Who Cares why the Sky is Blue…It Just Is

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I will admit to being the type of person who will buy something just because of the colour of it. For example, I came across this beautiful violet wrap journal in a paper shop not too long ago. The entire cover was a photo of stunning Jacquard silk. The cover was complete with metallic accents included in the pattern and as soon as I picked it up for a closer look, I knew that I was done. Now, I have tried many times over the years to keep a journal. On the rare occasion I was successful, but more recently (as my stack of empty journals can attest to) I have not been successful. Beautiful Violet holds a place of honour smack in the middle of my desk and I am still enraptured by her purpliness every day.

I am transfixed by colours. There are sometimes when a particular hue can stop me in my tracks and force me to meditate on it. Certain hues can bring memories of different times, places and events flooding back. For example this colour sends me right back to a beautiful day in the Yucatan. My husband and I had paid a fisherman in San Felipe to take us around to the other side of a giant sandbar where we spent the whole day wandering through the shallow warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This one reminds me of candles during the Christmas season a few years ago where I decided I didn’t like the traditional colours of “red” and “green” and decided to decorate with “burgundy” and “mint”. Finally, this last one puts me on the beach in a small bay outside Mulege in Baja. I can feel the sand running through my fingers as I tried not to vomit after pushing past the “safe limit” of my egg allergy at breakfast that morning.

For me oftentimes certain colours can open up a world of ideas and fantasy that lead to the production of art. This is an interesting idea to me. Thinking about it, I could see how one might have a certain colour in mind and then embark on creating a painting or sculpture that is inspired by that colour. I guess I don’t really know how other photographers go about making photographs. For starters, I think many take photographs instead of making them. Many fine art photographers think about composition and subject matter primarily while others may study light. I would be interested in comments from the photographers out there checking this blog. I would love to know what the first thing is that inspires you.

As for me, I paint with light I guess. I may not always start with a colour in mind before I pick up my camera, but often once I have looked through the viewfinder the colour inspires the image. If there is something that sparkles, glitters or made of shiny metal, even better.

Just talk to my husband about how often I ask him if it would be ok to throw a vial of sparkles on the cats or all over the apartment! (If you look hard in our bathroom you will find some.)