What Makes a Style Distinctive?

When I was an art major in college, there was another art major I knew who had the most distinctive style I had ever seen. While the rest of us were creating what was assigned, in the manner in which it was assigned, he had a creative style that permeated everything he did. You could identify his paintings a mile away (well, maybe not a MILE). I was always impressed by that.

So today, when I read this post on Indie Public about Pantone's recently released Spring Color Trends forecast, and found Natasha Newton's beautiful work, it got me thinking about this again. What really makes a style unique? And couldn't color be one of the most powerful distinctions in creativity?

Natasha Newton has everything you would expect in an accomplished and note-worthy painter----beautiful compositions, emotional content and technical prowess. But what really struck me about her work was her color palette. Her use of color is consistent and sets such a particular mood for all her work. While the subject matter is near universal (trees, landscapes, birds), and her stylized simplicity is not ground-breaking, it's that sultry, smokey neutral palette that acts as the cherry on top.

(The stunning colors in my Whiskey's eyes. :-)

So rather than pop on the latest "in" colors....maybe there's something to be said for finding your own palette...and sticking to it.