Westbound Color

Ghost Ranch, Abiqu, New Mexico, 2010.

We arrived safely home by the grace of good luck by midnight on Friday 13th August. We were greeted by a slap of intense heat, no rain for over six weeks and counting, and our warm fuzzy dog and cat. Here's a small sampling of collected colors along the way. 

Sonoma Coast Beach,

California, 2010.

Madrone Bark,

Oregon, 2010.

Being my first adventure to California, our journey west is a cherished experience. We drove through multiple sections of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Colorado, arriving back into Oklahoma through the panhandle.

Northern California

Coastal Vegetation, 2010.

Eucalyptus Bark detail, 2010.

We had glimpses and long observations of wild horses, pronghorn, wild burros, fox, bald eagles, harbor seals, and jackrabbits. The spirits of the Redwood Forests have come home with us.

We were fell asleep to the sound of the ocean, hypnotically being pulled in, savoring the smell of the salty air. In Nevada we saw a FULL DOUBLE rainbow after an early morning storm. A few nights were hosted by generous friends. The mornings were chilly, the food delicious.

Wildflowers at Rabbit

Ear's Pass, Colorado, 2010.

Complementary Grass, 2010.

Poison Oak,

Coastal California, 2010.

I filled 37 quart jars with botanicals, most of which will never be found in Oklahoma, but they were of great abundance in their coastal and mountain homes.

Funky Botanics,

San Francisco Botanical

Garden, 2010.

Open Gifts, Northern California, 2010.

Purple Majesty

Energyscape #2658, 2010.

Violet has the shortest wavelength in the light spectrum and the fastest vibration. The hues of Purple vary in proportions of Red and Blue, making them warmer or cooler. Violet is the darkest hue on the color wheel. Its complement is Yellow, the lightest hue on the color wheel. Purple is elliptical; a combination of the Blue sphere and the Red square.

Inside Iris,

Chalet Garden, 2010.

Purples which are light in value are often referred to as lilac or lavender while  darker value of Purple often referred to as eggplant, mauve, or dark purple. Mauve is known as the transition color from worldwide use of natural dyes into the use of synthetic dyes. The book Mauve, by Simon Garfield, provides a detail account of its historical importance.

Unidentified Mushroom, Gloucester, 2009.

Sumac Fruit, Rhus, 2009.

The combinations from Red-violet to Blue-violet are stunning. Blue-violet represents solitude, dedication, and sternness. Red-violet represents divine love and good luck; of course experiencing divine love is good luck!

Papaver opening,

Chalet Garden, 2009.

Roadside Echinacea,

Arkansas, 2009.

Lavenders and lilac are delicate, fragile, soft, and calming. They can be nostalgic and sentimental but they can also foster mental balance. More saturated Purples  are considered prestigious, royal, wealthy, powerful, and represent magnificence and an expression of sophistication.

Feng Shui practices associate purple with the element of fire. Chinese astrology associates purple with the North Star. Violet is associated with the crown chakra, while working with the spiritual body, it is useful for vision and anything affecting the  brain. Violet has a strong connection to artistic endeavors, quests, and inspiration; it is the color of  consciousness. It is a color of healing and awareness, cleansing and calmness. While encouraging and impressive, if the improper shade or value of Purple is used it can be oppressive. 

Victorian Home, New York,

2009.

The historic purple known throughout the ancient Mediterranean was derived from Murex, mollusks which produced only drops of the desirable color. Good Purple hues can be achieved using Logwood, Haematoxylon campechianum, or Brazilwood, Caesalpinia species. Cochineal, Dactylopus coccus, and Lac, Laccifer lacca, are natural red dyes; by shifting the pH to alkali the reds become more blue-red. And, using various values of natural red dyes in combination with indigo will yield lovely purple values. 

Acanthus spinosus,

Cornell Botanical Gardens,

2009.

Energyscape #309, 2009.

Purple represents devotion, reverence, respect, and loyalty. Although it is the color associated with royalty, the City of Gloucester, Mass. debuted in January 2009 purple plastic trash bags (@ $2/bag) to replace their pink sticker trash collection service. 

Gloucester trash bags, 2009.

descriptive words for purple:

lilac, dusty plum, lavender, mauve, violet, plum crazy

inspirations from purple:

violas, lilacs, red lettuce, red grapes, Ageratum sp., orchids, Clematis sp., mulberries, blackberries, eggplant, beets, red onions, red cabbages, plums, dew berries, amethyst, red wine, port, Callicarpa, poke berries, prickly pear cacti fruit.

meanings of purple:

Eminence, Missouri ironically is the town we recently “put in” our canoes for our week long adventure down Jack’s Fork River. Pleading ignorance, I did not realize the word was synonymous with purple!

Door #269, Gloucester, 2009.

Bibliography and Suggested Observations (see Oklahoma Tinctoria LibraryThing for detailed information):

Icelandic artist, Olafur Eliasson, One-way Color Tunnel, San Francisco Museum of Art, ‘Take Your Time’ Exhibit:

http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/232

Pantone Color Guides.

Dean, Jenny. Wild Color.

Phipps, Elena. Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color. 

Garfield, Simon. Mauve. 

The Blues

Water, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2009

Blue is the universal color for water and sky. It is the calm and wonderous color of the three primaries. With Water as its element, Blue is in constant flow. It is represented by the circle symbolizing spirit. The throat chakra is light blue and considered part of the spiritual body. The throat is associated with creativity, communication and expression (Stein, 19). Blue is all things flexible, moving and cyclical.

Blue is elusive and mysterious. Some Blue minerals include lapis lazure, cobalt and turquoise. Cultures around the world discovered Indigo during similar times in history. It is the only botanical blue pigment used in dyeing. The indican is found in several species of plants and has been cultivated and processed for textile dyeing. The process of extracting and fermenting indigo varies with cultural tradition. More information about indigo will be presented at another time. It is an ancient blue that has great importance to the history of textiles, economics, agriculture and art.

Indigo dyed wools, 2009

descriptive words for blue:

classic, spirit, denim, turquoise, cobalt, azure, prussian blue, ink, shade, ultramarine, royal blue, baby blue, cold, contracted, introverted, free flowing, liberated, uplifting

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona, 2009

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2009


blue inspirations:

ocean, sea, water, clouds, sky, blue eggs, ice, grape hyacinth, iris, wisteria, delphinium, larkspur, cornflowers, pansies, blueberries and forget-me-nots


blue represents:

motion, peace, magic, spirit, calm, understanding, stillness, serenity, mystery, heaven, rest, melancholy, knowledge, creativity, emotion, expression, tranquility, transcendental, depth

natural color sources:

lapis, cobalt, indigo, woad

Energyscape Series, Chicago, 2009

 Turquoise Door, 2009   

4th Ave. Anchorage, Alaska, 2009

Earth and Sky, Albuquerque, 2009

Saki Cup Collection, 2009

Wood and Sky, Taos, New Mexico, 2009

Good Day Sunshine

Beech leaves, 2009

Although its Element is Earth, Yellow is our star, our sunshine. It is the brightest and the most cheerful of the three primary colors. It can be melancholy, but rarely sad. The triangle represents the color Yellow and its Thought provoking qualities. It stimulates but in another kind of way than Red. Yellows are derived from countless local plant resources, making it quite abundant in various regions. This wonderous color can be found in ochres and sienna earths. Arsenic trisulfide and lead chromate are also Yellow but they are extremely toxic compounds. Yellow represents the solar plexus chakra, located above the naval, which works with nutrition, energy and the rational mind. 

We are able to observe this color from the earliest Spring blooms of daffodils, crocus and winter honeysuckles, into Summer marigolds, Rudbeckias, goldenrod and many vegetables, then closing out the year in a stunning display of eye candy as the Autumn leaves begin to change. Even when our days are gloomy, this vibrant color adds bits of joy, even in unsuspecting places, hence the sayings "light at the end of the tunnel", "see the light" and "good day sunshine" from the famous Beatles song. And oh, you can't forget butter!

Snakeweed and Indigo, 2009

Lalana Wools, Gathering Flowers of the Field Workshop

Irish Eyes Rudbeckia, 2008

Honey Hive, Ponca Avenue, 2009

descriptive words for yellow:

bright, glow, light, vibrant, fresh, vital, harvest, sunshine, harmony, well being, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow

Energyscape Series, I-40 Eastbound, 2009

Collected Color Series, Cotton Sateen, 2009

yellow inspirations:

daffodils, sunflowers, lemons, turmeric, sandy beaches, sunsets, corn, yellow squash, yellow bell peppers, bananas and banana peppers, egg yolks, dandelion, osage bark, fustic, mulberry innerwood, saffron, mustard, buttenut, beeswax, honey, yellow onions, ochres, deserts, lemon tart, taxi cabs, schools buses, bumblebees, yellow cake, electricity

Chalet Garden Daffodil, 2009

Rudbeckias on The High Line, New York City, 2009

Russian Orthadox Burial, Alaska, 2009

feelings:

uplifting, happy, rising spirits, joy, positive, focus, hope, courage

Energyscape Series, Daffodil, 2009

Cornell Botanical Gardens, 2009

represents:

concentration, thought, wisdom, enlightenment, truth, knowledge, mourning, nourishment, imagination

natural color sources:

goldenrod, marigold, osage orange, fustic, pomegranate rinds, weld, cosmos, almost endless  local yellow botanical sources, ochre earth

Sunset on Lake Erie, 2009

New York City Construction Debris, 2009

Red Hot Baby!

Bonfire, 2008

RED has the longest wavelength on the prism. Its Element is Fire. RED is one of the three primary colors. Its shape is square which represents Matter. Its direction is East. The color is derived from iron oxides (earth), kermes (insects), alizarin (plants), vermilion (mercuric sulfide). Scarlet, crimson and carmine are classic words describing RED and they also hint to the source of the color. For example, carmine is used to indicate red from cochineal insects (family Coccidae). RED demands our attention and provokes sexual energy. It represents the Root Chakra at the base of the spine, physical energy and vitality. RED is both life threatening and life sustaining.

Red Sedona Earth, 2009

Zinnias, Ponca Garden, 2009

descriptive words for red:

brave, bold, daring, demanding, passionate, extrovert, exciting, energetic, sexy, aggresive, strong, vigorous, bordeaux, cabernet, mauve, turkey red

red inspirations:

textiles, spices, dirt, oxides, embers, sunsets, salmon, terra cotta, cedar, wine, hearth, volcanoes and lava, pomegranates, strawberries, apples, cherries, cranberries, tomatoes, chilis and berries, roses, red sage, red peonies and primroses, garnets, rubies, bloodstone, red quartz, agate

Dianthus and Bumble, 2009

feelings:

provocative, energetic, active, warm, embarrassing, flushed, powerful, angry, stimulating

represents:

earth, blood, fire, love and passion, heart, evil, republican, vitality, appetite, warning, menstration, fertility and circulation, survival, safety

Amaryllis, Chalet Garden 2009

natural color sources:

madder, lac, cochineal, brazilwood, iron oxides, Thelesperma sp.

Red Lantern, Jerome, Arizona, 2009

Quick, give yourself a couple minutes....what do you think of RED?