TURQUOISE 4// color of the year

Caribbean blue: another water image from Jost Van Dyke, BVI...

Pantone, a global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, lists turquoise as Color of the Year for 2010. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, states:

"In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color. It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”

TURQUOISE 3

Third unedited photo of aquamarine, taken underwater near the island of Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands.

GONE SAILING...again

Photos from yesterday....The late afternoon tropical light was luminous and golden. I didn't have my SLR Pentax, just the Olympus Stylus 850 SW- an excellent camera, shock-resistant and waterproof.

Wherever you are in the world, may your holidays be luminous.
Wishing you peace and many golden moments,
Stephanie

TURQUOISE 2

The second of several inspiring images of Caribbean seawater...

The photo is from September, and I can't recall whether it was taken underwater or above. Without knowing it's water, one cannot tell exactly what this is. Ambiguity in photography- I like that.

TURQUOISE 1

I've been collecting images of our turquoise water. As anyone who has visited tropical beaches can attest, the shallow water is an exquisite blue-green hue in bright sunlight, along the water's edge. Of course, the deeper the water, the darker it appears. The tropical sea is so clear, one can see all the way to the bottom, even at 60 feet deep.

I have a few ideas to use blue-green with grey for several new paintings using encaustic. First, I need to do some studies in gouache, which I'll post on this blog.

Here, the first of several photos of clear turquoise water....

WHICH CAME FIRST?

My husband took this photo on one of our many summer beach outings. I couldn't tell what it was until he revealed it was a dead cactus which had washed up on the beach.

Do you see any similarities on the photo and Cognition #5, below?

Interestingly, Cognition #5 seems to be inspired by the patterns of that dead cactus. Coincidence? Well, the photo and the drawing are from the same time, in September (I posted Cognition #5 in October), but I honestly cannot say whether the photo was inspiration for my drawing. The mystery remains as to which came first- the photo or the art.

GONE SAILING

I'm off sailing with family for a few days. It seems our annual "Christmas winds" have arrived, which means strong, steady trade winds. The weather is divine; clear, intense blue sky, low to moderate humidity, and about 85 degrees during the day- perfect if you're on or in the water.

I always experience a burst of creative energy after being on the water for several days. So I'll be eager to start some new work soon.