The Red Dragon

In spring time the world fills with green budding sprouts, new leaves, and bright flowers. But here in San Francisco a popular tree is budding that breaks the mold. Commonly called the Red Dragon or Japanese Maple tree this fiery redhead is in a class all her own.

A beautiful upward shot of a glowing Red Dragon via CodePoet5150

 Actually from New Zealand, the Red Dragon has long been prized for its unique leaf coloration, and humans have taken it with them around the world. But the more we see them around San Francisco the more we have been wondering: why? We all learned in school that plants have a green pigment called chlorophyll which is integral to photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy the plant can use. The Times sums it up nicely here:

"Green plants... in their own simple and mysterious way utilize the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food. Chief agent in this process of photosynthesis is chlorophyll, the green coloring-matter in leaves, which acts as a catalyst, speeding up the transformation, but undergoing no conversion itself."

This  trees bright red existence challenges our logic  - no green pigment equals  no photosynthesis right? How could that be?  They grow just like every other plant. So the chlorophyll must be hiding under a mix of other pigments in the leaves. And in fact with a bit of research this is what we find.

"The green colour of chlorophyll is simply being masked by one of a number of other pigments not involved in photosynthesis, including flavins and carotenoids, which are present in abundance in certain species of plant.

Carotenoids are yellow and orange (they give carrots their orange colour...) or orange/red in colour, so probably contribute to the red colour of leaves, but the richness of the red colour is provided by flavins. These are a group of photoreceptor chemicals which absorb blue wavelengths of light from the spectrum ... and emit all other wavelengths, making the pigment appear red."

A Red Dragon leaf shiny after a rain via car 67

With their challenged ability to directly expose their chlorophyll to sunlight the Japanese Maple has a much slower growth rate than their green siblings. In an unprotected natural setting, the trees would rarely thrive.   Horticulturists have carefully nurtured this beautiful species placing them in  settings where the competition for light is minimal as the inch their way toward maturity.

The colors around us reveal exciting questions if we just take a moment to see them!

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

The Shape of Color 2

Last week we delved in to the rich world of structural color. We saw how nature uses structures smaller than wavelengths of light to create beautiful iridescent colors. Drawing inspiration from nature an artist here in San Francisco is making structural color all her own.

Untitled (Commission for The Leonardo), silver nanoparticles on glass, 24" x 45".

Kate Nichols actually synthesizes her own nano particles to create the color in her artwork. She wanted to paint with the colors of butterfly wings, but as we now know that is not possible with pigments. She is now using the latest advances in the material sciences. 

Untitled. Silver nanoparticles on glass, 36" x 16", 2011.

From her website,

"In 2008, she joined the Alivisatos Lab at the University of California at Berkeley as the lab's first artist in residence. There, she synthesizes nanoparticles that exhibit structural color and creates macroscale art with them. Working as a painter, Kate became fascinated by the phenomenon of structural color–color that derives from a substance's geometric structure rather than its chemical composition. Such structures must be roughly on the scale of wavelengths of visible light and, as such, are measured in nanometers, manipulable with nanotechnology, and out-of-reach in a typical painting studio."

In this video from the Science on the Spot series from KQED Nichols talks about her transition from chemical to structural color.

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

The Shape of Color

When we think about the science behind color, chemistry is our go to field: the chemistry of paints and dyes, the history of minerals and pigments.  But we rarely think about the shape of color. Structural color is an entire field of research that study's things like iridescent butterfly wings and nano scale silver particles.

Iridescent wings of the Morpho didius butterfly via Wikimedia

To start out we need a good explanation of  structural color . For that lets hear from Wikipedia: "Structural colors are colors caused by interference effects rather than by pigments. Color effects are produced when a material is scored with fine parallel lines, formed of one or more parallel thin layers, or otherwise composed of microstructures on the scale of the color's wavelength." So differences in surface structures can change the colors we see just by reorienting the light that hits them.

Scales on a butterfly wing via Wikipedia

Here is a great example. Above is an image of the scales of on butterfly wing, but when we look even closer we can see that each scale is a lattice work on the scale of wavelengths of light. When light hits this surface it gets reorganized, a process called interference. When this changed light is then seen the colors are the result of the surface architecture alone. 

Nanoscale Structure on a Butterfly wing scale via Wikipedia

Another beautiful example of structural color is the opal. The iridescence we see is the result of a particular kind of optical nanostructure called a  photonic crystal which effect motion of photons just as the butterflys lattice scales do, only with opals the hue changes as the angle if viewing changes. 

Opal via Wikimedia

Color is an ever present force in our world, perhaps sometimes so omnipresent as to be ignored. But when we see the amazing variety of solutions nature has found to produce color, it becomes new and interesting all over again.

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

Spring has Sprung

Via Apartment 34

Now that spring is upon us, the official season of rebirth and renewal,  we here at Colour Studio  are encouraging you to  think about bringing lush greens inside to chase away  winter blues.  As we scurry about with spring cleaning, going through the back of the closet and the mystery boxes in the garage, we can also be thinking about a fresh coat of paint or changing a few accents. And where better to start than a bit of spring green.

The Energy Hotel via Plastolux

In the Fung Shui tradition, green is the color of renewal. It gives our spaces lively energy and helps to nourish health. Green is strongly recommended for the bathroom as it provides a purification and new beginnings.  But if a major paint job in not what you are looking for there are great temporary seasonal changes in color  that can make your space feel new all over again.

These beautiful indoor plants via Saídos da Concha on Flickr

Plants are always a great thought for green in spring. We can scrub and sort all we want this spring cleaning but these lovelies enliven our space and clean our air! According to Laura Pottorff of Colorado State University plants such as English ivy and others remove common indoor pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Its amazing how dirty our indoor air can be, and how a few very easy changes really help clean it up. You can read more about her research here. 

Via Apartment Therapy

But plants are just the beginning. What about seasonal accents and artwork. Maybe switching out a rug and a painting is all you need to reawaken you home or office. Even if you don't want to shell out for a new rug you can make your own. There is a great tutorial for the rug below over at Craft.

Via Craft

Even the smallest decor, like a vase, candle holder or pillow is a great candidate for seasonal ration. With fresh spring greens subtlety can work better than over the top.

Via Hit Decor

Take the green wash in this mostly white teen bedroom or a French take on green living in the Kitchen.

Via Perene and Home Designing

There are a world of ways to expand the green highlights in your home. Make a big change or a little one, everyone deserves a new beginning this spring.

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

Beautiful Black

Via Apartment Therapy

What paint color is frequently left out of consideration as a design solution?   For many people black would not cross their mind as a wall color. The common wisdom is that small spaces need to be painted light colors so they don't feel claustrophobic. But frankly a small white, pastel, or beige room can get boring.  Black is associated with mystery, the unknown,  power and even death.  So maybe we just need a little black inspiration.

Via Apartment Therapy

These well lit spaces take on a sophisticated air with black walls. For those people who like a room full of colorful objects and furniture, black walls can be a centering base. Black works visually to accentuate  each color it touches. The black also does great things for art, which glows on black walls.

Via Blackbird Ideas

Black chalkboard paint is also a fantastic option for the adventurous painter. With these walls you could change the decor with the bit of drawing. So will you consider black for your home?

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

The Color of Water

On Science Friday, a weekly science program on NPR, they featured a video that demonstrated  the polarization of light bouncing off of melting ice.  Edward Aites,  a videographer  and a  photographer  specializing in time-lapse image capture, said he was looking for something to explore in his studio during the winter months and started playing around with ice. The results are mesmerizing." "Look at frozen water through cross-polarized light, and zoom in with a macro lens, and you'll find a colorful and intricate landscape.

The video is an interesting exploration of the nature of color. First lets talk a little about  the definition of  polarization. Polarization is essentially the orientation of a wave of light. The polarization changes as the light wave rotates in space. In the case of the camera, a polarizer is applied to the front of the lens which organizes all the light entering the camera in to a single angle of orientation. Confusing? Here is a great visual explanation from the WikiMedia commons.

As the light travels from one side of the polarizing plate to the other, in this case right to left, the plate reorients the light.

But what effect does polarization have on color? The primary effect of polarization in photographs is to reduce reflections and scattered light, giving images clearer richer color. For example the image below, also from WikiMedia, compares two images of vegetation with and with out a filter. On the left a rich verdant green is revealed when the polarizer is applied, where as on the right the greens appear muted and visually muddled together.

Another great example of the effects of interrupting a single wave  of light and causing it to  rotate is evident in the  color of the sky. Normally when we look at or take pictures of the sky we capture lots of light that has bounced  between molecules in the air, creating lots of hazy reflections we don't even notice. But when the polarizer is present, blue abounds and clouds pop out from the background.

Sometimes with color what we see is not all there is to know. The physics of light conceals fascinating treasures in the things we perceive everyday.

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio

All about Magenta

Due to technical difficulties at Life in Color last weeks blog post was lost. But we are back with a great post this week! Thanks for standing by.

Via sodaro,k on Flickr

Everyone has seen magenta, that delightfully pink purple hue, but did you know it's hiding a juicy scientific secret?  Magenta is what is known as a non-spectral or extra-spectral color. Unlike most colors for example red and blue  that can produced with a prism and are made up of one wavelength of light; magenta requires two wavelengths. As you can see below when you overlap two rainbows magenta appears!

Via Biotele

Here is Liz Elliot of Biotele.com explaining how it works:

[W]hat does the brain do when our eyes detect wavelengths from both ends of the light spectrum at once (i.e. red and violet light)? Generally speaking, it has two options for interpreting the input data:

a) Sum the input responses to produce a colour halfway between red and violet in the spectrum (which would in this case produce green – not a very representative colour of a red and violet mix)
b) Invent a new colour halfway between red and violet
Magenta is the evidence that the brain takes option b – it has apparently constructed a colour to bridge the gap between red and violet, because such a colour does not exist in the light spectrum. Magenta has no wavelength attributed to it, unlike all the other spectrum colours.

 But it turns out that magenta isn't the only color we see from mixed wavelengths. Chris Foresman  at Ars Technica's Nobel Intent blog, explains.

If you look at a standard CIE chromaticity diagram, which maps wavelengths of light according to human perception, you'll note that every point along the curve corresponds to a single wavelength of light. Magenta, as it were, lies along what's commonly called the "pink-purple line" that runs across the bottom. All colors along this line do not exist as single wavelengths. But, all points inside the "color bag" above that line do not exist as single wavelengths, either.

Via Wikimedia Commons

Magenta's special status may even have medical applications.  On the Color Matters site  the  New Frontiers of Science section mentions "Color scientist, John J. Stapleton, Pte., ... is unweaving the rainbow and presenting new theories about the "how and why" of color and color vision. Furthermore, he has applied these theories to machines that may save lives: a medical x-ray machine to detect breast cancer."

With such interesting physics hiding just under the surface of everyday colors the new frontiers of color science are indeed luminous.

- Emily Eifler, Writer, Colour Studio
- Jill Pilaroscia, Principal, Colour Studio