Hans Silvester

German photographer Hans Silvester spent 5 years documenting the body art of the people of the Omo valley in Ethiopia.

Using natural earth pigments with water, they paint themselves up to three times a day.

Adding native leaves and plants to further enhance the designs....

Adornment of the body is nothing new! Many cultures use flowers and designs from nature in fashion.

-Arcimbaldo

And nature itself has been elevated to art.

Fashion, nature and art are intertwined...influencing each other and morphing to make new designs and trends.

Painted faces

Silvester shows us timeless designs and colors.

Images that are interpreted today through fashion and art.

Similarities of past and present.

The tilt of the head....

-Carravagio

So reminiscent of a Bacchian painting.

The stare of this girl...so powerful and mesmerizing...

-Vermeer

Art, nature and fashion......inseparable . Remember, nothing is new. Look around your home and find influences of past cultures....an oriental rug, accent pillow or antique incised picture frame..old as the earth, but re-interpreted by each generation!

Color Trends 2010

-photo by Hans Silvester

Today, I attended a presentation on color trends for 2010 .

- woven red Zulu hats-google image

Ashlynn Bourque with Sherwin-Williams presented the program showing the influences for the four color groups-Rooted, Simplified, Refreshed and Treasured.

-Chanel couture 2009-google image

Rooted is based in the world's oldest cultures-African, Aboriginal and Native American. Natural earth ochres, tribal weavings, trade beads and cave paintings influence this palette of six colors. The picture above shows a Chanel couture from the 2009 collection influenced by African textiles and Zulu woven hats.

-African trade beads-personal photo

This color palette is rich capturing the sands of the desert, blues of the oceans and glazes of rookwood pottery.

In keeping with the mantra of "simplify in a complex world", Treasured is characterized with words like age and imperfection.

Turning House furniture's motto is "Renewed, Reclaimed, Reborn". They use salvaged materials and reinterpret into new objects. This style of rawness and peeling are influences for Treasured.

Another strong influence is the Rough Luxe Hotel in London featuring walls of peeling paint and torn, faded wallpaper. Treasured is synonymous with patina, layered, aged and artisan and includes a coral, aged blue and warm cream.

Simplified draws influence from the Bauhaus movement-form follows function- and the absence of ornamentation.

Transparency such as lucite and glass exposing interior structure....thick wool felt... stacking tables....all of these are influences for this color family.

This palette includes two greys with undertones of blue and green.

Refreshed is an interpretation of psychedelic 60's colors, pucci prints and tie dye. Inspirations were the iridescence of hummingbirds and butterflies. These colors are happy and tropical.

Stop by your local Sherwin-Williams paint store for a set of 2010 colormix cards to inspire your 2010!