Mexicolor [Paperback]

Radiant color is not merely joyously prevalent in Mexico, it is part of the national psyche. According to this energetic celebration of Mexican style, "the color that floods Mexico's streets and plazas, markets and homes (and the pages of this book) is language and metaphor--a form of communication, deeply bound to experience. Day and night, birth and death, rich and poor, feast and famine: color is always there. Earth, sky, and history conspire to make it so." The profusion of multihued walls, tiles, ceramics, textiles, and folk art that fill the home; the riotous juxtapositions of vivid foods, flowers, supplies, and accessories that comprise the spectacle of the marketplace; the vibrant details that define everything from facades to clothing to handpainted toys--the Mexican obsession with color is everywhere, as is strikingly documented in this lively book. --Amy Handy

This well-illustrated, visually inspiring book depicts color in Mexican vernacular design. The first half shows how bright, vivid colors and natural colors are juxtaposed in Mexico, e.g., a lush green coastal landscape sets off a bright pink bougainvillea or brown burros contrast with orange walls. The last section shows how Mexican architects and designers use these colors in exteriors and interiors and both contemporary and traditional design. Highly recommended for interior design collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mexicolor captures the bold spirit of South-of-the-border design. Photographer Melba Levick, artist Masako Takahasi, and writer Tony Cohan dare you to splash brilliant fuchsia on conservative white walls and adorn a kitchen with handpainted pottery and turquoise tiles. From weavings to murals, doorways to patios, Mexicolor shows how the daring decorator can turn a plain home into a work of art. -- Good Housekeeping

Basking in sunlight and coursing with energy, Mexico enjoys a unique relationship with color-inspired, intrinsic, inseparable from life itself. This vibrance sings forth in the pages of <I>Mexicolor</I>, the collaborative project of an artist, a photographer, and a writer all in love with the brilliant displays of color seen everywhere in Mexico. Walls washed flamingo pink on top, deep matte blue on the bottom. A green flatbed truck heaped with orange marigolds. A sea of colorful skeletons at a Day of the Dead fiesta. The radiant reds, yellows, purples, and greens of the fruits and vegetables at <I>el mercado</I>. <I>Mexicolor</I> explores Mexico high and low, from colonial towns to dazzling beaches, from traditional workshops to contemporary interiors, from open markets to extraordinary homes and inns, uncovering the colorful artistry that permeates everyday life across this vast nation. <I>Mexicolor</I> is an ideal resource for anyone looking to brighten a home, and a beautiful picture book brimming with imagination, creative ideas, and pure pleasure.

Tony Cohan has spent much of the past 12 years in Mexico. He is the author of four novels, and his reviews, essays, and travel writing on Mexico have appeared in numerous magazines.<br><br>Masako Takahashi is a much-exhibited artist and photographer who divides her time between Venice, California, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.<br><br>Melba Levick has published more than 40 photography books on travel, architecture, and design, including Mexicolor (0-8118-1893-4) and Mexicasa (0-8118-2806-9). She lives in Los Angeles and Paris.