|
||||||
A Color Journal In GreenI have been inspired by many of you this year to begin a color journal, and I thought it appropriate to begin with my favorite color… green. It is not a primary color, but one which evolves from the mixing of yellow and blue. On the color wheel the complementary color to green is red. Many creatures including frogs, lizards, insects, fish, and birds appear green because of a mixture of layers of blue and green in their skin. And, many creatures have adapted to their green environment by taking on a green hue which acts as camouflage. By far the largest contributor to green in nature is chlorophyll, the chemical by which plants photosynthesize. The color green is used worldwide to represent safety. In Japan, it is regarded as the color of eternal life. And, green is the color of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Green ribbons have been used by a range of environmental groups to symbolize organ donation and transplant, solidarity with Chechnya, and support of farmers in America. And, we cannot help but love the muppet who uses green as his signature color, Kermit the Frog. Green evokes compassion, nurturance, fertility, rebirth, renewal, acceptance, growth, gratefulness, restoration, and meditation. It also makes us think about being kind to the environment. I am definitely feeling grateful for the color green this winter, as I am missing the lazy swaying of green leaves and the rhythmic movement of green grass. As I was browsing through my photographs, I was happy to find that there is definitely no shortage of green going on here.
Today we celebrate the birthday of the great Johnny Cash, what would have been his 78th. See him here, as he sings “40 Shades of Green.” 40 comments to A Color Journal In Green |
   |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Green Mountain Gardener - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
Hi Liisa… green, shades of green, soft sage, and a light jade is my absolute favorite; that you can tell by the pendant I have worn for the last 25 years. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with lots of sunshine.
Wonderful post, I love green (who doesn’t?). I am definitely a foliage over flowers kind of person, and the pineapple picture is so charming.
Oh Liisa, I too love green, and always loved Johnny Cash! Thanks for showing those fabulous bromeliads, what a great display! Your collage is a wonder of beautiful things, both growing and artistic. I love the pencils and pastels and the glass.
Frances
What an interesting idea to keep a colour journal – and I am lovin’ your greens.
Have a great weekend.
K
Liisa, What fun that we both posted photos from the Montreal Botanical Garden on the same day. The amazing thing is that I have never been to the greenhouses there; I don’t even know where they are! Maybe we should meet there some time and show each other our favorite parts of the garden.
-Jean
Jean,
I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend. ~Liisa
That is a wonderful idea. I would love to spend the day with you, meandering through the Montreal Botanical Garden. I so wanted to visit last summer, but wasn’t able to get back there. We should definitely plan on this.
Thank you so much, Karen. The color journal has been great fun. I hope you enjoy a fabulous weekend, as well.
~Liisa
Frances,
~Liisa
I am always drawn to things made of glass, and shades of green. At times I have to stop myself when purchasing something because I will always pick green first. The music of Johnny Cash always has a way of putting a smile on my face, and he remains one of my favorite singers and songwriters. I am glad you enjoyed the bromeliads, and I recall one of your recent posts featuring them. I have not yet tried to grow them, though may have to give them a try. The colors are just amazing.
Rebecca,
~Liisa
I must thank you, as you helped to provide some of the inspiration for this color journal. I too enjoy foliage just as much as the flowers. I continually find myself amazed at the variety of leaves, with such incredible textures, colors, and patterns. This was the first time I had seen a pineapple growing in its natural state, and spent a good amount of time studying this plant. Have a wonderful weekend!
Diana,
I wish you a wonderful, sun-filled weekend, as well. ~Liisa
It is amazing the variety of shades of this wonderful color. I too love jade, peridot, opal and emerald. While I am not much of a jewelry person, I so enjoy these green stones.
Hi Liisa~~ A lovely post. Although I’m constantly touting the virtues of pink, green is my favorite color. I agree with you, it does something mysteriously intangible to the soul. For me the most appreciated time for green is late summer when the sun has victimized much of it. What remains is relished.
Liisa, I’m seriously missing green so this post is like a breath of fresh air! I love your collage and the beautiful scenes from the MBGs. Lucky you to be close to a botanical garden. What a way to beat the winter blahs! I enjoyed your Bloom Day post too.
Good luck with your classes. I know how little free time all that studying leaves you, but spring break is coming up fast!
I love all these greens. Your collages are great! Love the bark cranes as well…so charming.
Look forward to the rest of the colours in your journal!
Thank you, Ms. S. This color journal has been great fun. I learned that green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye than most colors, which may be why we so appreciate the multitude of shades of this wonderful color. Thank you so much for visiting.
Kerri,
It’s funny, each time I start feeling antsy for spring, winter gives me another reason to appreciate its beauty. But, like you, I am still missing all of the green scenery. My school schedule doesn’t allow much free time, but time goes by so quickly that spring and summer will be here in the blink of an eye! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend!
Thank you, Grace. Your gardens have certainly given me much reason to appreciate the beauty of pink… something my garden has been lacking. You are so right, green does amazing things to soothe one’s soul. And, you bring up a good point, as in late summer our gardens are often looking a bit tired, and what is still vibrant and green is a treasure.
Hi Liisa -Lovely green collage. I love green. Thank you so much for commenting on my Making a Garden posts. Ted also enjoyed the compliment. I think we are in about the same zone but we are drought. Our snow is melting then refreezing at night, but I am sure you know how that is. So your green post is so welcomed on this icy morning.
Green, green, green, I love green!!!
Everything is white now, but soon it will be green, green, green!!!
I love green too! The photo with the metal bird sculptures look a lot like what we call a “Marsh Hen” around here. They make funky noises all the time. Sometimes they will come up near the houses and when spotted will move around like a Roadrunner. I keep seeing photos of the Montreal Botanical Gardens. That must mean I need to go there. *smile*
That’s one of the main things I miss about summer, all the green! During summer, it just kind of blends into the background, but in the winter, it’s all I want!
Green is also my favorite color! I love your collage. The pictures of the garden shows how interesting many shades of green can be in different shapes and textures.
I love Johnny Cash, I hadn’t heard this one before.
Catherine,
Thank you so much. I continually find myself amazed at the variety of sizes, shapes and patterns in leaves. This Johnny Cash song was new to me as well, and I really enjoyed listening to it. I hope you had a great weekend!
Robin,
I suppose if it weren’t for winter we wouldn’t appreciate the return of all of that green in spring as much as we do. I do try to appreciate what is happening now instead of looking toward the next thing, though this can be challenging at times. During these last days of winter, I can’t help but look forward to the return of the leaves, and feeling the warmth of the sun on my back.
Ceara,
The Marsh Hens sound so interesting. I would love to see one up close. You should definitely plan on visiting the Montreal Botanical Garden when you can, it is certainly a day well spent.
Deborah,
Ha! It is difficult not to get a little antsy for the green when it is oh so very close…
Thank you, Gloria. We are now officially in sugaring season, where the days begin to get warmer and the nights are cold. I hope to do a maple syrup post soon… one of the things I love about Vermont. I am glad you enjoyed the green post. It has been such fun seeing the transformation of your garden, and getting to know you through your lovely blog.
Beautiful collage, Liisa! I am missing green during this snowy white time of year. Fun post. Nice touch with Johnny entertaining us!
Such a beautiful color. And I love your collage, gorgeous.
Jen
Gorgeous collage. I love how creative you got with it, using green glass, colored pencils and a stunning butterfly, as well as the more expected plant sources.
Love the collage and not only all the lovely shades of green, but all the aspects and meanings of “green”. Of course, being into mosaics I zeroed right in on the green glass mosaics in the collage.
Thank you, Helen. I too am always drawn to things made of colorful glass. I love stained glass art and mosaics. I also have a weakness for “Depression Glass” pieces. I remember my mother telling me that when she was a kid they would hand out a free piece of Depression Glass at the movies. If you went to the movies often enough, you could acquire quite the collection.
Meredith,
Thank you so much. The collage was great fun to put together, and a fairly easy project using Picasa. It is so amazing to me the things we can do these days with our own photographs. Gone are the days of bringing film in to be developed, and keeping our fingers crossed that they turn out!
Thank you, Jen. The color journal has been a lot of fun to put together. I have so enjoyed your posts on the Olympics, though I am sad that they are already over. Congratulations to Canada in what was a very exciting hockey game!
Kate,
Thank you so much. I hope that the greenery of spring returns to your part of the world soon. It will be a few weeks here, and in April we must endure “mud season” for a couple of weeks before we can truly dig in to spring!
I really enjoyed this post. I like the collage with the art glass in there with the plants. Also each green word slightly different shades, just like in nature, that’s very clever. I’m guessing (hoping) there will be future installments to your color journal.
Green is so soothing to the psyche! It is vital to our well being. I love your photos here … all are gorgeous … your montage, gardens and the shots in the greenhouse! Lovely lovely post Liisa!!
I could sit and stare at that top collage all evening Liisa = oh so soothing
Thank you, Anna. I had such a good time with the collage feature in Picasa, in addition to finding photos to add to it. The motorcycle didn’t really tie in with the other photographs, but I thought it interesting to see green looking shiny, sexy, and sleek. Things I wouldn’t normally associate with the color. I’m glad you enjoyed the collage.
~Liisa
Carol,
~Liisa
Soothing indeed. I have to remind myself not to get too crazy with green. It is always the color I pick first. My walls in the living rooms are green, in hopes of creating a relaxing and contemplative environment. I think it such a wonderful color. I’m glad you enjoyed my green post!
Bloomin Rs, Thank you so much. I just love colored glass and art of all kinds. There will definitely be additions to my color journal… many wonderful colors to cover. This has turned out to be a very fun project!
Thank you so much for your kind comments. ~Liisa