There is nothing new under the sun, right? Not so fast… After 200 years, a new color has been discovered and by accident. * The new blue was given the less than artsy-sounding name YInMn Blue. It’s named after its components — Yttrium, Indium, and Manganese — and its luminous, vivid pigment never fades, even if mixed with oil and water.

Crayola has added the new blue color to their crayon color palette. A contest was held by Crayola to name of the new blue crayon and the winner was “Bluetiful”. 

As an artist, I am fascinated by the story of the origins of paint colors, but I was unaware of the huge role color has played in ancient history, politics, culture and even religion until discovering a remarkable read by Kassia St. Claire called The Secret Lives of Color. I am fascinatd to be learning  just how much I did NOT know about color. 

*The new inorganic pigment was identified by a team of chemists at Oregon State University led by Mas Subramanian, while developing materials for use in electronics in 2009. Andrew Smith, a graduate student at the time, mixed Yttrium, Indium, Manganese, and Oxygen at about 2000 °F. What emerged from the furnace was a never-before-seen brilliant blue compound. e origins of paint colors, but I was unaware of the large role color has played in ancient history, politics, culture and even religion.