2018’s Pantone Color of the Year in Belize

Manhattan was my home for almost 10 years.  It’s a place MADE to be photographed in black and white.  And during the winter, no photo-filters are needed, New York City is only shades of grey.

Belize is the complete opposite – a wave…an explosion of color.   Shocking, almost neon ocean blues, lush tropical greens, hot pink and eye popping yellow flowers…no color seems too outrageous.  Especially when you see a scarlet macaw fly through the jungle tree tops.

These babies are JUST about to fly.

So, when Pantone, THE authority in color, the company that has named and codified colors for decades, announced their much anticipated color of 2018…

…to let us know what shade we’d all be coveting, the color we would all want to decorate our homes with, the next wave down the runways of Milan and Paris…

I was ready to LOVE it.  2017’s color had been GREENERY after all…a color that was probably INVENTED in Belize.

2018 is the year of….

All I could think was BLECH.  And then I read the idea behind it.  The reasoning.

Blech x 100000.

Purple?  The fave color of every 8 year old “My Pretty Pony” owning girl who dreams of owning a unicorn?  Oy.

So…in an attempt to relate Ultra Violet 18-3838 to my life…to get more comfortable with the color, I shuffled through my pictures.

Beautiful lady in Punta Gorda.

This woman was ROCKING it in the Belize City Independence September Carnival.

Purple in Belize.

Elections are coming up – and in Belize, you vote with your finger print.  Voters emerge with this.

A beautiful door in Orange Walk town…

A doorway in San Pedro – this business has since moved up to Boca Del Rio by the bridge.  STILL the #1 spot to find books on the island.

It’s a good color for doors – I’ll give it that.

It’s a great color for flowers.

From the subtle purple of the wild or “stinking” passion fruit vine that grows in the lot next to us.  Note:  does not like to be transplanted!

To a water lily in Placencia…

To this beautiful entrance way.

There was a purple sign for the restroom at Blue Water Grill.

A cool piece of artwork I JUST got at Belizean Melody’s shop…it’s perfect in small doses.

Yes, that’s me.

A sign for the old bar at Ramon’s Village – The Purple Parrot.

A store in town…the tienda where I get all things that fit in the category “Other”.  Sewing needles, random glassware, plastic tubs, buttons…

Still not my favorite color.  I’m going to leave it for parades and fireworks…

And end this post with my favorite use of 2018’s color in the whole country…this mural in San Ignacio…and agree to disagree with Pantone (and Super Buy) on this one.

If you have a purple pic of Belize, please send it to me to share!  [email protected] #NotAFan