No. 04 · Color
This is the page with color.
The rest of this site is black and white. Color earns its place when it has a job. These four come from Mesoamerica, the region I study.
Maya Blue
#3E8FA8
Maya painters made it from indigo and a pale clay. It has held its color on murals for more than a thousand years.
Ink text on this blue: 5.0 to 1
Cochineal
#9B1B30
A red pressed from insects that feed on prickly pear. Mexico traded it to Europe for centuries.
White text on this red: 8.1 to 1
Achiote
#D4572A
The seed of the annatto tree. It colors food, cloth, and faces.
Ink text on this orange: 4.6 to 1
Indigo
#22305E
Guatemala grew and shipped it through the colonial era. In Spanish it is añil.
White text on this blue: 12.7 to 1
What I do
For each client I build a small palette: one main color, one accent, and two neutrals. I check every pair for contrast so the text stays readable, and I write the palette down so a volunteer can use it next year.
Try a pair
Spring concert, April 12
Doors open at seven. Members bring one guest at no charge.
Elsewhere
My writing on Mesoamerican art and color will live at Axiom Planet.
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