love affair with blue

Posted by Diane on February 20, 2012 in Blog, Portfolio | 6 comments

What is it about the color blue that enamours us!? Whether you call it sky blue, azul, sapphire, baby blue, denim, navy, royal, arctic or ice blue- we love blue for the purity and coolness of the primary hue, the softness of the tint, and  deepness of the shade. It is a vast color, in every dimension. We sense it in our surroundings, and respond to it in subtle measures… calming us with wonder.

On the cool side of the color spectrum, we perceive blues, purples and greens in a gradual way- a soothing, grounded feeling.  The emotional response gives us the exact opposite of reds, oranges and yellows- those hot, jolting “notice me immediately” colors! The study of color is intriguing– from the science of the light spectrum to the application of color in marketing (to entice us to buy based on underlying emotional reaction!) to what colors we choose to surround ourselves with- I love color! With flowers, many times I choose to design in monochromatic or ‘ton sur ton’  (French for tone-on-tone), to keep the color harmony pure. So, if Blue is the color palette of the day, what are my choices?  

Some suggestions to explore: iris, hydrangea, hyacinth (standard and the tiny grape hyacinth ‘muscari’),  bachelor buttons or corn flower, lupin, columbine, delphinium, tweedia, agapanthus, and a few long lasting choices of statice, and my favorite, ‘Eryngium’, or Sea Holly.  Many natural blue flowers don’t have a very long ‘vase life’, but if you choose to mix varieties, just groom out the spent blossoms as they fade. I like to add a touch of bright green geranium, providing a striking contrast and freshness to a bouquet of primary blues. Or pair with soft, gray blue Dusty Miller!

For me, the perspective of blue is eternal-as big as the sky, as vast as the Pacific Ocean. It is also a humble, delicate color- presenting itself in the simple but complex beauty of a flower.  Am I feeling anxious or stressed? Look up- or look into- Blue!  Breathe, regain perspective, begin again, and celebrate each day.