Color Buzz

Fourth of July Colors

I love the colors of the Fourth of July. The red, white and blue ring in the start of summer.  I can tell we are getting close to the big day... I’ve seen the kids running around, collecting boxes of sparklers, and teenagers hiding a benign arsenal of bottle rockets, roman candles and whistling dixies.

Our town is gathering fire engines, classic cars, floats, marching bands, horses and, of course, kids dressed in Americana costumes.  They will parade down the main street as they have done for years.  We all come out to cheer them on.

After that, we gather around the pool, recite historic poems, listen to a speech or two and sing a ton of patriotic songs. Then, it’s off to a huge picnic with field games and moving from table to table trying out what everyone is serving up.

Finally, the fireworks let loose.  It’s the best!  Believe it or not, this is scaled down from when I was little.

I give a lot of credit to our founding fathers and mothers, who were incredibly brave.  I try to imagine what it must have been like for them to stand up for all they believed. They were willing to give up their way of life, their homes, and even their lives for a better world for others.  We are the grateful beneficiaries of their sacrifices.

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.

The Color of Graduates

It’s the season for graduations. It's an important milestone for the millions of young and not-so-young graduates out there. In a few weeks, I’m going to my nephew’s graduation from high school. It seems like just yesterday we were helping these little toddlers walk and now look at them...

My favorite college radio station played “Pomp and Circumstance” throughout the day last Saturday and it got me thinking what the different robes symbolize. I did some research online and found the robes date back to England in the Middle Ages when students would dress like clergymen—but the color of the robes had no meaning.

   

During the late 19th century, the United States began assigning specific colors to the students’ academic specialties. For example, red, which was the color of the church, was chosen to represent theology students and golden yellow, which is represented by students of science, stood for the “wealth produced by scientific research” (American Council on Education's Academic Costume Code). Here's a list of majors/academic specialties and their corresponding robe colors:

Agriculture - Maize
Arts, Letters, Humanities - White
Business - Drab
Dentistry - Lilac
Economics - Copper
Education - Light Blue
Engineering - Orange
Fine Arts - Brown
Forestry - Russet
Journalism - Crimson
Law - Purple
Library Science - Lemon
Medicine - Green
Music - Pink
Nursing - Apricot
Oratory (Speech) - Silver Gray
Pharmacy - Olive Green
Philosophy - Dark Blue
Physical Education - Sage Green
Public Administration - Peacock Blue
Public Health - Salmon Pink
Science - Golden Yellow
Social Work - Citron
Theology - Scarlet
Veterinary Science - Grey

No matter what color our graduating seniors are wearing, they always seem to have a similar mix of expressions on their faces: anticipation, anxiousness, sadness and joy. They share pride in their accomplishments and a yearning to get on with the parties! Congratulations to all the graduates out there. Keep dreaming of the future in living color.

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.

Beautiful, Crisp Whites of Spring

By Megan Leblond

These days, I have the supreme joy of witnessing the romps of my neighbors’ three white lambs. They frolic right near the road and I get a treat each time I leave the house. Their fuzzy, white wool is fresh and joyful against the idyllic country landscape of perfuming hyacinth and flowering apple trees.

We often overlook the uplifting ability of white. White and cream colors are a fabulous way to create simple peacefulness in your home. White is considered very serene and is associated with happiness, heaven, purity and grace.

If you have a prized piece of furniture or art, white walls are an excellent way to highlight an object. The tactic, much like an art gallery, brings the focus to the colored or figurative object against the white wall.  

Friday Project Series: Mother's Day Frame

What mom doesn't love pictures of her children?

For a wonderful, quick and inexpensive mother's day gift, try your hand at a cheerfully painted frame. My son Jack and I found some old frames in the attic. You can pick these up for about $5 at a craft store.

First, prime the frame. Then pick a fun color that either means something special to you, or works with the room it's intended for.

Jack chose deep navy because he's such a Yankee's fan. He also did one in orange for me.

Paint the frame any color you choose. Wait for it to dry, and then... the fun begins. Jack wanted pinstripes, so he asked me to help him write a message on the one he was making for me. It's a classic Mother's Day moment when you are helping your child make the gifts they will give you.  I love it! My daughter and I had also painted some frames green with flowers.  A little paint is a great way to bring some life to frames that otherwise would be overlooked.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!  Bring some color and beauty to those you love.

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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!

Friday Project Series: Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden

No matter how scary, ugly or irritating most insects are, they all fulfill a key role in keeping our world in balance. Honey bees are no exception. Many people, including yours truly, find them beautiful, especially when they dance around flowers. But as many of you know, the population of honey bees is facing a sharp decline. This is a major concern for us because they help in the natural production of much of our food.

One way to help promote the livelihood of these helpful creatures is to plant a garden full of flowers. I got this list from Haagen Dazs, which has a great campaign to encourage all of us to help the honey bees by planting more flowers. Here are the tips they give:

Choose flowers that produce nectar and pollen such as: Sunflowers, Daisies, Cosmos, Zinnias, Dahlias, Asters, Marigolds, Hyacinths, Hollyhocks, Crocuses, Foxgloves and Geraniums.

                   

  

                        

Select an assortment of flowers that bloom successively over the spring, summer and fall, in order to provide food through all seasons.

Pick blue, purple, orange and yellow flowers - these are most attractive to honey bees.

Plant patches of like flowers in close proximity to one another.

Do not use pesticides!!!

If you don't have a yard to help the bees out, create a mini bee spot in a planter or flower pot. Hope you get to hear the buzzing beauties soon!

Ukrainian Pysanky Eggs

By Megan Leblond

Here at Color Buzz, we love to inform our readers about color combinations and trends, but we also love to share our knowledge of color specific wonders!

Last year I attended the Kutztown Pennsylvania Folk Festival for the first time. I had heard about the talented craftsmen and women and artisans who made the festival famous. While there I discovered a meticulous art I had never seen in process before, one that incorporates a much more complicated Easter egg painting process! The beautiful Ukrainian Pysanky Egg.

A young woman used a stylus much like a calligraphy pen filled with hot wax to make a beautiful and fine drawing on a hollowed, white egg. I was amazed when she told me that each egg she created was dyed in as many as thirty different color baths!

After making a drawing in wax on the white egg, she would dye the whole egg in a light yellow color. The wax drawing on the white egg she had created would resist the dye and become the white part of the design for her egg.

Next, she would use the stylus (the kistka) to continue a pattern of drawing on the light yellow part of the egg.  These parts would then remain the light yellow when it entered a dye bath of a darker yellow color. Each color bath would build onto the next, creating more complex and rich color.

This process would continue until the egg was almost entirely covered with wax (and hidden color). A beautiful pattern and work of art would be revealed when all of the wax was melted from the egg!

   

Watching the girl at work, I felt she was painting with a rainbow.  It was intriguing to think about all of the planning that must go into the composition of each egg. Not only were the color combinations beautiful, the drawings were fine and meticulous.  She told me that there were many traditional patterns and symbols used in Pysanky.

The egg, as in many cultures, symbolizes life. It is given on special occasions in Ukrainian culture. Each egg carries different meanings within its design and color combinations. For instance, a deer represents prosperity and abundance and may be given to a couple on the occasion of purchasing a new home. 

I also learned that there are many new contemporary Pysanky artists who use a more free-form technique containing less symmetry to create their works of art. With experience, I learned that you can create a beautiful Pysanky egg intuitively without a plan! I was truly amazed and impressed.

If you know someone who loves Pysanky eggs, or if you just love the idea of painting with a rainbow, you can create an accent wall showcasing the order of colors used in the dye process.  Here is one of the most common sequences.  It could be rolled onto the wall using a small roller, gently overlapping at the edges:

White, Yellow, Gold, Light Green, Light Blue, Turquoise, Orange, Light Brown, Pink, Cherry Red, with a final color of Black, Purple, Royal Blue or Dark Green.

All, don't forget to vote on where you get your color inspiration in our Color Buzz poll.

Friday Project Series: Easter Eggs

Easter is another one of those great holidays that let you get creative with your kids.

My seven year-old son Jack and I had so much fun dying eggs this year. We took our inspiration from garden flowers.

There are many ways you can dye eggs. One of my new favorites is to mix 3 to 4 drops of food coloring into a cup of water in a small bowl. It's one of the easier ways to take on an Easter egg painting project.

Do this for each of the colors they give you. In our case, we had four: red, yellow, green & blue. Then mix some extra colors up like purple and orange.

Next, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the bowl. This will coat the surface of the egg in uneven streaks, giving the egg a “marbled” appearance.

Jack started out with a bang. He went right for the blue.

Then he started taking more daring approaches with combinations like: pink and yellow, and blue and green.  He also grabbed a crayon and started coloring on the egg.

He, of course, wrote his name so the Easter Bunny would be sure to know who was involved with this project.

Here's the result:

Here's another reminder to take our Color Buzz poll about where you find your color inspiration.

Celebrate Holi

By Michèle Coppin

A few years ago while in Varanasi, India, I was advised not to leave the hostel because of a potentially wild Hindu festival. However, my curiosity won and I ventured out anyway. Within seconds, I was chased down the street and surrounded by a band of howling teenagers who gently covered me in colored powder. What started out as a scary outing turned into the most surreal, poetic and tender experience. This was my first introduction to Holi.

                                          

Holi is a joyous and colorful festival that ushers in the beauty of springtime. The holiday takes place each year on the full moon in February or March, predominantly in Northern India, Holi originally began as a farmer’s festival to mark the first wheat harvest, but today it is linked to several Hindu legends, which provide the inspiration for key elements of the festivities. 

                    

My favorite tells the story of Krishna, the dark blue skinned Hindu god who was jealous of his lover Radha's fair complexion. When Krishna complained to his mother, she suggested he apply different colors to Radha's face in order to change her appearance - which he did - and thus began a new and colorful tradition.

                             

On the eve of the festival, there is a huge bonfire made of dried leaves and branches left over from the winter. The purging of these elements signifies the cleansing of all things past, thereby making way for new beginnings. The next day, the festival of colors reenacts Krishna's playful prank as throngs of people douse and smear each other with colored powders. In some cases, the powders are mixed with water and sprayed from water pistols or plastic bottles.

The streets are filled with dancing, color-covered people swaying to music. Women's colorful saris are stained with indigo, fuchsia, vermilion red, golden yellows and viridian greens. The color of everyone’s skin is intensified by the streaks of ochre, jade, turquoise, and teal.

                          

The colored powder, or gulal, was originally made from dried seeds from tropical flowers and dried silt from river beds. Now however, synthetic dyes are used in the form of pigments. Sometimes, fine Mica dust is added for a glittering effect.

This year, Holi falls on March 11. Like Carnival in the West, Holi is associated with a loosening of social restrictions normally associated to caste, sex, status and age and everyone is equal for this joyous day.