Ultra Violet 2018

Color is powerful.  That’s what the Russian-born abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky believed, and certainly it was a force in his paintings and theories between the late 1800s and mid 1900s.  For Kandinsky, abstract colors and forms express inner life.

IBISwoman designer Briana Zimmerling and I are driven by color, too.  We love new and unexpected combinations. We love bold and subtle. That’s part of the reason we lay out and display our working stock of cabochons, beads and metals.  We can see them; our eyes can jump around to possibilities.  More important, our gallery visitors can be washed with color and story.

Perennial favorites of our customers?  Red and black combos. Seaside palettes. Blues of all kinds.  And purple.

It so happens that purple — more specifically ultra violet —is popular right now. Ultra violet was named 2018Color of the Year by the Pantone Institute, which researches and matches billions of colors to signify the psychology and emotions of our times.  (Their research shows that we want and need to take our awareness and potential to a higher level.)  Pantone selections influence everything from global corporate brand identities to what you’re wearing right now.

Regardless, Briana and I love *all* the colors.  We get lost in the ultra violet of our Russian charoite. We feel intuitive and unconventional when we gaze at this piece, and Bri’s sterling silver work sets it off. We love those yellows, greens, browns and pinks, also.

Enjoy the power of color.