van gogh

Vincent van Gogh, the Sunflower.

I've spent months reading van Gogh's letters, and I just created a few collections of sunflowers inspired by him.

Light Words

Six Decades of Glow

Glow sticks are ephemeral fluorescent color lights, inspired by eons of evolution.

Bible

The Biblical (and Post-Biblical) Blues

An iconoclastic exploration into the biblical colors of tekhelet and argaman.

Honey

Amber and the Color of Ambrosia

Amber comes from the word ambrosia; ambrosia was associated with honey; amber is the color of honey.

Bees

How we think about bees.

The shift from beeing producers of honey to beeing pollinators.

Rainbows

The Philosophy of Wonder and the Rainbow

Including quotes from noted philosophers like Plato, Descartes, Kierkegaard, and Kermit the Frog.

Black

17th century English Puritans were the original Black Sheep

An update and correction to last week's newsletter.

Black

Bah, Black Sheep.

Spoiler alert: The little boy in the song was Cupid.

Welsh

Why I Learned Lliwiau (colors) in Cymraeg (Welsh)

Or: A very basic introduction to Welsh color words by someone who doesn't speak the language, yet.

Black

The Chinese (India) Ink Story

or "How reliance on advances in technology impedes innovation."

Light Words

Drawing with Light

A few Greek and Latin phrases about drawing with light.

Light Words

Does a photograph steal your soul?

The answer is yes.

White

Every bride is beautiful.

Some wild theories about the color white.

Etymology

A Simplified History of Red-Tape

Red-tape is a euphemism for unsolvable complexities. I almost agreed.

Blue

Would you like a blue sky?

Some thoughts about the sky being blue.

Magenta

Correction about Magenta

Magenta has a much more interesting etymology than I had previously written.

Metaphor

Spilled Red Ink

An exploration of the modern metaphor.

Dairy

Rebranding Milk

Modern milk is a 20th century invention and most ethnicities are lactose intolerant.

Commerce

The Myth and Reality of Trending Colors

Distinguishing between hype and functionality.

Gold

All Gold Doesn't Glitter

An etymology of many things golden.

Fairytales

Storytelling and Dreaming in Color

Scheherazade, Alice, Dorothy, and Wendy.

Wine

On the Color of Ancient Wine

This newsletter includes an intro to computer science, a quick explainer in vinification (winemaking), swine-ish sailors, biblical leprosy, the Passover Seder, bright-eyed goddesses, tithing, and raisin wine.

Unsolicited Advice

The Relative Irrelevance of Historical Colors

Please don't buy paint colors for your home simply because they were popular during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Etymology

A Brief History of Shade

The Oxford English Dictionary has dozens and dozens of definitions of shade. I try to understand a few of them.

Dance

Why you should care about the color of ballet shoes.

Spoiler: This isn't just about the color of ballet shoes