“Mimosa dubbed 2009 Color of the Year” by Pantone

In case you haven’t heard, Mimosa is the “official” 2009 Color of the Year according to Pantone, the global color expert for the design industries.

Pantone’s Mimosa (PANTONE® 14-0848) appears to be a strong clean bright yellow on the reddish side -- that is, an orangey yellow. Named after the perky yellow variety of flowers of the mimosa tree, the hue reminds us of yummy summer cocktails on the veranda.

Not to be overlooked in this time of economic and political reinvention, says Pantone, no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. Pantone’s anointing of Mimosa is primarily intended to influence fashion and interior designers - professionals who demand exact color matches for their fabrics, house paints, signage and logos. Here in the southeast, Binders is the largest distributor of Pantone products.

What impact will Mimosa have on visual artists? Since it is simply a warm yellow, Mimosa can be a dominant hue, as well as a bright accent color. By any name, Mimosa is a versatile shade that coordinates with any other color. It is particularly eye-catching against deep blue, smoky grape, neutral grays and natural colors, like wood. It pops near coral and turquoise.

Actually, well ahead of Pantone, Michelle Obama especially dazzled the populace when she wore Mimosa-like colors while on the campaign trail with her favorite candidate.

And last January in New York, just weeks after Pantone’s decree, The Gap was quick to open a pop-up shop on 5th Avenue where it exclusively sells Mimosa and other Pantone-hued T-shirts.

But how popular Mimosa will be for visual artists through 2009 remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, artists who wish to dabble into Mimosa colors will find them in abundance at Binders -- oils, acrylics, watercolors, alkyds, pastels, pencils, and more.

For example, with Winsor & Newton Artist Oil Colours, the company says both their Cadmium Yellows and Winsor Yellows are a close to a perfect match for Pantone’s Mimosa (see swatch above).

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