Saturday, April 10, 2010

Color Story - RED!

Ah - the assignment is to focus on a color.  So - what color shall it be?  Green, the color of all the leaves of the forest that surround me?  Blue, my husband’s favorite?  Brown, to me so often lifeless and drab?  Yellow, a color I use very little? Or - how about red?  The color of fire, of blood, of strawberries. Yes, red.
First I decide to use only photos I take this week.  I could mine my photo archives, but I think I’ll make the challenge a little harder. I try to find red at my daughter's on Easter.  My daughter is in red,


but the Easter things are mostly pink and yellow.  I'll have to look at home.

So what can I photograph around here that’s red?  I look around and find lots of red.  There’s my gardening jacket, for example.

















On my lighted display shelves in the kitchen there is more red.










And of course there's lots of red outside, albeit tempered by green.

Even the decaying camellia blossoms add a hint of red, with their cleanup aided by my little gardener.

The new growth at the base of the redwood tree is a deep bronzy red



















which is echoed throughout many of my garden's plants.


Indeed, I find  I am most drawn to this deep dark red, the color of wine, the color of blood.  I realize I am always attracted to this color, and am surrounded by this red throughout my home.

The paper construction hanging over our bed has bright red deepening to an intense red burgundy.
Across the room is the print Garden IIB


A rug from Iraq hangs on our living room wall

over the Ersari carpet from Afganistan which covers the living room floor.
Suddenly I realize a possible explanation of my love of this color.  If one believes in astrology, it’s all in the stars.  Scorpio that I am, I remember reading the following:  'The luckiest colors for Scorpio are those that range from dark red through maroon/burgundy...



'Scorpio colors are intense, powerful and often associated with physical intimacy, mystery and great depth. Dark red is the color of emotional saturation, passion, power, suppression, demand, sublimated activity, suffering, threat and strained temper. It is erotic and evokes instincts.’  That’s me?  I’d like to own the passion and the power, but I’m not sure about the rest of it.  Still, this is my color.  Red, deep red, maroon, burgundy. My Scorpio reds.







17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous reds! The color of wine, how can you go wrong? Your photos are so lush and luscious. I love your collages and your little garden helper is adorable. Awesome shots, you're a true Scorpio, I guess.

- said...

So nice to visit your red world, lovely photos and your dog is so cute. I love the jacket photo and the collages and the 11th photo is beautiful too. Great job.

Erin Wallace said...

Oh my! Your garden photos are A-Mazing! The collages that you've created with them are beautiful. Jost perfect

Linda said...

I love your reds, all different shades and tones.

http://leafgreenknits.wordpress.com/

Kim Klassen said...

oh so much loveliness ... red loveliness.... fantastic!! ♥

Patricia said...

Love the red jacket!
Beautiful print you have!
And what a wonderful photo with the fabrics!!!

Unknown said...

such a variety of reds and textures and settings and light -- great!

Hullabaloo Homestead said...

I love your collages. It looks like you found a lot of red to capture. And that puppy amidst it all is so cute! Enjoy your weekend!

:)Lisa

Magnolia Handspun said...

I really think your color story was interesting...the deep, rich red tones were truly lovely. The collages were my favorite , how you mixed in some greens and the pup...so nicely done. You must live in a beautiful spot!

Carolyn Parker said...

Lovely exploration of the red around you Nancy. Well thought out post.

Susan said...

Really nice collages. Great leaf textures and colors and love the way Puppy is woven throughout. He must be very busy!

Yvonne said...

I love the red-red of your gardening jacket - beautiful composition! The garden reds with the complementing greens are lovely. And the bronzy red amidst all that green, against the tree bark of the redwood is gorgeous!

magpie said...

love the warmth of your deep rich red story.

Jane said...

Great choice of reds! I love the garden shots! And that puppy! so cute!

t does wool said...

gorgeous color story.nicely done on this assignment~

Clare B said...

Your two mosaic photos are my favourite. I love your dog in the middle of the first! And you've managed to capture and huge range of subtle red shades in the second. Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I love the shot of the red coat hanging on the barn. Lovely. I grew up on a farm & really enjoyed this shot for the cows and horses and other barnyard stuff it reminded me of.