read my color profile of CJ Volk, creator of Citron Paints

See what I have to say about Citron Paint in my “Kate’s Take on Paint Brands” article

Or go directly the the Citron Paint website to see all the color-lusciousness for yourself

I’ll admit that it has been some time since I gave a great deal of thought to team uniform colors but it was fun to think about it again in the context of the New Orleans Saints and their success on the playing field this year.

Below are excerpts from Susan Langenhennig’s article ‘Power colors: Black and gold are tops on the red carpet – and this season – on synthetic turf’ that appeared in today’s New Orleans Times Picayune.

As a power statement, black outranks blue. It’s the de facto color of intelligence and achievement. A black judge’s robe commands respect, as does the mortarboard at graduation.

Unlike red, its cohort in aggression, black is less brash, more confident, signalling “authority and prestige, ” said Kate Smith, a Virginia-based color strategist and creator of SensationalColor.com.

Perennially fashion’s favorite color, black never goes out of style. Think Chanel’s little black dress, Yves St. Laurent’s Le Smoking, James Bond’s tux. Nothing compares on the red carpet — or, this season, on synthetic turf.

The black-and-gold combination “brings the thought of prosperity, ” said Smith, who attended the recent Color Marketing Group convention in New Orleans. “Black and gold are thought of as top shelf. Whether it’s on chocolate bars or liquor bottles or football players, it signals higher quality.”

In the case of the Saints, the quality, perhaps like fine wine, just took some time to be fully realized.

See the article on The New Orleans Times Picayune…

You can just imagine how thrilled I was when Karen agreed to be a featured contributor to Sensational Color.   Karen will be writing articles based on her color book series that represent all colors used in the garden. Each of Karen’s books offers a blueprint on which plants to choose and how to use them and I think we can look forward to her keen insights on how to bring new colors into our gardens.

The first article is Color in the Garden – Black and if you’re like me by the time you finish reading it you’ll want to grab the book or ebook and start thinking about how you might add a little Black Magic to your garden.

I enjoyed this picture and the comments on Tech Crunch.

Others adding their voice to the conversation include:

New Scientist

AutoBlogGreen

The Truth About Cars

A bit of background: In 2006, California adopted the California Global Warming Solutions Act, also known as AB 32.  This law created a comprehensive, long term plan for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Cool Paints was identified as an Early Action strategy, to be in place no later than January 1, 2010.   This strategy is based on measures to reduce the solar heat gain in a vehicle parked in the sun.

Early this week a report was released that brought this issue to the forefront again because black paint does not meet the levels required for compliance.

Louise Nevelson