30 December 2009

Red & Blue & Delicate Green...



It's funny what snippets of verse will hang on in our minds for seemingly ever. When I was a child, I used to get these small bi-weekly (I think) magazines during the summer, with stories and games to occupy the elementary schoolchild's mind. I don't remember the name of the magazine, or the name of the story from which this snippet of verse came, but it's hung on forever in my noggin:
"Red and blue and delicate green, the king can't catch it, neither can the queen
The rain and sun will make one soon, answer this riddle by tomorrow noon!"


So it was that I was entranced by our beloved photographer David Perry's latest photography assignment, only he referred to Red, Green and Blue. The assignment was to just play with the three colours; to let our inner kid go. Good enough!


The trick for me was finding something red I wanted to play with. Red isn't my favourite colour by a long shot, except I do love it in the garden. And curiously, I have a number of red fleece pullovers for wearing outdoors through the fall and winter, as part of my 'Push against the winter blahs' prescription. So I used one of those as a backdrop for the things I photographed, including this curious section of a many-pointed star made out of metallic foil and paper. It looks like a flower when you look at it from one angle, like a star when you set it up on a table. It's actually sort of like the Moravian glass stars that Anna used in her assignment.
There's a very cool tea room down in Melvern Square, near Kingston, NS, which sells fairly traded items from nations such as Thailand and India. This bracelet is made of glass beads in a rainbow of blues from turquoise to cobalt, and is one of my favourite things though it cost very little. Set it on a favourite silk scarf, added a deep blue filter to really bring out the blue, and voila: an explosion of cool, rich, soothing blue.

I have a lot of green in my house; my office walls are green, lots of plant leaves, etc, etc. But I wanted something rich and emerald green to play with for this project. I found what I was looking for in a drawer; a string of Mardi-gras beads given to me last year to promote the Acadian festival in Clare. Dropped onto a rich green tablecloth, they suited my purposes perfectly.

This was so much fun, I actually did more photos, most with several items in each shot, and then made up collages of them. But I think we'll save those for the next post, just to keep with the purity of this project. Thanks to David for creating this assignment, and for the thoughts he shared in encouraging us.

17 comments:

  1. Inspiring photos... love to play with color! I am having fun looking at your cute little kitties too!
    Looking forward to following you in the New Year!

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  2. I received those weekly magazines too! Hopefully someone will recall the name... ours might be different considering our address. I love your photos!! I thought you red was a flower! Happy New Year Jodi! Carol

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  3. Thanks for those color shots, Jodi! They are like being in a genie's bottle of each hue. You have brought yet another broad grin here with your artistry. :-)
    Frances

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  4. I remember one childs magazine call Highlight. There was a Ranger Rick magazine too.

    Your photos have such deeep colors. Very nice. You must have a very advanced camera if you can put filters on it.

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  5. I, too, loved this assignment. What fun. I am going back to do the Mason jar one also. Love your sunlight photos and I can identify with 'cranky'. I don't like this darkness....

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  6. Jodi, I had not seen this project, but oh what fun. Something to play with on a gray dismal afternoon that brings out glorious splashes of color. I may try this one too.

    The magazine we got was called the 'Weekly Reader' and I too looked forward to all the activites it provided.

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  7. Great photos, so fully suffused with color. I'd love a bracelet like yours, cobalt is such a great blue & I love glass jewelry.

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  8. The photos are very artistically done, a joy to watch. Wishing you a Very Happy New Year 2010!

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  9. I love your new header photos, Jodi! Is that Mingus showing off up there? Spectacular! And of course your red, green, and blue photos were a delight, though how anyone could dislike red is, I confess, a mystery to me...

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  10. I love the intensity of the colours - think I will check out that photo challenge. Can do red but blue and green will be a challenge

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  11. Very pretty! I'm not much of a bracelet fan (skinny wrists, they never fit well) but I LOVE that stunning blue color!

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  12. What a fun project and there are some fantastic pictures. I love yours with the color on color shots. The emerald green is fantastic.
    Happy New Year Jodi and I am looking forward to your postings in 2010.

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  13. Uh, I'm no good at riddles, but is the answer a rainbow? I like how texture really comes into it's own with your closeup shots. What a fun assignment!

    Christine in Alaska

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  14. Lovely and colourful post Jodi, very creative. I wish you a great evening and a Happy New Year!

    Hugs/ Tyra

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  15. How fun to express yourself in color ... love it (and your creative photos)! Happy New Year wishes, dear Jodi ... thank you for your encouraging notes and friendship. May peace, health and happiness surround you throughout the coming year.

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  16. Hi Jodi....great assignment..thanks to you I found a new photographer. Hey all I want to know...where exactly is this tea room and are they open in the winter? I want to go!

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  17. Well, Jodi, I already knew of your gardening and writing acumen but photography as well? Yep, there it is in your sidebar bio and your post proper, a delightful manifestation of your talents.[Word nerd, me too!] You're one of those people with a strong leaning towards the creative side of life. [I'm envious.] Beautiful photos. I look forward to your next installment. Many blessings to you and yours in 2010. Stay warm up there!

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