Color Buzz

Artichoke Colors

By Michèle Coppin

The Artichoke - of delicate heart erect
in its battle-dress builds - it's minimal cupola;
keeps stark - in its scallops of scales
...
So you have it - a vegetable, armed - a profession (call it an artichoke)
whose end is millennial
we taste of that sweetness - dismembering scale after scale
we eat of a halcyon paste
It is green at the artichoke heart.
(excerpt from “Ode to an Artichoke,” by Pablo Neruda)

The glorious artichoke is the large unopened flower bud of a plant belonging to the thistle family. It originated from Southern Europe, around the Mediterranean, and there is evidence of artichokes being cultivated in Naples in the ninth century.

Castroville, California is the artichoke capital of the U.S. In 1948, it crowned its first artichoke queen, a little known starlet named Marilyn Monroe.  In her honor, the Norma Jean cocktail was created, containing Cynar (the bitter artichoke liqueur), gin, lemon juice, sugar, crushed ice and mint leaves, a delicious and refreshing sundowner.

Low in calories and nutrient rich, artichokes are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C, and also rich in foliate, magnesium and antioxidants. My favorite artichoke recipe is simply boiled with a little lemon juice. The leaves are removed one by one and dipped in hollandaise sauce, vinaigrette, melted butter or more lemon juice. The heart is eaten after removing the inedible hairy choke.

The beauty of this long process is that you can admire the vegetable at each stage of undress, like an interactive kinetic art piece. The artful artichoke transforms with each step, from its coarse outer purple leaves lined with silver, to tender moss green leaves edged with delicate pink, each one unique and delicious.

Indeed, the colors of the artichoke span many tones and shades of green, purples and pinks that blend together naturally and can be a great source of inspiration.

                                  
 Lyndhurst Castle Sand 5008-1C       Lyndhurst Celadon Green 5004-1B
                       
                                 
                                   Pale Orchid 1003-6C

Cheerful Effects of Yellow

By Michèle Coppin

Vincent Van Gogh once said, "How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." For Vincent, yellow represented happiness, love and hope. Many of his paintings have an abundance of yellow. He was fascinated with color and its effects, often experimenting with different ranges of tone, like in his famous Sunflower painting.

  

Completed in 1887, this painting was eventually sold in 1987 at an auction at Christie's in London for a record $39,921,750!

Indeed, yellow is cheerful, warm and uplifting, which is why I love this yellow house:

In a drab city street, this yellow stands as a celebration to light, an ode to color, a testimony to the owner’s cheerful composition, and happiness. It also seems to be contagious, as the neighbors’ color choice for their curtains and window flower boxes are becoming more daring.

They have also painted their tiny courtyard yellow, decorating it with Mexican tiles and plants.

African Fashion Statements

By Megan Leblond

American fashion has many styles due to the wide range of influences. Cutting-edge design sensibilities and the borrowed traditions of our melting pot combine to form eclectic styles all our own.

In Time Magazine’s Style and Design section, Kate Mossman and Chad Pitman’s photo spread ‘Out of Africa’ pays homage to African patterns adopted by current designers. Interestingly, I found that African prints and patterns actually serve certain purposes in the culture.

Kente is a specific type of cloth made in Ghana. The cloth features symbols and colors which communicate specific messages. Patterns and motifs  transcend village languages and can identify a wearer’s purpose or a specific adage or philosophy. In African Kente weaving, each and every thread is used in a way that allows each thread to be seen. The warp and weft colors are laid out carefully, each carrying specific meanings within the pattern.

Examples of these motifs include messages such as, “One person does not make a nation,” “The extended family is a force,” or “One who climbs a tree worth climbing gets the help deserved.” These fabric patterns express the wearer’s community’s needs and ultimate goals in life.

Lilac Festival

By Megan Leblond

Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. The spring fragrance is so very pleasing—a deep, soothing floral. I can remember being mesmerized by a friend’s backyard tree when I was quite young and I am so fortunate now to have two established trees of my own. When they bloom, I can’t help but bask in their splendiferous color and fragrance.

    

This past weekend was the annual lilac festival in my town. The event showcases the abundant variety of the plant and produces a wonderfully perfumed palette. From sheer white to the slightest tints of purples to dark, warm violets, there was so much beauty and color on display.

Decorating with purple can bring delight and gentleness to a space. Purples can be strong or gentle. Here are some lovely colors from Valspar’s extensive purple collection, a tender floral lighting element from Modern Poverty and a pillow sham available from Rosenberry Rooms. Put them together to create your own lilac sanctuary.

                   
   Lilac Whisper 4003-9A       Sassy Lilac 4003-9B        Imperial Lilac 4003-9C

                                
                    Quite Lilac 4003-10A           Berries Galore 4001-10B

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We recently posted a new Color Buzz Poll and we'd love to hear from you. What's your biggest worry when taking on a painting project? Check out the right sidebar to cast your vote!

Of Bees and Honey

We at Beehive Studios are very fond of bees and honey. Bees are the most important pollinating insects and are even known as symbols of immortality. Their social structures and work skills have fascinated mankind for centuries, making them the emblem of industry and the inspiration for our blog. They also inspired Napoleon, who included the honeybee on his personal crest.



Beekeeping is also one of the oldest forms of animal husbandry, as bees were kept in beehives since antiquity. Indeed, Greek honey is delicious and quite famous.



Golden, sweet honey has always been held in high regard. The Bible refers to heaven as the "Land of Milk and Honey." In ancient times, honey was considered the food of the gods and the symbol of wealth and happiness. In the Middle Ages, honey was fermented and made into mead, one of the oldest alcoholic beverages.

Poll Results: Where Do You Find Color Inspiration?

The recent poll shows that a lot of you are getting out into the great outdoors and finding inspiration in nature. I find endless color possibilities every time I go outside. From colors of flowers, to all the greens of the trees, to the subtle colors of minerals in the rocks, there is so much to draw from.

Here are three color palettes that I have recently seen around my home. They each take their cues from vibrant flowers that have bloomed this spring.

This first palette is inspired by the geraniums I picked up from the garden center. The oranges are from a tree in my backyard that recently had a burst of fruit. This color combination would be so much fun in a teenage girl’s room...maybe I can convince my daughter to give it a try.





This next palette comes from the one last remaining forsythia bush still in bloom. In the past, I’ve had a hard time decorating with yellow. It was always a strong, demanding color, but recently I’ve warmed up to it and find it very cheery. This combination could look great in a kitchen. It’s a happy palette to help you start your day.





This third palette comes from two places. First, the gorgeous lilacs growing down my street. The other point of inspiration comes from a recent meeting I had at the new offices of William Sofield. They had the most beautiful color purple on the walls, trimmed out in a gray-green, which complimented the purple so nicely. Ever since then, I’ve been looking at that color combination.





In a few weeks, there will be a whole new set of colors out there...I’ll keep you posted on the season’s evolving color schemes and please share yours with us as well!

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We recently posted a new Color Buzz Poll and we'd love to hear from you. What's your greatest grievance when thinking about taking on a painting project? Check out the right sidebar to cast your vote!

Keukenhof Flower Show

By Michele Coppin

The world’s largest exporter of flowers, Holland, is especially famous for its spectacular tulips. Indeed, The Netherlands produces approximately 9 billion flower bulbs annually and is home to the world’s largest flower show, Keukenhof, where each year 7 million flower bulbs are planted.

Keuken (kitchen) Hof (garden) is located on the grounds of the old Slot Teylingen Castle. It gets its name from the 15th century herb garden where aromatic herbs and spices were cultivated for the kitchen of the countess of Holland, Jacoba Van Beieren.

In 1840, the gardens were turned into a park. The flower gardens however, were created in 1949 by the mayor of the neighboring town of Lisse. He worked with a dozen prominent bulb growers and exporters to develop the gardens. Their objective was to have an open air floral exhibition, where flower growers could showcase their hybrids and consumers could view and buy a wide range of flower bulbs.

The Little Garden of Paradise

By Michele Coppin

When gardens spring to life, I am reminded of one of my favorite Medieval paintings, "The Little Garden of Paradise," by an anonymous German painter known as the Upper Rhenish Master. For me, this precious little masterpiece is a delicate, elegant and colorful poem, but for the people in the early 15th Century, it was a prayer and an homage to Mary. 

This tiny painting (26.3 cm x 33.4 cm) dating from the year 1410 shows details of a past world;  the corner of a garden within castle walls. This painting shows a pictorial antidote to the hardships of the time stricken by war, pestilence and famine.

The first gardens in Western Europe dated back to Antiquity, but they disappeared with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the subsequent chaos of the Barbarian invasions. Eventually, monasteries planted gardens in their cloisters for medicinal herbs and spices. In the Middle Ages, aesthetic gardens were very rare and reserved for nobility.

Medieval paintings were usually influenced by religion. This painting of paradise, however, is a charming mixture of botany, zoology and religious iconography complete with the Virgin Mary, Jesus, saints, an archangel, a devil and a dragon.

More than 20 species of plants have been identified, including symbolic flowers such as lilies for purity, violets for modesty, roses for virginity and primrose, which in German means "Himmels schlussel" or “key to heaven.”

Ten species of birds have also been identified including great tit, oriole, bullfinch, robin, woodpecker, waxwing, hoopoe and chaffinch.

The signs, allusions and symbols in this painting stand for concepts that represent paradise, as well as a growing awareness of nature, a first step on the long road to modernity.

Spring Inspiration: Magnolia Trees

By Megan Leblond

The magnolia trees were blooming in Philadelphia when I recently visited. It was a joy to see them softly blowing in the sunshine.  When the magnolia tree is in bloom, there is little green on the tree and it is mostly white/pink and dark grey/brown. So beautiful!

Whenever I see a blooming magnolia tree, I cannot help but marvel at it. The large round blossom and strong 3-dimensional quality of the petals paired with deeply blushing pink captivates me. The flowers seem beautiful and strong, and sitting under one of the trees in dappled light has to be one of the best ways to spend a springtime morning or afternoon—or evening for that matter. Just don't forget a cardigan and camera and maybe a book of poetry or a friend.

Mississippi is known as the Magnolia State. They adore the flowers so much they are featured on the state's quarter. It certainly seems appropriate that something so gorgeous would be deemed valuable.  

If you are like me and are truly intrigued and in love with the magnolia tree, here are some colors that may appeal to you. Paint a room white and trim in a dark sumptuous pink. Create a color wash blending dark pink into the white room gently at the edges of the trim. Trim the room with a dark charcoal or gray. 

What other springtime flowers inspire your design choices? Let us know!

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We recently posted a new Color Buzz Poll and we'd love to hear from you. What's most important to you when selecting paint? Check out the right sidebar to cast your vote!

Le Petit Ecailler

By Michele Coppin

A few years ago, I decorated and painted a seafood restaurant called, "Le Petit Ecailler," which means "the little oyster shucker" in French. I began by painting the sign in ultra-marine blue which has been fading beautifully in the sun...and wind, and rain.

Inside the entrance, I created a beach scene with a lighthouse mural using fresh white and blue tones, reminiscent of the surrounding coastal environment. 

I painted the main dining room to resemble the wood planks of a sailboat's hull with rusty browns and oranges. The orange tones offer an elegant and classic look to the interior. Studies have shown that orange is actually an appetite stimulant, so it’s a great color to add to a dining room or kitchen.

In the stairwell leading down to the restrooms, I painted waves to suggest a descent underwater.

To complete the marine theme, I laced the restaurant's ceiling with white canvas sails. The look was ethereal and intimate.

Just recently, the bartender opened an explosive bottle of champagne spraying the ceiling. This, unfortunately, created enormous, yellow stains and I was called to the rescue. The work involved to take down and wash the canvases was too daunting, so it was my job to disguise the stains. In keeping with the nautical theme, I decided orange fish would fit in perfectly with the existing decor theme and the color palette.

I began by drawing templates of the fish design on paper.

Then, I traced the outline onto the ceiling and filled in the designated areas with an orange wash,  which actually blended nicely with the champagne. Next, I outlined the fish with off-white, loose brush marks to cover up the remaining splatters from the bubbly.

Finally, I added the final details, including a few white bubbles just for fun. I am told that happy hour customers enjoy the new addition above the bar!

 

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We recently posted a new Color Buzz Poll and we'd love to hear from you. What's most important to you when selecting paint? Check out the right sidebar to cast your vote!