Pink is the Word

Never has a color perfectly captured the zeitgeist of a generation like Millenial Pink. But truth be told, artists and designers have had a love affair with many variations of the gorgeous hue way before millenials were born. From Nantucket Prepsters with their salmon pink trousers to Picasso and his rose period, the color has never been out of style. Even with my leanings towards green, white and black, pink has consistently bewitched me and found its way into many a floral arrangement. It’s not hard to see why with so many stunning shades found in nature. The Bowl of Beauty peony and Yves Piaget cabbage rose being two of my favorites.

Millenial Pink, however, has reached a higher echelon and somewhere between scrolling through endless pink things on Instagram (from clouds to Cuisinarts), I succumbed to the soothing, palatable shade. It’s like the tempurpedic of pinks, your pupils just sink into its fleshy glow and relax. I decided to build a photo shoot around the popular color this month using beautifully graphic vessels by the talented ceramicist Matthew Ward. (To see the complete portfolio of images go to the Florals section of my website.) Ward uses the color in a sparing and subtle way, carefully carving pink polka dots into his milky white bud vases. I used peonies, Japanese ranunculus, clematis, orchids amongst other flowers and a pink wall for a full-blown pink on pink effect.

While making my floral still lifes, I began to think of the myriad of diverse artists ranging from Magritte to Lady Gaga, who are as enamored with the color as I am, and how the color inspired them to create works of art. But nothing can last forever, even though millennial pink is putting up a good fight, it will eventually code red and another color will rise from the color wheel and take its place. I wonder what that shade will be...