Product Article: Spotlight on Turquoise (Pantone's Colour of the Year 2010)
Pantone, the famed authority on matters of colour has named its Colour of the Year 2010: PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise.
The colour name comes from the semi-precious stone and originates from the French for “Turkish”. The stone was imported by Europeans through Turkey, though it originated from Persia (Iran). It was also found by the Aztecs in Mexico.
The inviting, luminous hue of the stone’s colour combines the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green. This means that it is often used as an adjective to describe blues or greens and isn't usually named as a separate hue.
Apart from being a colour on a palette, Turquoise is a colour with strong concepts and identities attached to it. It evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing. Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a colour that most people respond to positively.
From an artists' perspective, the colour can be manufactured from blue (PB) and green (PG) pigments. These are usually based on phthalocyanines which are a synthetic pigment which range from red at one end but generally tend to be greenish. The cobalt turquoise pigment is also often used and gives clear, bright colours in watercolour and both bright and duller, more opaque colours in oils.
Turquoise has both warm and cool undertones and pairs well with most other colours in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, conveys maritime ideas with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is striking with yellow-greens.
Painting with Turquoise
There are many applications for the range of turquoises that are available in Winsor & Newton colour ranges and although turquoise can be mixed from greens and blues on your palette, some artists will choose to have this single pigment secondary colour on their palette. The main reason is that using it will allow you to continue to create brighter, stronger mixes.
Uses for Turquoise in water colour
• As a high key colour. Used in this way it is popular with impressionist styles, flowers and abstract themes (Artists’ Water Colour Cobalt Turquoise Light)
• Opaque (Artists’ Water Colour Cobalt Turquoise Light & Cobalt Turquoise)
• Transparent (Artists’ Water Colour Phthalo Turquoise)
• A granulating colour ( Artists’ Water Colour Cobalt Turquoise)
• A cool colour (Artists’ Water Colour Phthalo Turquoise)
Uses for Turquoise in Oils & Acrylics
• As a secondary colour: Cobalt Turquoise can be used successfully as a secondary colour in landscapes and portraits
• As a low-key colour: Phthalo Turquoise can also be used as a low-key, more subdued colour if you are looking for a different feel for your painting
With a variety of applications, Turquoise is certainly an evocative colour which will inspire many people in 2010. Perhaps artists will see it in a new light too.