REFLECTIONS ON GREEN AND BROWN

These past few months I have had a thing for green; especially a chartreuse green or yellowish green. And now that it is fall, I realize I really like the combination of green and brown. I think it all began with a beautiful orchid specimen I affectionately dubbed Camo Orchid (a grammatophyllum). I saw it at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh and thought it was just incredible–imagine a living, thriving bloom that is brown. Most brown flowers I’ve seen are dead.

This past week I was in Cincinnati (our new grandson was just born!) and have been able to witness the beginning of fall from a suburban vantage point. I miss seeing green; it is the worst part about living in a city. I can’t look out my kitchen window (or any window, for that matter) to see an expanse of green lawn edged with trees and flowers. The only place I readily see nature’s green bounty in Center City is at Rittenhouse Square Park.

Anyway, the trees and plants in Cincinnati are just beginning to change after a very hot and dry summer. The colors are not exactly the vivid oranges, yellows and reds I remember from autumns past. Rather, they are still mostly what is left of green with tan and brown accents. It is this collection of leaves that got me thinking about this particular color combination…and how much I love it. Then, the more I looked around me, the more I saw green and brown.

For instance, this beautiful flowering bush was in the yard where I was staying. The bush has dried-up brown blossoms (completely intact) still on the branches. I have no idea what kind of flowering bush it is, but it caught my eye and imagination. (By the way, if you know what kind of bush this is, please let me know.) Brown flowers and green leaves. I wonder what they looked like when they weren’t dead. They must have been amazing!

Here is an update on the flowering bush: it is viburnum opulus sterile, also known as a Snowball Tree.

Flying home today from Cincinnati the landscape below was a patchwork quilt of green and brown…rich, earthy tans and browns interspersed with olive greens–greens just a tad less lush and juicy than they had been at the height of summer.

I am in love with this color combination. If I were a color forecaster, green and brown would be high on my list of what’s new in color trend fashion and style.

Funny thing…

What a surprise! I just realized (duh!) that my new Longchamp canvas tote (Le Pliage) is green (almond green) and brown. I knew green and brown would be the next big thing!

For additional information about color forecasting for the fashion industry (and other cool stuff) you can look here for Fall 2007 colors and here for Spring 2008 colors.

All content and images copyright 2007 Janet Towbin.

QUIRKY REFLECTIONS

I decided to rename my blog Quirky Reflections because I think it more accurately describes what I want it to be. I want my blog to be an artistic journal looking at art and life from my own weird and quirky point of view. I also like Quirky Reflections because of its potential for double meaning. Not only is it about my inner thoughts and reflections as in meditations, but it is also about mirrored reflections I see in the world around me which I utilize in my art (See the Projects 1 and Projects 2) and capture with my camera lens.

I love seeing unusual reflections on glass windows, mirrors, skyscrapers, shiny black cars, ponds, lakes, and other shiny surfaces. These reflections inspire me to really SEE things from a different perspective. The patterns and designs are amazing at times and seem to turn the world into a liquid and pulsating parallel universe. They are so much better than Dali’s liquid and melting surreal landscapes. (Dali’s work has never been high on my list.)

I love to take photos of reflections that skew reality and make me feel off balance and odd. That is why I selected the photo you see above to be the banner of my blog. It is one of about half a dozen shots I took of some posh 5th Avenue apartments reflected topsy-turvy in a pond in Manhattan’s Central Park.

Shiny black cars offer endless possibilities to see the world differently…This is a favorite photo of mine taken while walking to work along 20th St. It was a perfect day to capture reflections and the car was parked next to a wonderful building with a white grid against its red bricks.

Here is a photo of Dale Chihuly’s fabulous Glass Globes floating in a black pond, showing some pretty amazing reflections. It was taken at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. There were tons of great photo-ops there–not only are the Chihuly installations and glass objects beautiful–there are tons of botanical beauties to capture with a lens.

I have quite a few more reflection photos posted on my Flickr site. Drop by to see them here if you are looking for a different (and quirky) point of view.

Content and photos copyright 2007 by Janet Towbin.