THE "VENERABLE" LAOZI...

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want", Lao Tzu.

RAVEN...

The raven was sent out from the ark by Noah, when the waters of the flood were retreating from the earth, and it "went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth"...

           Picture by Tim Flach Photography

"Just as night always follows day, black is the inevitable shade. Raven is the quintessential basic color, offering a sophisticated backdrop to all other colors", said  Leatrice Eiseman.

• Raven is associated with death and mourning in many cultures, and suddenly it comes to my mind the famous sentence: "For whom are you in mourning, Mademoiselle? Paul Poiret asked Chanel. "Why for you, Monsieur!" she answered. But at the contrary in ancient Egypt, Raven black represented life and rebirth. 

• Raven is also associated with unhappiness, sexuality,  power, elegance, sophistication, formality, evil, and  is also used in clothing to make a bold statement of mystery and self control. And "Mystery is the heart of creativity", said  Julia Cameron.

“Dressing in black means simplicity of line, perfection of cut and a touch of spirit” wrote Suzy Menkes on December 12, 1983, at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition staged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• Dress in Raven if you want to become inconspicuous.  
• Raven is often used in fashion because of its slimming quality.

• With Raven, you can easily jump from, a classic and sofisticated look, touching  a cat eye style, in to get a Gothic touch, or strong Gothic look.

There is not enough the adjectives to describe this color.

• raven is: elegant, sophisticated, dressy, fashionable, smart, trendy, stylish, minimalist, funky, gothic, faddish, and  so on. Definitely the chicest.

Because of Black absorbs all light in the color spectrum is rarely chosen as a favorite color because it is actually the negation of the color. But to me is not only the most versatile of all color, Raven Black is my favorite one, and I love it.

THE VISION...

“The vision” of George Stavrinos (1948-1990), the American illustrator, born in Somerville Massachusetts, who studied Graphics at the Rhode Island School of Design  in 1969, will be presented from, September 03, 2013 to October 19, 2013 by  the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrator in New York. 

The exhibition features over 100 Illustrations highlighting Stavrinos career as a seductive draftsman and fashion Illustrator.

If you love fashion illustration do not miss this exposition.

The opening reception Friday, September 6th 7pm. Suggested donation $ 20. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to, the non profit organization, Live Out Loud.

See more information at: the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators, located at 128 E 63rd St, New York, NY.

THE COLOR OF BALANCE...

Emerald, also called Emerald Green, is a tone of Green that is particularly light and bright, with a faint bluish cast. The name derives from the typical appearance of the gemstone emerald.

One of the world’s most famous uncut emeralds is from the Muzo mines, situated in the western foothills of the eastern range of the Colombian Andes, about 96km northeast of Bogota.

Being a combination of Yellow and Blue, the color Green encompasses the mental clarity and optimism of Yellow with the emotional calm and insight of Blue, inspiring hope and generosity of spirit not available in others colors.

The color Green is the color of Balance, harmony and growth. From a color psychology perspective, it is the great balancer of the heart and the emotions, creating equilibrium between the head and the heart. But is also the color of the growth, the color of spring, of renewal and rebirth.

According with Time Magazine reports, based in a poll of Designers and brands about colors, the Pantone Color Institute has designated Emerald Green as the color of the year 2013.

The institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman, said in a press release:  “Green is the most abundant hue in nature. The human eye sees more Green than any other color in the spectrum. It is also the color of growth, renewal and prosperity. No other color conveys regeneration more than Green. For centuries, many countries have chosen Green to represent healing and unity”.

THE BEST MELLOW...

"Color is Magic, it is ubiquitous, nature always awed me"...

And colors also speak and have a special meaning; Pink color carries with it the connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. Dark pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and are a traditional way to say thanks, but Light pink roses are associated with grace gentleness, admiration, and sweet thoughts and can also be used as an expression of sympathy. As a thank you or for gratitude, pink mellow roses will be your best choice.

A Pale pink rose shades connote grace and gentleness, admiration and happiness. 

Mellow rose, is a shade between a light pink and a peach, which looks more like a neutral than a pastel. It work equally well with warm and cool undertones.

Wearing the right color brings out the glow of your natural coloring and will make you look 'mauvelous' younger and healthier. 

Mellow Rose, is one of the four most flattering colors for all people.

THE BEST INDIAN...

Teal, the undulating color of a tropical sea, awash with both warm  and cool currents, include a variety of tones, from Teal Green to Teal Blue.

Teal, is a low-saturated color, a Bluish-Green to dark medium, similar to medium Blue-Green and dark Cyan.

                                         Teal, polyps Acropora Robusta.

                                 Teal, is a deep Blue color; a dark Cyan.

The Indian Teal color gets its name from the fact that it surrounds the eyes of the common teal, a member of the duck family. The first written use of teal as a color name in English was in 1917.

The Indian Teal color can be created by mixing Green with Blue into a White base, or deepened as needed with a little bit of Black or Gray color. The complementary color of Teal is Coral.

Indian Teal, is one of the four most flattering colors for all people.

THE TRUE...

Think about the frequency of red in nature and how it has been used as a signal color in natural settings. 

True red, is the most versatile of reds, it gives life to both warm and cool colorations.

Designer Bill Blass once said, "When in doubt, wear red". And he was right. Not only does red stop traffic but it may also make you a winner. In a study conducted at the University of Durham, in England, researches found that athletes in combative sporting competitions who wore red were more apt to win those contestants wearing other colors.

True Red "flatters everyone because it "resides in the center of the color spectrum, in between a cool cherry red and a warm, orangey tomato red", say New York City makeup artist Sonia Kashuk.

There is no question that red is nature's sexual signal. Walk into a room, with a red dress and all eyes will be on you in a second, however the word that shows up most frequently on color word association tests, is a mouth shaded in a vibrant True Red lipstick.

True Red, is the color of energy, power, and passion and thus associates with love. Wear red and you will feel confident and in control.

True Red, is one of the four most flattering colors for all people.

THE MOST BRILLIANT DESIGNER...

"Nature is the most brilliant designer of all, and the secret is in the seasson"...Carole Jackson.

"Some colors work for all skin tones and hair colors, because they fall into the middle of the color spectrum, meaning they're not too warm or too cool" says Leatrice Eiseman, author of the Color answer book.

And this is true, because some hues bring out the best ineveryone, when they are used mostly cases 'on top'  close to the face, regardless of skin tone or hair color. On of the  most flattering color is : The Eggpant (Aubergine).

"A perfect marriage of purple and marrón, and an interesting relief from deeper, more somber shades, Aubergine (the French word for eggplant) has become a classic". said Eseman.

She calls the Eggplant tone "the perfect purple", because is extremely versatile, almost like a black, a dark brown and, or a navy.

Eggplant, is one of the four most flattering colours for all people.

THE BRYANT'S SUMMER FACE...

The Bryant Park, which was named to honor the New York Evening Post editor and abolitionist William Cullen Bryant, is a natural landmark, in New York City, located strategically between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, close to Time Square and The Grand Central Terminal.

Although is part of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Bryant Park is managed by a private not-for-profit corporation, the Bryant Park Corporation. The park is cited as a model for the success of public-private partnerships.

Bryant Park is built entirely over an underground structure which houses the New York Public Library's archives, that is located within the park, making Sixth Avenue the park's primary entrance.

In the 1980s, the park was closed to the public and excavated. The new library facilities were built below ground level and the park was restored above it.

See the Bryant Pak History at: http://www.bryantpark.org/about-us/history.html

The first time that I saw  the Bryant Park was in the 2003, to assist to the New York Fashion Week, event that until the 2011 took place in this beautiful place. Since them, I love it, place that  is one of my father's favorite  in New York too.

People usually goes to the Bryant Park, at the summer season besides others activities,  to play pétanque,  that  is a French game of “boules” (French for balls), where each player strives to throw metal balls as close as possible to a smaller wooden ball, named the “cochonnet”,  and to play Ping Pong at The Tables, or chess game, juggling, or to practice the Tai Chi, the internal China martial art, to see dancing shows and to see the HBO Bryant Park Films series, to read in the readers area or simply to take the sun like on the best hot beach.

  

But the park, all around the year, is  the  New York Yuppies's favorite place, to have lunch  or go after work and  depart and meet friends.

See Bryant's events calendar at the web: http://www.bryantpark.org/plan-your-visit/calendar.html

SUMMERNIGHTS...

Live music, great art, every Thursday at the Jewish Museum , located at 1109 5th Avenue, in the Museum Mile Area,in New York City. 

Last June 27, was Hazmat Modine in concert (A blend of blues, swing, Klezmer, and Jamaican rocksteady.

Next Thursday 11 will be Howard Fishman and His Band (New Orleans jazz,Brooklying soul, and experimental blues). And Isle of Klezbos concert , will be Thursday, July 25 (Mystical melodies, Yiddish swing, and retro tango).

The concerts begin at 7:30 pm in Scheuer Auditorium. Doors open at 7:00 pm, Seating is general admission.

See more informtion about this events in the folowing web:

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/site/pages/calendar_main.php

Mockingbird by Hazmat Modine: