Describing Colors

Every spring there comes one or two evenings when the sun comes out enough to get the crocus to bloom. About a week a ago, we had one such evening and I didn’t get out to take any photos. Then a storm hit and all the purple crocus were battered.

Crocus bed.
Crocus bed.

But today was another gorgeous day and in addition to a walk to the park, I had time for a short photo session.

While winter is probably my favorite time of year, spring is a close second; if it wasn’t for allergies, it would totally be in first. This evening when I was taking pictures I could smell my daphne just beginning to bloom. It’s the smell of spring.

Striped crocus that survived the storm.
Striped crocus that survived the storm.

Because the white crocus survived the storm, I was able to get some great shots of them.

As I was shooting, it occurred to me (not for the first time) that one of these might make a great watercolor. It would be a chance to play with soft pastels and fool the viewer about what white is. Grey? Purple? Yellow? Green?

This time of year, color seems to arrive hesitantly. Except for daffodils which arrive with an almost violent yellow.

Daffodil yellow.
Daffodil yellow.

But are they really yellow? This one couldn’t seem to decide.

Emerging daffodil.
Emerging daffodil.

But the green of folliage seems to know what it is and concentrates on its curves.

Green.
Green.

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