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November 30, 2009
I know that I have written on this subject before, but I think the message bears repeating. We know that color enriches our lives in many ways, not the least of which is the variety of colors that we eat. It is essential that we get a full spectrum of colors
on our plate so that we can be assured that we are getting the right nutrients for our bodies.
What are the compounds that each color delivers? Starting first with:
Red
Red foods contain the antioxidant, lycopene, shown to play a role in reducing the development of certain cancers and may also be effective for staving off heart problems.
Orange
Orange foods are wonderful sources of beta-carotene, a component of vitamin C. Orange fruits and vegetables help to bolster the immune system and eyesight.
Yellow-green
Yellow green foods are loaded with phytonutrients like lutein for eye health, chlorophyll to protect cells from damage, and folic acid, important for growth and development.
Blue/purple
Forget that old nonsense about blue food causing a diminished appetite. There are no definitive studies to prove that old saw that claimed that people are unaccustomed to seeing blue foods, therefore they are turned off by a blue cast to any food. But there are bluish foods, like blueberries and they are an excellent source of brain-protective antioxidants. Eating berries can keep the mind sharp and focused. There are also blue-tinged yogurts, blue potatoes, blue corn and loads of bluish purples found primarily
in fruits.
As for yellow, there is a variety of benefits, everything from the bioflavanoids in lemons to the potassium in bananas. And, of course, you know your mother knew best when she told you to eat your veggies, a virtual storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The challenge is to keep your plate filled with a variety of colors—the bigger the variety, the better.
November 25, 2009
Observatory
By Happy Accident, Chemists Produce a New Blue
Kenneth Chang
November 24, 2009
"Blue is sometimes not an easy color to make."
"Blue pigments of the past have been expensive (ultramarine blue was made from the gemstone lapis lazuli, ground up), poisonous (cobalt blue is a possible carcinogen and Prussian blue, another well-known pigment, can leach cyanide) or apt to fade (many of the organic ones fall apart when exposed to acid or heat)."
"So it was a pleasant surprise to chemists at Oregon State University when they created a new, durable and brilliantly blue pigment by accident."
"The researchers were trying to make compounds with novel electronic properties, mixing manganese oxide, which is black, with other chemicals and heating them to high temperatures."
"Then Mas Subramanian, a professor of material sciences, noticed that one of the samples that a graduate student had just taken out of the furnace was blue."
"I was shocked, actually," Dr. Subramanian said."
"In the intense heat, almost 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the ingredients formed a crystal structure in which the manganese ions absorbed red and green wavelengths of light and reflected only blue."
"When cooled, the manganese containing oxide remained in this alternate structure. The other ingredients-white yttrium oxide and pale yellow indium oxide-were also required to stabilize the blue crystal. When one was left out no blue color appeared."
"The pigments have proven safe and durable, Dr. Subramanian said, although not cheap because of the cost of the indium. The researchers are trying to replace the indium oxide with cheaper oxides like aluminum oxide, which possesses similar properties."
"The findings appear in the Journal of the American Chemical Society."
Financial Times/London
Ways for the connoisseur to keep a foothold in hard times
Avril Groom
November 14, 2009
"Of all the gem-guality diamonds that emerge from the ground, less than 1 percent are anything other than white. Large coloured diamonds are so rare that, through history, they have become famous with their own names and myths, like the supposedly cursed blue Hope or the 1280-carat Tiffany yellow."
"Deeper colours are rarest, the brightest defined as "vivid" or "intense". These are always the target of collectors and the grades rise exponentially in value. Colour tones are categorized too, with purer shades worth more."
"This value reflects a diamond's rarity and collectibility rather than its suitability
for making beautiful jewelry. Many are never set, too valuable to be held anywhere other than in a bank or museum. Those that are traditionally make important pendants or rings, where the stone rather than the designer's art is the main event."
"Now, the focus on coloured stone jewelry of all types, and on mixing different tones, is placing a new emphasis on coloured diamonds and on pale, subtle shades that were less valued in the past."
"People who become fascinated by coloured stones are inevitably drawn towards diamonds," says Melvyn Kirtley, Tiffany's European president and trained gemologist. "They come in an infinite variety of colours, but their chemical structure gives them more fire and vivacity than any other stone, and they are proportionately more valuable."
"Although all top-end jewelers emphasize their desire to concentrate on, and their ability to find, examples of large, super-rare coloured diamonds for collector clients, they are also noticing greater demand and interest in delicate shades which, says Mr Kirtley, "many people find more appealing, particularly from a wearability viewpoint", although he emphasizes that some depth of colour is necessary and most Tiffany coloured diamonds are not more dilute than the fancy category."
"Grading coloured diamonds is extremely complex. The standard chart prepared by the Gemological Institute of America scarcely gets to grips with the issue."
"Once all the variables of quality and colour are taken into account, a flawless,
pure-coloured, vivid stone could be worth up to 10 times a similarly sized example only a couple of categories lower. So, in these economically stressed times, are people tempted to go for the paler shades on the principal of more bang for your bucks and, if they do, will the investment prove sound?"
"John Calleija, Australian jewelry designer, who works primarily with pink diamonds from the Western Australia Argyle Mine-predicted to be exhausted by 2019-says: "Paler pink diamonds are considerably less expensive than the deeper colours so, if a client prefers the paler colour, then the lower price point is a bonus."
"In a recession, when the fine jewelry market has taken a blow, paler coloured stones are a way for the connoisseur to keep a foothold in the market without breaking the bank."
November 23, 2009
On my recent trip to London for color forecasting meetings, I was taken by some of the jewelry displays I saw in trendier high end shops. The following is an excerpt from the London Financial Times, written by Avril Groom.
Financial Times/London
Bling overtaken by tough chic and Gothic
Avril Groom
November 14, 2009
"Black Gold" is no longer solely a term for oil. It means exactly what it says,
and if it sounds like an oxymoron, it actually reflects an appetite for subtlety
and stealth in the jewelry market today. Where white gold use to be the default
position for metal with an absence of colour, increasingly the plating has a
darker hue, providing a more industrial, masculine counterpoint to rose gold."
"Almost perversely, some designers enjoy plating on yellow gold. "It's a private
pleasure-only the purchaser knows what is under there," says London jeweler
Hanna Martin, who has been working with blackened gold for five years and
helped to popularize it."
"Yellow gold gives an added kick when eventually the plating starts to wear
off. "I don't see wear as a defect," she says. "It reveals glimpses of the true
value of your piece, and the contrast between black and yellow is very appealing."
"Ironically, blackened finishes-marginally more expensive than yellow gold-are used to give a worn, antique look, such as the settings Solange Azagury-Partridge used for her deep, all-ruby or emerald pieces for Boucheron nearly a decade ago. It has since become the choice for setting deep-coloured stones-Chopard uses it to give a matt, aged look where dark stones such as tsavorites are paved, but shade the same setting into white gold to highlight brilliants such as diamonds."
"It makes certain stones look dark and glamorous," says jeweler Ben Day, known for his richly coloured rings. "It's great to have another metal colour at my disposal. I first used it with black diamonds and then found it enhances deep greens, reds and purple. The finish varies from gunmetal to black-it depends on the stone but it should be delicate, not too Goth and heavy."
"Recent interest in black diamonds and dark Tahitian pearls set the trend but it has now taken off as a featured metal rather than just a setting."
"This started with men's jewelry but, as women's fashion veered towards tough chic and Goth looks, jewelers such as Ms Martin make no distinction."
November 20, 2009
From Cognitive Daily comes an interesting study about color and human perception, written by Dave Munger
November 19, 2009
Detecting faces: People use some of the same strategies computers do
How does our visual system decide if something is a face? Some automated
face-detecting software uses color as one cue that something is a face. For example Apple's iPhoto has no trouble determining that there are two faces in a color picture: Do people, like computers, use color to help decide whether something they see is a face? Humans are excellent at identifying colors, and while faces can be many colors, there are also many colors that are very rarely seen in faces (e.g. blue, green, orange). Could we use skin-tones to help identify faces?
Markus Bindemann and Mike Burton created a set of images with faces placed in random locations, some were full-color, some black-and-white, some had faces in black-and-white and color backgrounds, and some had black-and-white backgrounds and color faces. The faces also varied in size and position within the pictures. One-third of the photos contained no faces at all. Twenty-four volunteers watched as these images flashed in front of them, indicating as quickly as possible whether they saw a face. Did the color of the faces matter? Here are the results:
Color faces were detected significantly faster than black-and-white faces. Even when the black-and-white faces were on a color background, they were still detected significantly more slowly. Similarly, more errors were made on black-and-white faces compared to color faces.
  
In a second experiment, Bindemann and Burton showed viewers face pictures
that were half-color and half-black-and-white, in addition to the normal full-color
faces. Once again, full-color faces were detected significantly faster.
The researchers say this means the visual system must be searching for
skin-colored areas of a roughly elliptical or oval shape--much like computers do.
Excerpted from a study conducted by Bindemann, M., & Burton, A.M. (2009).
The Role of Color in Human Face Perception Cognitive Science, 33, 1144-1156: 10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01035.x
November 13, 2009
Two blog entries to tide you over until next Friday!
Immersion In Nature Makes Us Nicer
Tom Jacobs
August 17, 2009
New research finds those who feel a strong connection to the natural world have a more caring attitude toward others.
Maintaining a connection to nature, either through the presence of indoor plants or artwork depicting the natural environment, has been shown to decrease stress levels and stimulate healing. Newly published research suggests it may also make us better people.
A series of studies suggests immersion in nature "brings individuals closer to others, whereas human-made environments orient goals toward more selfish or self-interested ends," according to a paper posted on the Web site of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. This appears to be the first research to examine the impact of the natural world on people's values and aspirations, and its findings have intriguing implications for architects, designers and urban planners.
A team led by University of Rochester psychologist Netta Weinstein conducted three studies in which participants were shown a series of slides depicting either natural landscapes or urban settings. They looked at each slide for two minutes, while they were asked to notice the color and textures and imagine the sounds and smells of the environment pictured. They were then asked to what extent they felt involved in and engaged by the photos.
Those participating in the first study were then asked to rate the importance
of four life goals, two of which were related to community and connectedness ("to have deep, enduring relationships" and "to work toward the betterment of society") and two of which were more egocentric ("to be financially successful" and "to be admired by many people").
The results: Those exposed to the nature scenes placed a higher value on community/connectedness values and a lower value on self-oriented values
than those who saw the cityscapes. What's more, "as individuals were more
immersed in the slides presenting natural settings, they experienced greater
increases in intrinsic [community/connectedness] aspirations."
Another test confirmed these results by having participants engage in a"funds distribution" task. "As individuals were more immersed in nature slides, they were more likely to make generous decisions," the researchers write. "As they were more immersed in non-nature slides, they were less generous and greedier."
In a separate test that did not involve slides, "participants who were immersed
in a lab setting with plants present reported higher valuing of intrinsic aspirations" than those in a setting devoid of living green growth.
So why would immersion in nature instill feelings of selflessness? Weinstein and her colleagues suggest the answer lies in an enhanced sense of personal autonomy. "Nature affords individuals the chance to follow their interests and reduces pressures, fears, introjects and social expectations," they write.
While conceding that more research will be necessary to confirm or refine these results, the researchers say their findings "highlight the importance of effective urban planning that incorporates green spaces and other representatives of nature."
Their findings will also be of interest to architects and interior designers. Frank Lloyd Wright's concept of bringing the outside inside may not just be a prescription for aesthetic beauty, but also for peaceful coexistence.
"Together, these findings suggest that full contact with nature can have humanizing effects," the researchers conclude. "Our results suggest that, to the extent our links with nature are disrupted, we may also lose some connection with each other."
The Healing Power of Children’s Art
Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D.
November 2, 2009
Since the first cave paintings, we humans have found creative ways to
express ourselves with art. We naturally draw, paint, and doodle to capture
thoughts and feelings. Art has also been used throughout history for
healing. Studies show that it creates brain wave patterns that enhance the
autonomic nervous system, hormonal balance, and brain neurotransmitters.
While doing artistic expressive art, the body’s physiology shifts from stressed
to serene.
The same for children. It’s often easier for a child to talk about pictures than
about himself or his feelings (grief, anger, shame, etc.). Drawing and painting
will allow your child to express difficult feelings or to disclose what he might
not share verbally. His artistic expression can give you a clearer sense of his inner
struggle, an insight that will help you guide him.
Drawing also increases your child’s awareness of her inner world and creates
a window onto that landscape. Art can be a launching point for conversations
that reveal her thinking about the world around her.
You don’t have to be a trained therapist to use therapeutic art techniques with
your child. Just stock up on a variety of supplies—giant rolls of paper, colored
paper, crayons, paints, and a variety of markers, including scented, metallic,
fat, thin, even markers that change color as they write over another color. Then
try the following art exercises to explore new ways to communicate with your child.
Draw a self-portrait. On a large sheet of paper, trace your young child’s body.
Have her fill it in with her feelings. Happy might be a bright yellow sun near
her heart; sad may be blue teardrops coming from her eyes. Older children can
design and complete their own. You might be surprised at what and where
emotions turn up.
Picture the future. Artwork is also an effective starting point when you’re
working with clear end-goals, like getting a good night’s sleep or reducing a
fear. Suggest your child make two drawings—how things are now and how
he’d like them to be. Once he can picture where he’d like to be, he can start
taking steps to get there. And he can hang his pictures in his bedroom as a
reminder of the possible positive future.
Show and tell. After an imaginary journey, such as a walk through a special
place she imagines with her eyes shut, have your child draw her experience.
The visual rendering gives you both something to look at as she shares. If the
drawing illustrates a problem—say, a dangerous goblin or a fire at home—ask
her to imagine what might solve the situation. She can even draw the solution
right onto her picture.
Talk to the image. Once your child has released his feelings onto paper, he
can speak with them. He might use his picture of Worry to ask what it needs
to calm down, or to tell it to leave. It’s often easier to converse with feelings
when they’re outside than when they’re gnawing away inside, at for example,
a stressed-out tummy.
Take artistic action. Although it’s a great release when a child can draw her
angry, hurt, or upset feelings, pictures don’t have to be static. She can erase
part of it, or draw over it in “healing” colors with a changeable marker—an
immediate transformation that feels magical. She can even rip up or throw
away the paper. These actions can offer a hurting child a sense of control and
satisfaction.
Capture the memory. The special places your child visits on his imaginary
journeys can be personal healing sanctuaries. Hanging pictures of them
somewhere private but visible will remind him that he can return whenever the
need arises. And drawings of trusted animal friends and wizards may help
him remember support is always near.
Accept every drawing. Some kids are hesitant to put their mental pictures
to paper; they’re afraid they won’t be good be enough. Reassure your child
that anything he creates is fine. Sometimes all that comes are strokes of bold
color evolving out of a wonderful or terrible feeling that is finally set free on
paper. Praise each one. They are the artifacts of your child’s precious inner world.
November 9, 2009
Alive with Color
Opening up with Color
Our daughter, Lori, is an art therapist and photographer. Her experiences, which are borne out by the writings of experts like Faber Birren, tell us that art therapy has done a great dealto help mental patients "open up." Children, for instance, may have difficulty articulating their thoughts, yet express themselves easily with crayons and paints. It is a normal tendency for children to use bright colors, with the luminous warm shades often the most preferred. When a child uses black crayons frequently, it
is an indication of pent-up emotions, a too-rigid upbringing, or a very restricted environment.
 
Love of red is quite common in children and shows a carefree spirit. Immature behavior and over-dependecy on adults go with a love of yellow. A preference for green shows a well-adjusted, balanced personality, just as it does with adults. Mothers are often painted in pastel shades, and darker colors tend to be used for disciplinarian daddies. Brothers and sisters are painted in colors appropriate to the way the child perceives them.
Children are essentially quite primitive in their color choices, which may remain the same through adolescence. Adulthood tends to bring a refining of color preferences.
Touches of bright color are used in children's wards in hospitals to downplay the institutional look. Nurses are often encouraged to wear colorful smocks. Warm tones in hospital settings should be cheerful and not too intense; yellows and yellow-greens should be used cautiously as they can cast a sickly pallor on the faces of the young patients.
November 6, 2009
This is a very “informal” study, done with just four subjects, but it does show yet another indication that the old urban legend “people lose their appetites in the presence of blue" does not necessarily hold up—especially with donuts!!
KENS5 San Antonio
Feeling blue? These shades may keep the pounds off
Marvin Hurst
November 4, 2009
There's a constant chase by those who are weight challenged to lose and maintain a decrease in pounds. But is there a magic bullet to help get you there?
"It just sounds so enticing," said University of Texas Health Science Center's Dr. Sue Cunningham. "It's what we want to hear. We want to have something simple solve a complex problem."
According to Dr. Cunningham, the battle to fight of the pounds is a tougher one for women just because of their lifestyles. Men, the registered dietician said, have a higher metabolism.
Yet, all around us are pictures of perfection in magazines, on the web and on television. These women seem to physically have it all. Cunningham is quick to point out that some of those women have expensive health advisors and chefs at their fingertips.
"It's not something that the average person has the ability to take advantage of," said Cunningham.
But there's a Japanese company that claims to be able to put affordable weight loss in the palm of your hands. In the case of their product, it's more across the span of your face.
For less than $20, the company asserts that wearing blue lens sunglasses can help you shed those unwanted pounds. Dr. Cunningham said there could be something to their claim.
"That, certainly, could in the short run result in lower intake of food," she said, which would mean fewer calories consumed.
The magic in this weight loss formula is simple psychology. Colors, according to experts, affect our mood. In this case, color and food correspond, just as a person would responds to the aroma and flavor of their favorite foods.
Experts say blue is a soothing color. In fact, the soothing blue can reportedly suppress your appetite. KENS 5 picked up a couple of pair of blue shades from a local mall for about $10 each. We put them to the test in a place where food doesn't stand a chance: our newsroom.
So with a freshly baked box of Krispy Kreme donuts in hand, we sat four of our staffers down to see if the blue shades put the brakes on their appetites. Three out four said the glasses made no difference at all.
"Makes it (the donuts) look shiner," said one female staffer. "They could be green these are Krispy Kreme."
"I don't feel like there's a difference," said producer Anita Hines. "With or without the glasses."
"They look different," said one of our production guys. "They've got a different shade to them."
Only "Great Day SA" Host Bridget Smith seemed affected by the blue sunglasses.
"I don't know what it is. I can't explain it," Smith said. "They just don't look appetizing."
Dr. Cunningham said most of our food is not blue. But she points out color psychology doesn't work for everyone. And, it's just not practical to wear shades every time you eat. She said the human desire for your favorite food, generally, wins out no matter what weight management plan you're on.
"The real key to weight management is for someone to have a realistic look at their habits and lifestyle."
As for the diet sunglasses, she believes in the end they will leave you blue. "I see it as a crutch," said Cunningham. “Kind of a gimmick thing."
November 2, 2009
Coco Before Chanel
Moving Pictures
Fall 2009
From the 20th Anniversary Edition of Moving Pictures Magazine come
some interesting comments about Coco Chanel and her stance on black
and white. The article, written by Andre Chautard refers to Chanel's humble
beginnings and her ultimate influence on the fashion world.
In the new film "Coco Before Chanel", Chautard states that the film's
designer, Catherine Leterrier, "got her start in the fashion industry, so her
admiration for the film's subject comes as no surprise."
"Chanel wore black from the beginning," Leterrier continues. "In those
days, black was worn by poor people or widows. To go out at night when
you were young, you would wear pale colors. Coco would have none of that
instead, she wore black and felt that she would look even more sophisticated
and younger than the others, and she did just that.
Choutard states that " The sequined evening dress Chanel wears in the
film--presages the designer's invention of the "little black dress"-a must
have in every woman's wardrobe. What is very modern about Chanel is that
she worked on herself. In her days, the famous couturiers were not good-looking.
She was a star that everybody wanted to copy and look like. She was her own
muse. She had the genius of that."
Chautard describes a particular scene saying that party guests raided the
attic trunks for a night of dress-up. "While the other women go for florid,
busty and feminine, Chanel follows her own style instincts, as she would her
whole life. Chanel is showing nothing, wearing no color, only black and white,
being the simplest tomboy.”
The designer, Leterrier says. "But still she is seductive, and the most mysterious.
We wanted to show that contrast." Chautard points out that, that contrast by
saying that “Leterrier costumed actress Audrey Tautou in a man's shirt and
boy's black school uniform that she picked up at a flea market, playfully accented
with a white glove as handkerchief. Black and white became the famed
designer's signature colors”.
To quote Chanel herself, as she said in 1926, "Women think about all colors
except the absence of color. I have already said that black has it all. White,
too. Their beauty is absolute."
Chautard completes the article by stating, "It's difficult to overstate how
much Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel revolutionized the fashion world in her
extraordinary lifetime. Any one of her numerous innovations-the "little black
dress," costume jewelry, women's sportswear, the Chanel skirted suit,
designer perfume (the everlasting Chanel No. 5) among them-would be
enough to ensure a designer's place in sartorial history. Together, they are
testament to no less than iconic status."
Having seen the film myself, I can say that, not only is it an interesting
and provocative look at Chanel’s beginnings, but the scenery and set design
are fabulous. For anyone interested in fashion history and the beautiful use
of color as a mood-enhancer, this film is well-worth the price of admission.
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