May 24, 2021 • 99

Lens-Artists #149: Cool Colors–Blue and Green

Black and white can show how something is. Color adds how it is, imbued with temperatures and humidities of experience. 

Peter Schjeldahl

I had a fun “ramble” through my archives this week, looking for cool colors–Tina’s theme for this week’s challenge.

Let’s start with cool colors in the natural world. As Tina mentions, the blues and greens found in nature complement each other beautifully. To illustrate this, I’ll start with several images captured on a road trip out west to Arizona and California. At first the desert colors seem muted and subdued until my eyes started adjusting to the new landscape.

In the first image, you can see the contrast of the green palm trees against the bright blue sky in Scottsdale, Arizona. The next image was shot on one of our morning walks in a park in Tempe, Arizona, where I noticed the various shades of cool colors. The third image captured along the Santa Monica Pier combines the colors of nature with man-made colors. I loved how the blue of the basketball court complimented the grass, trees, and the sky.

  • Palm Tree Ballet, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Morning Walk, Tempe Arizona
  • Cool Colors on the Santa Monica Pier

Cool colors in nature can be soothing to the eye, but when artists deliberately choose a cool palette, the effect can be startling. Here are some examples found in various locations. I’ll start with the beautiful and vivid Marc Chagall mosaic in Chicago, Illinois. Beneath that, you’ll see street art captured in Florence, Italy and graffiti in Melbourne, Australia. Each one captured my imagination and attention and drew me in.

  • Marc Chagall Mosaic. Chicago, Illinois.
  • Blub, Portrait of Van Gogh with Googles, Florence, Italy
  • Imagination on Display, Street Art, Florence, Italy
  • Graffiti Alley, Melbourne, Australia

Well, that was fun! I hope you enjoyed this exploration of cool colors. Thanks as always to Tina, for her inspiration! We hope you join us this week and share your images featuring all shades of blue and green.

Looking back to Ann-Christine’s Spots and Dots challenge, your varied and creative responses were so much fun. Looking ahead to next week we’re excited to announce that our challenge will be hosted by Dianne Millard of Rambling Ranger.  Her blog is a fascinating and beautiful look at nature, captured on the job and in her travels as a park ranger. Be sure to check out her beautiful blog and watch for her post next Saturday at noon. Until then, have a wonderful creative week and please stay safe.

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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99 replies »

  2. Terrific interpretation Patti – I especially loved the Santa Monica pier (a personal favorite place) and the street art in Florence (one of YOUR personal favorite places 😊). Color can make such a difference in our lives and is especially evident as we travel and are more aware of our surroundings. Your post is a great example of that.

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    • So true…about my favorite place! I didn’t know the S.M. pier was yours! Color does play a huge part. (Today I’m wearing a shirt that I bought online…and looking at it today, I wished I had returned it!! Puts me in a bad mood!!)

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      • I adored your blue- green selections, Patti. Your posts on Florence were the first that made me look at the city as more than one that favours only renaissance art. Thank you for pointing me towards Blub . Hunting for it on the streets made my trip even more incredible.

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  14. I greatly enjoyed your choices, Patti, especially the lion in Florence. The desert has many very vivid colors but they generally don’t come in great clumps/bunches but are individually situated. It’s been so interesting to come back to Illinois after being in Arizona for 14 months. Talk about overwhelming greens and then so many trees and bushes and so much grass!! 🙂 It’s quite a change but in an enjoyable way. Happy Monday.

    janet

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    • Oh, I bet you’re overwhelmed by the lush greenery in IL. It’s so different in the desert. Are you staying in AZ for long? Enjoy your visit! (Glad you like the lion, too.)

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      • I think you meant how long will I be in Illinois. I’ll be here through Memorial Day, Patti, and yes, the lushness is overwhelming. I spent 2 1/2 hours in the park this morning walking mostly the back paths. It was marvelous to be there again. That place and our friends are what I miss most, even though I’m enjoying Arizona. Kind of forgot what a difference the humidity makes, though!

        Liked by 1 person

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  19. Hi Patti

    The cotton-ball-like clouds in the photo from Tempe are really interesting and pique my curiousitty. Do you know what kind they are? And what creative choices you included, especially the fun Van Gogh with goggles and the street art from Florence. I think you had fun with this challenge.

    Here’s my entry for this week’s challenge even though Great Blue Herons aren’t really blue at all:

    Beautiful Great Blue Heron at an Exhibition (Quirky Artist Stories Nbr 19)

    Best, Babsje

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    Reply

    • Hi, Babsje! Thanks so much! I did have fun. I don’t know what type of clouds they are. My 1 class in meteorology in college hasn’t helped me find the answer! I’ll look at your post next. Enjoy the week.

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  20. I really like those pieces of graffiti, especially the two from Florence. And the other photos are such a wonderful reminder of what nature gives us. I love the calmness of the photo you took on a walk in Tempe.

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    • It really was a beautiful walk in Tempe. We did it every morning. A beautiful way to start the day! Glad you like the art in Florence, too. It’s such a wonderful artistic city. I hope all’s well, IJ.

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      • I would do that walk daily too, if I was there. And yes, Florence is a fun city to walk about in. one year I noticed that every no entry sign on the roads had been changed by a guerilla artist into a picture of a man in chains.

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  31. Ohh, what a marvellous collection. I said Jeeeesus Christ when I saw one of them, and I’m not religious. 😀 Guess which one. 😉 It was the lion door! May I ask when you took it and if you know – and wish to disclose – the microlocation?

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  34. I’ve enjoyed browsing all of your wonderful selections, Patti.
    The 1st photo of the sky is mesmerizing in its beauty. Mother Nature
    at its best with your photographic talent to capture it. I had a chuckle with the Van Gogh Portrait.
    I always enjoy viewing street art. The image of the lion is awesome. Great talent … Be Safe 😷 … Isadora 😎

    https://isadoraartandphotography.wordpress.com/2021/05/22/lens-artists-photo-challenge-cool-colors-blue-and-green/

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  35. Hi, Isadora. You know how to make me smile, don’t you?? Thanks! I’m glad you included a link to your post. We are moving, so things are crazy! I’m catching up as best I can… Take care. I hope all’s well with you.

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  37. Patti, I wonder if you’d give me permission to repost your lion with the link to this post, with your name, of course. We are to post our favourite photos. Three will be by you and two other bloggers, the rest will be mine. I would do it tomorrow, if it’s okay. But don’t hesitate to say no.

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  41. This was a fun post, Patti for more than the colors. We live less than two hours from Scottsdale, and that picture is stunning. The skies in AZ are amazingly blue. I love the Van Gough picture. The humor is dry if the picture is not. A blogging friend and I visited the Melbourne Graffiti Alley. That was amazing. I thought I had a post on it, to share with you, but alas, I can’t find it.

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