I have come to terms with yellow. It has actually served me well in the last 24 hours. I decided to go for a run last night after work, and being it was already dark outside, I wanted to wear a bright color shirt, so I would be seen in the dark. As I rifled thru my drawer of running shirts, I happened upon a yellow one I've never worn. I actually passed over it, but then decided to come back to it. Since yellow had been calling me this week, and my experiment with the color study a few days ago was unsuccessful in changing my mind about liking it, I decided to give it another shot - and wear the yellow race shirt. It is actually a rather ugly yellow too, which is a shame because it was from my favorite race - the Dumbo Double Dare. I was so disappointed when I went to packet pick up and the shirt was yellow. Sigh.
Annnyway - I decided last night it would be good to wear for a night run thru the neighborhood - definitely visible. As I put it on, and headed out into the dark I had a conversation with it - haha I know, but we all talk to ourselves on occasion right?! It was a much needed conversation. I asked yellow to prove itself to me, and keep me protected and safe on my run. Which it ultimately did. I actually had a really good run despite it having been a few weeks since I'd ventured out. Then this morning as I was getting dressed I realized, and forgive me for tmi, that this pretty light yellow bra with pink accents I have (remember - pink and yellow are awesome together!), and that I've never worn (um hello - its yellow! - but its still really pretty and I couldn't pass it up when I found it many many months ago), went really well with the outfit I was wearing today. So I decided to keep going with the semi good yellow vibe that was leftover from last night - and wear yellow again today. I actually had a really good feeling day today. So yellow and I have come to decent terms.
For today. ;-)
So that meant I needed to move on in my colors and paint with green today.
I used the acrylic color Emerald green plus black and white and painted on a 9x12 canvas.
This picture looks kinda weird for some reason. It does to me anyway. Hmm.
I started painting with the green and it was going on really transparent. I figured it might need 2 coats of paint, but I reached for the white to see if making it a bit creamier would help.
Now this is the part of the story where I suggest to everyone to make sure you twist the lids of your paint jars on tightly after you use them last. Sadly, sigh - I did not do that the other night. Therefore when I reached for my jar of white paint, and picked it up by lid.....ummm.....yeah. Thankfully it was in my studio, and I have the carpeted floor protected for just such a possibility. But it was still not fun cleaning that up. Plus I lost a bunch of paint. Grrrr.
So lesson for today - tighten the lids of your paint jars! Or at least don't pick them up by the lid. Because they may stick for a second, but ONLY for a second. Then its goodbye paint, and hello new splotchy rug!
Once my cleaning timeout was complete, I added the white to the green and finished coating the rest of the canvas. It did take 2 coats to cut down on the streakiness and transparency.
And so........green. Yeah. I dunno what to think of green. I like green. I prefer a bluer green, but I have no issues with green. The white made it softer, lighter. The black made it darker. As white and black tend to do.
It really isn't speaking to me with any profound discoveries. Not that I expected it to - but I thought I would have something to say about it after painting. But, I got nothing. I use green all the time in mural work. It's everywhere in nature, so it's probably the color I use the most - grass, trees, plants. There are dozens and dozens of variations to green. And I have a whole big tub filled with just greens. I wouldn't say its really a bold color - not in the way red orange and yellow are. I guess I would call it a soothing color. I mean there are some intense versions - especially on the yellow side. And some deep dark versions, like the depths of a forest, as well. But overall green is just....green.
Sounds kinda boring when I put it like that.
I think its just one of those colors we don't really pay much attention to - because its just everywhere outside. Its like a nice friendly color in the background of our lives. Only when the sun hits it in a certain way and it glows, or some other color is made striking again it - I feel, do we really pay attention to it. I kinda think maybe green likes it that way - content to just be, in its own beauty.
I will say there is nothing like going for a walk in the woods during spring or summer though. Green is in it's full glory that time of the year. It is a color that reaches down in your soul, and just makes things seem right in the world for a little while. Next time you're stressed out - head outside to the greenest place you can find and I guarantee your spirits will be lifted.
This makes me think of imagery often used in films, specifically sci- fi - you know when they zoom out and the sun peaks on one side and the darkness of space on the other. That was my immediate reaction to this painting.
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