The colour for 2011

When I was a kid, I longed for the really big box of crayons. I think it had 32 crayons and a little sharpener in the side. Now there's a box of 96 different colours, I think my little brain might have overloaded with that many colours.  However, like the Easy Bake Oven I also wanted, this desire was never fulfilled and it has resulted in my constant craving for more and more art supplies.  I can only justify this desire by using everything in my work, and so I try very hard to incorporate new materials all the time.

One thing you will never find me using is muddy colours, colours that combine complementary elements, for example a red with some green in it. I love the pure tones, the pure pigment colours and obviously, too bright is never a problem for me. Right now I am experimenting with transparent coloured resin, and I love the bright electric hues I can achieve, like the pink in Spiral Joy (below).

And speaking of pink, Pantone has come out with its colour for the year. This is a company that began producing colour catalogues which I remember using them in my ad agency days, but has now gone on to market various colour products like coffee mugs and shopping bags, and also markets the intellectual idea of colour and colour trends.

In any case, Pantone chooses a new colour each year, and predicts that the colour will be used in fashion, home decor and new products.  The colour for 2011 is pink, specifically a peachy pink they call Honeysuckle.

And this makes me happy, because I love pink. Really, if a painting is missing something, I just add pink and that makes it perfect.  Think pink!