These Perfect Pairings Between Pantone Swatches And Foods Are Surprisingly Calming Sometimes great things come out of the mist, sometimes when we are close to giving in, the magic happens. This was certainly the case for San Francisco based photographer and food stylist, Lucia Litman, whose inspired series #PantonePosts came out of a comfort bowl of fruit loops. “I came home after a creatively-frustrating day at work and bought myself a box of Fruit Loops, thinking they would make me feel a bit better”, she explained to us, “I had some pantone chips lying around from a previous project, so I matched them to send to a friend to show her the amount of artificial coloring, and then ended up liking how it was looking!”. Food has also been an integral part of Lucia’s life, “My grandpa grew up on a farm, and even though I was a city kid, he taught me the importance of growing your own vegetables which is how my love of food started”. Her eye for colour and texture is clear as you scroll through her collection of pantone cards matched with their edible perfect pairings. She posts each match on her Instagram using the hashtag, #PantonePosts, and the variety is quite astounding. From a selection browns matched with their bagel counterparts to nutritious nut butter colour charts. The images are as oddly satisfying as there are satisfying. Somehow seeing iced doughnuts lined up against their strikingly similar Pantone partner makes them all the more mouth-watering. Perhaps its our human instinct to compartmentalize things, or the kid in us who never really wanted to stop playing with our food or maybe it’s the calming compatibility of the two components that are easy to indulge in after a hard day at work. We managed to catch up with the creative foodie, Lucia Litman, to find out more about her zany love of colour. The Plus: Did you choose each pantone to match a food you already had in mind or visa versa? Lucia Litman: I choose the food first 🙂 I try and go off of what’s in season and available at the markets around me, and then work from there. TP: Why did you decide to use this project as a hashtag? LL: I wanted to organize it into my own little gallery – I post other things on my Instagram, but liked seeing the posts together. Over time, people have contributed to the hashtag which has been fun too, but was never my original intention. TP: What sort of responses have you had on social media? LL: People really like it! I definitely get a lot of comments or jokes about how I choose to spend my time, but I think a lot of people find it interesting and calming to look at. TP: What do you love about colour? LL: For me, I love the diversity of color in natural foods. The fact that a tomato can come in 30 different shades is fascinating and really amazing. Nature has a lot of vibrant colors, and I love celebrating those. TP: What do you love about food? LL: Everything! For me, food is so closely related with memories. The first thing I remember is eating tomatoes off of the vine with my grandpa growing up – it’s amazing how a specific dish or even an ingredient can bring you back to being with a specific person in a defined time and place. TP: How are food and art connected? LL: Food is art 🙂 I think chefs are some of the best artists – not only in how they plate, but also in combining ingredients and preparing food in different ways. TP: Which is your favourite Pantone piece and why? LL: I love the mushroom post – before moving to California, I had no idea that mushrooms came in any other color but grey or brown, so it was one of the most exciting things for me to see. TP: What’s next for you? LL: Honestly, I don’t know! I’d love to eventually sell prints one day and see what other fun art projects I can start with food – I love the idea of creating some massive pieces – like filling an entire bathtub with tomatoes or something fun like that.
