In New England, we are very blessed to be surrounded by the color green. We have green lawns, green fields, and green trees. Of course, the leaves of deciduous trees, like maples, beech, and others, turn to brilliant colors in the fall, attracting another kind of green (tourist dollars) for which most merchants in the north country are grateful. When the leaves fall off those trees, we still have the spruce, the pine, the firs, the hemlocks, and others that remain green, year round.
After having lived in the middle of two deserts, one in California, the other in Arizona, I appreciate the lush foliage of my home state of New Hampshire. There is still a lot of green left here except for the clear cutting to build yet more houses so that more green can be put into the pockets of developers. Actually, to me, it is good news that the housing market, around here, is slowing down a bit.
Last Sunday, there was a PBS show about a man who believes in green: Mayor Daley of Chicago. The mayor has been encouraging community members to plant the city’s rooftops with grass and trees and flowers, and to maintain green parks.
Although the mayor was first derided for this plan to “green up” Chicago, more and more citizens are helping to implement the goal. The idea is to provide better air (plants process carbon dioxide and release oxygen). One man even has a bee-keeping operation on top of one roof where he provides flowers. The bees like to be high and warm, so they are busy producing honey.
When I think of the color green, I remember Kermit the Frog and his song, “It Ain’t Easy Being Green.” I recall the beautiful gemstone, Emerald, and I definitely think of the shamrock and the country that gave us St. Patrick (for whom I was named)…and my ancestors.
The color Green is a cool color, as colors go. It is the direct complement of Red, which is why the two look so well together, as in say…holly and red berries.
People react strongly to color. Today, just for fun, think about your favorite colors, and your least favorite ones, too. If you are an artist, you may naturally gravitate toward your favorites. To grow as an artist, challenge yourself to slowly incorporate colors into your work that you favor less.
Just a few musings about the color green…
Have a wonderful weekend.
Until next time,
Pat from the Spider’s Web, http://www.quiltersmuse.com
