The Story

Evolving from an internationally successful career as personal color analyst, Nikki set out to provide a broader platform from which to support all color analysts working in the 12-tone color analysis system and to provide them with comprehensive resources.

In the late ‘90s the 12-tone color analysis system was put on the global map after the foundation of Sci\ART Global LLC by Kathryn Kalisz. Kathryn invested her life in the research and development of color and its effect on us. With a background as an artist, she had inspirational methods to teach her knowledge to color analysis students. After the tragic death of Kathryn Kalisz in 2010 those that had trained and worked with her world renowned 12-tone color analysis system, struggled to survive without her vision, guidance and resources.

In 2011, with the Sci\ART color analysis businesses in turmoil, Nikki was presented with an unexpected opportunity to purchase all the fabric that had been carefully collected over many years by Kathryn Kalisz to make drape sets for her students. At the time it was hard to estimate the quantity and quality, of what had been acquired. When Nikki began to compile drape sets, from a room stacked high in fabric, it became evident that it was in a poor condition having been stored, untouched, in a garage since Kathryn’s death.  Nikki painstakingly went through every piece of fabric, assigned it to its correct seasonal tone, and had each piece of fabric refinished.  These drapes are part of the heritage of the Sci\ART color analysis system and Nikki felt they should be protected and made available again.

In 2013, after recognizing that there was no longer a channel for people wishing to find out more about the 12-tone seasonal color analysis system, Nikki felt driven to offer Kathryn’s teachings to anyone who wished to be a 12-tone color analyst. Having been trained and deeply inspired by Kathryn, she had a desire to create a platform that could help re-new and refresh this extraordinary color analysis system. Nikki’s vision was that, through the PrismXII training program, Kathryn’s knowledge, teaching and passion for color would be protected and passed on in its purest form.

The PrismXII training program was created to provide a simple method to comprehensively learn the Sci\ART color system without re-writing the ‘script’. It simply opened the door for more people to understand, and practice, this highly acclaimed color analysis system in the exact way that it was originally designed.

For PrismX11 analysts to thrive, Nikki knew that she had to also offer accurate, affordable color palettes. With a burning desire to truly unlock the codes of the Munsell colors used in each of the Sci\ART 12 seasonal tones, Nikki looked to further develop her previous research into the color space. The Munsell color space is created using Hue, Value and Chroma as the dimensions of each of the colors. It seemed logical that there would be a set of unique measurements for each of the 12 tones level of Hue, Value and Chroma that could be matched to provide a balanced collection of colors- it is the principle on which the Sci\ART system was created. Printing these colors accurately was a challenge for everyone – color analysts, graphic designers and printers. Using a unique method and working diligently with a color scientist Nikki was, for the first time, able to create and print perfectly balanced Munsell color palettes that represented the Sci\ART system accurately. The advance in technology, digital printers and the inks used now allows for any of the 1,500 or more of the Munsell Standard [1943] notations to be reproduced precisely.

Each palette’s colors can be measured using a Spectrophotometer to confirm their consistent dimensions in Hue, Value and Chroma. This sophisticated method to analyse color accurately opened the doors for Prism XII to produce the most accurate color products for the color analysis industry, and gives real scientific validation to the knowledge of Kathryn Kalisz, that can now be passed on to future generations.