The British Airways comprehensive testing saw the fuel-saving paint applied to a Boeing 777-200 after successful trials on an Airbus A318 serving New York and London route. Rising fuel prices have driven airlines to seek new ways of cutting weight and improving efficiency to allow the planes to fly with less fuel. (www.smh.com.au)
Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson says that 'paint colours' plays a very important part in our lives and consultants are involved in a wide range of professional advice providing input into the colour and texture of paint for internal and external corporate offices blocks, government buildings, schools, libraries and, even the humble home.
There are various web sites that provide such guidelines, one of these states that the right colour gives a paint job your personal mark. An understanding of colour families, hues, values, and tones gives you the tools you need to make the right choices. (www.bobvila.com)
There are sites that provide a tutorial for paint selection. One of these states the following, to complicate the situation: "Once you have selected multiple systems return to the top of screen and select view specifications" Oops, say that again! (www.duspec.com.au)
There you have says Mark Tronson, as the do-it-yourself model becomes so overwhelming that for large projects paint consultants become the norm whereby a philosophy of the project becomes the guide to the colour selections.
Colour schemes across the board
The livery of Australian locomotives fall into such categories whereby today with companies engaged in train running 'company corporate colours' become part of the paint project. Gone is the beautiful blue of Queensland's QR diesels, representing the Sunshine State.
Mark Tronson recounts that the talk of Moruya, a small coastal community on the south coast of New South Wales in the mid 1990's was the new library and its purple panels – indeed they fitted in well with the local eucalyptus.
Likewise, the brilliant yellow on the new multi-storey Southern Cross University adjacent to the Gold Coast Airport, on the New South Wales and Queensland border in Tweed Heads.
One highlight for Mark Tronson when being transported by coach between Auckland's airport and the city on the occasions he's flown to New Zealand and landed in Auckland - are a set of split level town houses and the colours chosen for each unit. One is painted apricot, another violet, and another a light pink, another blue, another a light green and so on.
Now we learn that motor vehicle buyers take colour very seriously and when the economy is down so too this reflects the purchases' choice of colour. (
Churches and paint colours
Internal paint is also a carefully crafted art and the varieties of colours to choose from are legion. This brings Mark Tronson to the nature of colour paint selections for Churches.
Once such selections were very conservative with beige and light cream tones but in recent years all that seems to have been challenged. Many of the larger Pentecostal churches have chosen more adventurous colour schemes for both the sanctuary as well as other areas such as offices, play group, the coffee shop, the gymnasium, the indoor sports hall and the like.
Mark Tronson recommends that next time you're in your own church or visiting another, take a special interest in the colours. The variety will be of interest and will say something of the philosophy of that ministry. Increasingly today, leaders have a huge influence on such designations and this becomes part of the story and ministry of that place.
Nothing of this is new. The colours of the tent of the tabernacle were carefully spelt out with spiritual significance as stated in Exodus 26 verse 31, and 27 verse 16. Mark Tronson recounts that one of his very first books given to him to initiate his private theological library was a book titled: "The colours of the Tabernacle".
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html