Abstract Expressionist Masterpiece Or Painted By Children?

May 20, 2011

“How often have you heard people describe artworks by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko or Cy Twombly as drawings that a 5-year-old child could have made? The answer is probably, very often. But is this true? Can children produce art whose perceived quality, as least by widespread artistic circles, matches that of renowned artists who sell their art for millions of dollars?”

Now, when I see art I may stop and wonder if I should buy the painting or paint one myself?

Study Examines Difference Between Abstract Expressionist Masterpieces And Paintings By Children.

THE END OF BEING

May 16, 2011

“Sixteen years ago Willy Bo Richardson drove down highway 71 in Austin. As a painter consumed with his practice, he considered color. The blacktop road burst with light intermittently, revealing the yellow stripes on the street in the night. Time passed and Willy realized he was going the wrong way in relation to his destination. In the midst of this experience, he stopped at a gas station to reorient. As if by magnetism, he was pulled towards a bag of Doritos. The red and blue bag of Doritos served as a source of discovery, with a yellow chip inside.”

Three Muses, 2011

 

“Gestalt psychology says that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This indicates that the space between things matters, too. These concepts uncork the myth that there is finality to anything.”

The Work of Willy Bo Richardson | THE END OF BEING.

International Orange

May 13, 2011

Photographer: Damian Brandon

“The Golden Gate Bridge,” Morrow wrote, “is one of the greatest monuments of all time. Its unprecedented size and scale, along with its grace of form and independence of conception, all call for unique and unconventional treatment from every point of view. What has been thus played up in form should not be let down in color.”

Photographer: Arvind Balaraman

The Golden Gate Bridge’s Accidental Color : NPR.

A Silkworm Tale: Chemically Altered Diet

May 9, 2011

The following is an excerpt from an article in the New York Times by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop. Click the link at the bottom to read the full article.

“Researchers in Singapore documented how silkworms fed with chemical dyes yielded flourescent silk. The process could eliminate traditional dyeing methods, which create polluted wastewater.”

What happens to the silkworm at the end of this chemical diet? I am not sure that no silkworm’s were not harmed during this process.

How do you feel about this process? 

A Silkworms Thread of Color and Hope – NYTimes.com.

The Colorful Hotel La Belle Juliette

May 6, 2011

This is a hotel I have stayed at many times in Paris and they just re-opened after a gorgeous re-do. 

I love the brave use of color.

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

Is it just me or does that sofa closely resemble Honeysuckle?

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

photos: Jérôme d'Almeida

Have you stayed at this hotel pre or post remodel? Tell us about your experience. Do you like the changes and color choices?

The Original Fashion Stylist

May 2, 2011

Did you know that personal shopping is not a new career path? The Oregonian’s Laura Gunderson reports on Cleo Cummings and her years at Macy’s as a personal shopper. Cummings pioneered the art of personal shopping at Meier & Frank which eventually became Macy’s, for 73 years. Cleo also availed herself to clients for closet inspection based on her own high dressing standards for extra income.

Do you have a knack for fashion and think you have what it takes to follow in Cleo’s footsteps? More Alive With Color can help you get there as personal shopping is often an extension of color consulting (or vice versa) and wardrobe planning.

If you want to get some advice on your wardrobe or help in find out your best colors one of our More Alive With Color Consultants can help you.

Cleo Cummings, a top Macy’s saleswoman, retires after 73 years | OregonLive.com.

We HEART Kate Betts!

We have just received our copy of Kate Betts book Everyday Icon Michelle Obama and the Power of Style and we couldn’t be more thrilled. It is such a beautiful book that just so happens to include some wonderful information from our own fearless leader (Leatrice Eiseman). It would just be wrong for us to share all of Kate’s book here so we will just keep the sharing to Lee’s contribution and some lovely imagery from the book.

The Avocado Explosion And Celebrating Green: As Color, As Concept, As Cause, Mashup

April 25, 2011

As I was doing research on a new book to be released this fall (more about that in future) I was once again intrigued by the rise of the yellow greens in the mid to latter sixties until eventually it became an avalanche of avocado in the 70s but more often referred to an “Olive Green” in the 60s.

For a little personal background, I had moved to L.A. and enjoyed window shopping on Rodeo Drive. There was a store called “Jax” that was very Jill Sander-ish featuring very clean and modern design. The owner and main designer of the shop, was the first to combine olive and sky blue— an unheard of combination. Some people hated it, as it was ahead of its time, but the early adapters were fascinated by it. I saved my pennies (well, a bit more than that) and bought pants and a top and then topped (or bottomed ) it off with matching slip-in kitten-heeled pumps.

Wow—that was hot stuff. Of course, that was not Main Street fashion by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a great example of how one designer can start a trend and if promoted to the right audience can start to enter into the greater culture. It took a few years, but olive/avocado sightings were made through the 60s, first in fashion and then into other product areas as the color became more embedded in designer awareness. And Rachel Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ helped to push along the environmental aspects of the hue that started to make the earthy greens more acceptable.

Interestingly enough, from a mass perspective, Penney’s was the Target of its day. They were the most prescient in presenting colors ‘of the future’through a booklet called “Forum’ and is a perfect example of how they created a buzz about a color. It is a lesson in Marketing 101 and was in effect a “forecast”. The early adapters are usually of a higher economic level, but if you can hit the masses, you can really make a color story happen big time. The booklet was sent out to home economics teachers (now consumer education), journalists or anyone else who could help to create the buzz and ultimately, to sell the products. So by the 70s the groundwork was really set for the avocado and earth color explosion.

Celebrating Green: As Color, As Concept, As Cause 

A Frequency That Does Not Currently Exist

April 22, 2011

“The “Ultra Gamma: Design with Unseen Waves” installation, which Ezri Tarazi and the young students/interns are exhibiting, is based on the concept that, 50 years from now, waves will be discovered at a frequency currently unknown to mankind. More than 100 years ago, in 1895, Nobel Prize winner Professor Wilhelm Röntgen discovered that x-rays could be used to reveal the internal structure of the human body.”

Ultra Gamma.

Four Day Color Design Course

April 14, 2011 

July is just around the corner and so is Lee’s summer program in color and design. If you are a lover of color and can never get enough credible knowledge, come join us for a really colorful experience.  

Lee’s next 4-Day Color Design class will be held

July 14-17, 2011

on Bainbridge Island in Washington State

For an information packet containing much more specific details about the course, or if you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at leiseman@colorexpert.com or click the image below.

 

Here is what some recent graduates have said about the program.

“…thank you so much for our Burbank seminar. It was very interesting and stimulating, also confidence building. As predicted, I made new friends!”-DB, Oregon

“I’m still coming off the high of the amazing color experience we shared! And I’ve composed several notes to you in my mind….but most of all, I want to THANK YOU for the most wonderful gift you shared with me and the rest of the class!!! I know it will have a profound effect on the direction my career path will take, and I cannot thank you enough. The color information, the setting, and the class interaction were all extraordinary.”-LS California

“I would like to thank you once again for a wonderful, informative 4 days of learning-I came away with information which certainly will help me to clarify the world of color marketing to my industry.”- HG Canada

“You are right when you say I will take this information and expand it. I think that to work in a big corporation gives you tools to expand knowledge and maybe even change peoples perception on some subjects. The information I got in the class is being so useful!, really, I think that without noticing it you incorporate it to your way of seeing things. thank you so much for everything!-MB