Category: Colour

#1386 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn ColourLeave a comment
Dusk on The Barbican b

I enjoy a cold and dry November. A rarity now I live in the South West of England but the last two days have very much played my way. Especially for my twice daily long dog walks. A dusk walk and a mooch in the charity shops inspired my 2025 Christmas card design. Similar in feel to cute puppies or kittens on a rehoming site It is a picture of discarded and donated Christmas decorations in a bucket. Random colours and from different eras they find their way into charity shops because people no longer need them.

I have a soft spot for Christmas Decorations. The decorations of my childhood were stolen by the carers who were employed to give my mum care in her own home. Of all the thefts and fraud committed by them the Christmas Decoration theft was small beans. But their collection was eclectic and international and were a simple homage to their life and the travels of their much loved, but absent family members. I often take a peak around this time of year to see if I can replace any of their lost treasures from other peoples donations. It is a poignant but also joyful  treasure hunt. A tiny and completely unimportant project. The joy in charity shops is in the clashing colours and styles of often simple baubles, no Interior Design colour collections.  I have reimagined a grotty cardboard box and morphed it to a puff of exploding colour. Now I just need to think of some words to accompany my illustration. Cute puppies or kittens might tickle the heart strings maybe homeless baubles could be the next big thing

#1344 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour, Serendipity1 Comment

Soft Summer

30 years ago I had a colour analysis and was prescribed a Soft Summer colour palate to wear. I don’t remember what motivated me to do this at the time, but the experience was fascinating.

I think one reason stems from childhood summers. Spent visiting little known relations in Wales and Glasgow. Relations who barely know children struggle to find appropriate topics of conversation. My appearance, curly haired, glasses and bookish was remarked upon. Possibly not completely kindly. My grandmother’s generation in Wales would suggest that more pink in my wardrobe would be advantageous. Then the familial road show would rumble on to Glasgow where the pink fashion advice would be repeated but in the far harsher tones of the city dwelling, Glaswegian Older Generation. Delivered one word at a time.

” That.Child.Needs.More.Pink”

“She.Is.Such.A.Pink.Person”

To discover I was Soft Summer, 30 years later was somewhat of a bittersweet moment. Some pink was involved. Because of or despite the older womens colour advice I have always felt timorous around pink only really embracing it recently since going full on grey.

I have long since lost the precious colour chart but all the other advice sticks with me.  I just did an online analysis and discovered I have slipped into Autumn. Oh goodness not much pink in autumn, I may have almost  missed the pink boat that I was destined to board at the age of 5. Autumn shades? How very age appropriate.

Autumn

Thank the goddess of Colour Analysis that I did not plunge myself into the colours of Deep Winter today. If my lifespan is measured by my colour analysis, I have two whole seasons to go . That is rather fabulous. I shall wear pink though as an act of rebellion and then,of course, it will be purple. I am certain purple will feature in a deep winter colour chart.

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

from Warning:When I am an Old Woman I shall wear purple (Profile 2021)
© Jenny Joseph, reproduced with permission of Johnson & Alcock Ltd

For now though the yard will have to wear both red and the purple.

Deep winter colours in our yard.

#1298 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, Colour, Paintings, Serendipity1 Comment

Yesterdays blog about my collection of water colours prompted a bit of digging around in art folders.

#1297 theoldmortuary ponders.

I always thought this failed attempt at a colour wheel looked a little like a Phoenix from the side .

Combining her with a pigment tray from the near the Vatican and some printing experiments has been interesting.

I think I like her best as a dark disco creature.

The reason for all this artistic time wasting, is that for once I am as prepped as I can be for the next art exhibition. The original works are ready and framed. I have done my experimental print run, and am now just waiting for the real print run to be done. The mounts and envelopes are in the studio. Everything is poised for the next flurry of activity, but creatively I am at an impasse. So footling about with some odds and ends was quite cathartic. I might even have rinsed JMW Turner out of my head.

Or maybe not.

#1297 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour, Colour Squares, Paintings, Serendipity5 Comments

Do you have any collections?

This morning I scrolled past the question above. Posed by my blog hosts. I am not by nature a collector of anything, but maybe my stock of watercolours could possibly be considered a collection.

About 50% of my watercolours.

One of the reasons I believe these paints might be considered a collection are the lengths I go to to acquire new colours.

In Athens last September we took a long walk to an untouristy suburb to find an art shop that hand made oil pastels. Now I don’t use oil pastels but being able to visit someone who creates art materials in a centuries-old traditional and artisinal way was too enticing to be missed. He also sold very lovely Greek manufactured water-colours. I bought an Olive Green which is memorably authentically Greek every time I use it.

The picture above is a pigment shop close to the Vatican in Rome. It remained resolutely closed for the whole of our visit. But this picture is almost enough  for me. Almost.

I think if I seek out colours deliberately, in foreign cities, that possibly I might be considered a collector.

I also always make colour charts of my new purchases. Obsessive, hmmm. The jury is out. Am I just an artist or am I a collector?

#1105 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn autumn, Beach Life, Colour, Serendipity2 Comments

Some of you may notice that 3 blogs have appeared in just over 24 hours. This is because Autumn proper finally arrived in the West Country and with only one planned task of the day we couldn’t give up on a cold crisp day with blue skies, bright sunshine and sharp shadows. We were out for all of the 10 daylight hours that November gave us yesterday.

Our early morning quest was to visit a farm cafe, that we always manage to miss,on our travels into the area known as South Hams. We like to have a small portfolio of places we have visited to take friends to. As I write this I realise we have never even taken our friend whose name is Hams to the South Hams.

Ironic really as his partner’s surname is Curnow the old word for Cornwall and he gets to visit Cornwall every time they visit us. Note to self to resolve this ommision.

Our target cafe of the day was Heron Valley. The orchard and fields overlook Heron Valley. As if to signal the beginning of a perfect visit a Heron rose into the air just in front of us and flew into the trees on the horizon to the right of this picture. Honestly!

Also perfect was the day bed provided for weary travellers. I was a traveller but hardly weary at 10 am. But needs must, for a photo opportunity.

Breakfast was fab. The dogs got chopped up sausage and a roaring fire to gaze at.

The cafe also has a small showroom for homewares made from recycled plastic water bottles. Autumn colours were everywhere.

And sharply defined shapes in the outdoor eating area.

https://www.heronvalley.co.uk/

https://www.weavergreen.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAudG5BhAREiwAWMlSjFVfXaYrHRA6X8h96CCll8TNBNFj6dpbrHX54PwMI9uF7zq8h6ZxlRoCStwQAvD_BwE

It was at breakfast we decided to extend our day and visit a garden centre.

This week I have taken delivery of two rambling roses. The yard has proved it can grow roses well, it has nurtured an old rose that has been there forever and a cutting that was gifted to me. I bought three rose plants from the London 2012 Olympic sell off . They failed to thrive in our back garden I don’t know if it was me or the clay that killed them off. They were the roses that provided the medal winners bouquets and may just have been exhausted plants. Whatever the reason I have become timid about buying new rose plants until this year.

Going to a garden centre did not alleviate my timidity. Too much information. We retreated to the cafe and I resolved to take advice from the growing advice provided with my two new climbers.

Autumn colour was everywhere. Some of it on my plate.

Some great colour combinations just in the texture of gardening sundries.

Two cafe stops in the first 5 hours of daylight suggest that the next 5 should perhaps be spent doing some exercise. Slapton Sands was our choice of location, just beautiful sea and sand with no tempting cafes. I think the words bracing and beautiful best sum up our beach walk.

There was another plan for our afternoon, more painting of walls at home. By staying out until sunset we quite naturally cancelled this plan.

And to finish, a pretty public washroom. I love a pretty loo.

#1096 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour, Serendipity2 Comments

Winter Green.

When we decided to replan and redecorate the room I use as a studio we knew exactly the colour we wanted for the chimney breast. The green of our local harbours in the winter.

Colour chart investigating led us to Hesper.

The name intrigued me and a little googling took me not to the sea but to a Mexican Palm Tree.

Now I am wondering if I could grow a Blue Hesper Palm in the yard. More googling, perhaps not.

But for now we have a Hesper chimney breast.

Colours are fascinating.

#983 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour, Serendipity2 Comments

Another day of painting white walls white or waiting for white paint to dry. I was painting a stairwell in the yard that drops from yard level down to a rear service lane and our garage. Not in the original painting schedule for June. But part of the extended, aspirational plans now the yard looks so fabulous in bright white. If a two graves were dug end to end that would describe my working space.  Hugo helpfully rested on the top level, inspecting and encouraging.

The biggest challenge was not brushing any part of me against the freshly painted walls in such a confined space. Hugo had no such qualms and is now a white dog tipped with bright white  enhancements.

Our lunchtime walk took us past very similar walls with a much more naturalistic appeal.

All of the stone used in this area would have been quarried extremely locally. The original Quarry boundary is 20 yards from our front door. I have qualms of guilt about painting such an ancient natural building material but previous owners made that decision a long time ago. The grubby white I am painting over covers a very strange colour choice. A sort of pinky orange. Texas Adobe walls is my closest colour reference. One external yard wall remains in this dubious shade.  Another addition to the extended, aspirational wall painting schedule.

Adobe is a fabulous colour choice in Texas and other places with extremely harsh sunlight and where the colour is naturally occurring. Not so great in South-West England.

Sharp Shadows in Stonehouse.

Whilst not exactly a ponder, here is an unrelated fact.

Adobe Walls is the site of a historic battle in Texas!

My relationship with the colour of Adobe walls is much less blood-soaked. Two of my favourite women artists had studios in Mexico and New Mexico and used the colour often in their later works. I always rather fancied being an artist in that environment.  Not that I will be rushing out any time soon to replace my newly pristine white walls with Farrow and Ball, Red Earth.

That particular fantasy cannot be lived comfortably in Devon.

Meanwhile a quick romp through my colour theory books gives me a whole family for Adobe walls to live with.

So much blooming nonsense to fill my mind whilst painting walls white.

#970 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour, Serendipity, Stonehouse1 Comment

It took more than the usual one morning coffee to power me through a day after a night of staying up all night to watch democracy unfold. But at 9 in the morning I had not expected to fuel my day with a sugar rush provided by a free sample of soft scoop Ice Cream.

Pure white Ice Cream to calm a mind that had been watching the differing colours of political parties skid across the T.V screen  all night. I found all the AV special effects fairly baffling as the night wore on. But the, normally serious political journalists seemed to enjoy playing with computer generated building blocks. I’ve recreated my Ice Cream in the style of my overnight T.V politics experience. Baffling , I think you will agree.

In a last mention of the election some surprising news. Overnight Hugo and I had to swap sides.

Sofa slouching and varifocal glasses do not, a comfortable overnighter make. To avoid a nasty crick in my neck we swapped sides on the sofa every hour or so.

He was not always happy to swap.

#895 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour3 Comments

Early morning daisies doing their very best to shout out for Spring. These daisies may not have got their moment in the sun ( blog) if it were not for a lovely colour and shape coincidence.

I know very little about spiders but I imagine they have had a tough Winter/Spring as rain has constantly run into their spidery hidey holes. Just hours after the daisy picture I caught an orange, or maybe tan spider having a bask in a tiny porthole window.

This picture also looks, at first glance like a tennis ball, bringing an unusual and high flying spectator to a game.

I am not a natural arachnophobe in my normal day to day life,but neither would I feel hugely comfortable if this chap suddenly swung down on a silken thread and brushed my face?

Is there a scale of arachnophobia  and we all sit somewhere on it ? With spider lovers actively taking positive steps to overcome a fear that is hard-wired into humans.

I had a nasty bite once, on my ankle. Dulwich Park, not anywhere risky.  The spider was not nasty because I am not a fly, but the bite became a bit gooey and sore. The local pharmacist said he had seen a few such bites that week. All well and good in 21st Century London with antibiotic creams but would it have been a much bigger problem centuries ago?

I’m just not certain I fully understand why arachnophobia is such a common/popular fear when actual serious harm to humans is rare in most countries.

Dr Google helps out a bit but also muddies the waters by throwing in religion.

An evolutionary response: Research suggests that arachnophobia or a general aversion to spiders is hard-wired as an ancestral survival technique.
Cultural and/or religious beliefs: Some individuals within certain cultural or religious groups seem to have phobias that stem from these influences. These particular phobias differ from phobias that are common in the general population, making culture and religion potential factors in phobia development.
Genetic or family influences: Researchers believe that there may be a genetic component linked to phobias. Family environmental factors may also influence the development of phobias. For example, if a parent has a specific phobia to something, a child may pick up on that fear and develop a phobic response to it.

Spiders in religion is going to have to be a whole other ponder. The early morning coffee and my spider pondering is done for the day.

#841 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Colour4 Comments

In the nineties, I had a colour assessment. It was a nineties thing. The whole experience was really interesting and very positive Fabric swatches of myriads of colour shades were placed on my shoulders along with metallics from the whitest silver to the warmest bronze.

I was assessed to be a Soft Summer person. The experience pushed me to think about the colours I choose to wear. At the time and until fairly recently I wore a uniform for my work so not so many hours in the week to exercise free will.

There was one problem with my assessment. I didn’t feel like a soft summer person. I felt more vivid than that. I don’t remember the other categories but in my own mind I am High Summer with a splash of black. The other problem is that row of blues. Beyond denim and navy I cannot ‘get’ blue and blue does not ‘get’ me. The nineties moved on and the colour swatches slipped to the back of the draw. Out of sight but not out of mind. Until the menopause when my hormones ebbed away and  being vivid faded to black. Which coincidentally was the unofficial uniform of the academic art world I had slipped into.

The nineties are a while ago. Colour assesments are back, in the hands of brilliant young women, and some men who  want to help women and men feel confident in the clothes they wear. Instagram is the place to go for their wisdom and inspiration.

30 years on and the fashion world and me are in a very different place. I always dabbled in the joy of a charity shop find but now second-hand or pre-loved is the way I go for the good of our planet and because it suits my creativity. Less is more.

Which takes me to the question of the day.

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

After 6 years of being hugely more mindful of the planet when buying clothes or decorating my home. I would almost certainly decline the offer of a shopping spree in traditional box-fresh or brand-new environments. A second-hand furniture warehouse or house clearance depot would be my thing or a different town with the best second-hand  shops. An eBay scroll is as close to a giddy shopper as I get Not so much a spree, more of a meander.

No longer in my early thirties, I have embraced Soft Summer. Apart from the blues. I still can’t get on with the blues. Flashed of vivid and black replace the blue line. Soft Summer in the tropics, perhaps. Funny how something I did on a whim 30 years ago has sat in the back of a drawer and the back of my mind, never really a guiding thought,but always right all along. My many fashion faux pas were always off the chart!

Sprees, they are not for me. But a meander, looking for a preloved gem of gorgeousness. That would do very nicely thank you.