefore, snow on the ground appears white.
One other important point to remember is that snow is indeed tiny ice crystals. Ice itself is not transparent like the glass in a window, but translucent. Light does not pass through ice easily. Instead, it bounces around back and forth within the ice crystals. As the light inside an ice crystal bounces around off the interior surfaces, some light is reflected and other light is absorbed. With the millions of ice crystals in a layer of snow, all this bouncing, reflecting, and absorbing leads to a neutral ground. That means there is no preference to one side of the visible spectrum (red) or the other side (violet) to be absorbed or reflected. The sum total of all that bouncing leads to white.

The Color of Glaciers

Glacial ice will often take on a blue color. Remember, an accumulation of snow has a lot of air separating the snowflakes. Glaciers are different. Glacial ice is not the same as snow. Snowflakes accumulate and get packed together to form a solid and mobile layer of ice. Much of the air that was separating snowflakes is now squeezed out of the ice layer.
As light enters a deep layer of ice, the light gets bent causing more and more of the red end of the spectrum to be absorbed. As more red wavelengths are absorbed, more blue wavelengths are available to reflect back to your eyes. The color of glacier ice will then appear blue.

The Varied Colors of Snow

With blue and white snow or ice, many people wonder if snow can take on other colors. In some instances, impurities in snow are what cause it to appear a different color. For instance, algae can grow on snow making it appear more red, orange, or green. Dirt and debris near a road can make snow appear gray or black."]

(From: http://weather.about.com/od/winterweather/a/snow_white.htm )

Color of Winter - part 2

2009-12-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

Winter is also a steel gray color - with a hint of blue
(Sherwin-Williams - Wall Street)

Houses in Color

2009-12-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

This brightly-colored neighborhood is where the Malay Muslim community lives in Cape Town, Africa.
(From flickr: by dirk huijssoon)

Color from the 40s and 50s

2009-12-09T15:53:00.001-05:00

From: "Transform a House into a Home with Color"

(Montreal: The Canada Paint Company Ltd., n.d.)

Candadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal

(from this blog author's postcard collection)

Color for Today

2009-12-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

Today - December 8 - the color for today is Deep Purple - with associated terms Intuitive, Deep and Profound.

This color is supposed to remind you that life is about renewal and the every ending precedes a beginning.

According to this web site, my birthday color (June 1) is a Warm Yellow - which is associated with generosity.

(from www.myinnerworld.com)

Color of Winter

2009-12-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

What is the color of winter? Driving home today, the sky had the unmistakable cast of winter. What exactly is that color or hue? Cool blues, pinks and purples. The value of the light is what distinguishes it from a summer sky. Although I have always preferred warm tones, the light of winter is usually calm, peaceful and full of space.

Color and Wine

2009-12-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

chocolate and red wine...

What is Color ?

2009-12-04T10:54:00.001-05:00

Text from Benjamin Moore...

Defining Color

The perception of color is a phenomenon of light - a form of energy with its own frequency and wavelength. Shine a light through a prism and you'll see it divide into six color families: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.White light is the combination of all colors, while black is the absence of all colors.We perceive color due to the pigments in a given object. A blue pillow appears blue to our eyes because the pigment in the pillow is absorbing all the colors of the light except for the color blue reflecting back to us.

Favorite Colors

2009-12-04T10:45:00.001-05:00

Color & Architecture

2009-12-04T10:06:00.001-05:00

White walls inside your home? no way... white exterior siding? no way... using color to establish your own domestic space is essential to creating a warm and comforting space to come home to.

I will be adding postings, photographs, inspiration to how to choose color...hopefully not "Once in a blue moon".