"Pink makes everything fabulous" - Barbie

Week 21's colours are Opera Pink, Maroon, Mustard & Pale Sage

In the Colori Flori Summit, I released a bonus project featuring some bright colours including opera pink. The history of this bright colour is quite fascinating.

Opera pink's origins trace back to the development of synthetic dyes in the mid-19th century, particularly the discovery of mauveine by William Henry Perkin in 1856. This breakthrough in chemistry led to a revolution in available colors, making vivid, previously impossible shades accessible for the first time.

What we now call opera pink was popularised during the Victorian era's fascination with the bold, saturated colours that were made possible by these new aniline dyes. The colour became associated with the theatrical world because opera houses and theatres of the late 1800s embraced these dramatic new pigments for their costumes, sets and interior decorations.

Before synthetic dyes, achieving such intense pink shades was near impossible. Natural sources like cochineal insects could produce reds and some pinks, but nothing quite as vivid and stable as what became possible with synthetic chemistry. Madder root and other plant-based dyes also provided pinks, but they were typically more muted.

Today opera pink is created using modern synthetic pigments and can be precisely formulated across different media, from paints to textiles to digital displays. The paint however remains a fugitive colour and it’s known that it’ll fade over time.

Read all about opera pink in more detail here.

“Floral Artwork, Colori Flori”, gouache and aquarelle, Esté MacLeod, 2025

Colour Combination

The chosen colours this week are Opera Pink, Maroon, Mustard & Pale Sage. Use the colours along with a contrasting dark and neutral light colour if you wish. Create an artwork in any medium or style.

I love seeing what you’ve create. If you’re posting on Instagram, please tag #coloricombo and #estemacleod and join us in the private Facebook group Creative Prompts.

Last chance to register!

Registration for the Colori Flori Summit has been extended and closes midnight PST on Monday 26 May. Don’t miss out, join today to take advantage of lifetime access.