October 30, 2015

Orange Spice

What do you think of when you envision the color Orange?

With tomorrow being October 31, the number one answer just might be pumpkins . . .


Or perhaps beautiful scenes of fall and blazing orange leaves . . .


I love how these tiny orange leaves were swirling around in the water and being washed up into a thick line of color along the water's edge. It was a very striking and ever changing composition.


Along with hot orange foliage, there's nothing better than a blazing campfire to warm up a cool fall evening. Complete with a few s'more of course.   : )



When you think Orange maybe it's a nice juicy orange or a glass of freshly squeezed juice. According to ColorMatters, orange is the only color name taken from an object. There are plenty of other orange foods too. Carrots. Orange peppers. Peaches.



For years Orange was simply not a color I embraced in any way, shape, or form. Oranges, rusts, terra cotta. These were not colors I liked. Nope. Not even a little. Living in Denver Bronco country didn't even endear me to orange. (Broncos colors are orange and blue for those of you not in the know of American football teams)

But the times, they are a changing. I actually like orange now. Certain softer oranges. Tangerine and ones that fall a little more to the yellow or the pink side. Mango. Salmon. Melon. Perhaps it was when Tangerine Tango was the Pantone color of the year way back in 2012 that opened my eyes to the potential of orange. Or perhaps it's the plethora of beautiful orange fabrics now available. Here are just a few of the oranges I found in my studio once I started looking . . .


Whatever the reason, I can honestly say I have grown fond of orange. I even have plans for an orange quilt one of these days with some of the fabrics in the photo above. I also have my eye on this crazy orange and purple restaurant downtown for a quilt photo shoot. I don't much like this orangy orange but the color combo of purple trim and the blue sky reflecting in the window is striking. A variation on a split complementary color scheme.


Besides the things in my studio, Orange also makes an appearance in my dish collection . . .




My daughter uses orange in her jewelry too. These lovely earrings use carnelian gemstones. Carnelian stones carry a meaning of action, and are thought to give you courage and confidence. Check out her shop for other orange jewelry.



Orange seems like a happy color in a crazy kind of way. They say orange means enthusiasm and fun. Perhaps they're right. I can't imagine feeling pessimistic or depressed when thinking of orange. Just look at these bold orange sculptures.


But Orange also has a serious side. Safety orange is used to set things apart from their surroundings and therefore used in construction areas. This summer and fall I've been seeing far more orange than I'd like around town. Orange in the form of way way too many traffic cones and barrels.



You might not think of Orange as a common color in nature but the earth itself comes in many colors including beautiful oranges like these arches at Arches National Park in Utah. Look at the bottom of the photo just left of the middle. See that little vertical line? That's my husband!! These are huge folks.
HUGE!!!


Nature also gives us beautiful orange flowers . . .


Even though I don't think of orange as a springtime color, the tulips above left are the first flowers to make an appearance in my garden year after year. They often are found peeking out from under a bit of spring snow.

One of the most beautiful oranges mother nature gives us has to be how we begin and end our days. Glowing sunrises and sunsets. Are you up early enough to see the sun rise?  This was the sunrise I saw this morning.


And the sunset . . .



When I started this color series, my intention was to really look for the color in my own personal world. To see the color around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want my series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me. You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog. If you'd like to see additional beautiful color images, you can follow my Pinterest color boards here. Just look for the specific color boards or my Color Scheme board.

I challenge you to look around your home, your neighborhood, your work and really see the colors in your world. Go look for some Orange in your life. Thanks for reading. Happy Halloween.   : 0



6 comments:

  1. A quilt designer said once (I cannot remember who or when) that she added orange to all her quilts because of the "pop" it provided. I gather she meant that she added a bit of a color on the other side of the wheel from the predominant colors in the quilt . . . anyway, I took her comment to heart and frequently orange, or orangey-red, as an accent or inner border to very good effect.

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  2. I have a bit of a off-on relationship with orange! I used to be able to wear it, but now that I have let my hair go grey naturally, it's a definite no-no! However I do love to sew with it, love mandarines, honeyed carrots and sweet potatoes but I wonder why 'orange blossom' isn't orange?? ;-))

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  3. I have never really been a fan of a true orange, but love the softer salmons and so one, having said that I love the colour post today - simply beautiful!

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  4. This might be one of my favorite colors you have highlighted. Okay, yes it is my favorite. Such gorgeous pictures of so many different things. Well done.

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  5. What a fun post! Beautiful color and I love orange too!

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  6. Orange has never been a favourite colour for me but I have used many orange tones in my recent Aussie Landscape quilt and love looking at it so much that it rests folded over the back of my chair so I can enjoy glancing at it all day long.

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