The ‘Language of Colour’ neon works are based on colour’s power in conveying ideas and information, references, idioms and expressions relating to colour — words that are peculiar to themselves grammatically but whose relation to colour gives them specific meaning.

blue blood

the heredity of a noble family; aristocratic ancestry

blue rinse

a dilute hair dye used to reduce the yellowed appearance of grey or white hair, typically associated with older women

blue period

term used to define the works produced by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso between 1901 and 1904 when he painted essentially monochromatic paintings in shades of blue

blue ruin

1. low-end gin, usually home-made

2. 2013 American thriller film

3. complete and utter desolation

blue cheese

cheeses that have had cultures of the mould Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue

blue monday

1. a name given to a day in January claimed to be the most depressing day of the year

2. the title of a song by New Order, still the all-time best-selling 12” single in the UK

blue movie

a film containing graphic sexual content

blueprint

reproduction of a technical drawing, documenting an architectural or engineering design, using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets

blue ribbon

a ribbon of blue silk given to the winner of a competition or as a mark of great distinction