Green color stories, shades of green, lime, grass, forest, apple, sea green, lillies, leaves, leaf

Images all taken by Louise: 1) Feet with moss in New Zealand. 2) Poinsettia plant leaves, 3) Lilly pads at retreat, USA, 4) Apples from England.

“Calm and balancing”

When I look around my home and art studio I have elements of green all around. It helps me feel calm and I love how it looks with other colors such as purple and pink. No matter what hue of green I use, it always injects an element of nature into my environment which helps me connect with the world outside and gives me a true sense of balance for my day ahead.

The color Green occupies more space in the visible spectrum than most of the other colors. The term “forty shades of green” is certainly appropriate for the color green and when you think about the names of the many greens you can see why. Sea green, apple, forest, evergreen, emerald, grass green, leaf, sage, olive, pea green and moss green to name just a few… how many more can you think of?

Green in design

Green is commonly associated with nature and environmentally friendly products, but is also linked to envy, jealousy and scary green monsters in stories!

Green can represent growth, development and opportunity. Themes of renewal and abundance are also thought of when we see green. However, on the flip side when choosing to design with the color green, it can sometimes represent envy or jealousy.

Like blue, green is a very calming color, although it can sometimes bring a sense of vibrancy from the energy of yellow. This mixture of blue and yellow in design can have a harmonizing effect and because it is such a neutral color, this balance also brings stability in design choices.

Brighter greens are usually more energizing, vibrant and fun and you can use several shades of green for a feel of freshness. Green with blue creates the feeling of nature and can represent new beginnings and growth.

Green with beige says organic or recycled and can be a good color combination for packaging where you want to create an eco friendly, natural feel.

Green stories

* In Aztec culture, green was considered to be royal because it was the color of the quetzal plumes used by the Aztec chieftains.

* In Japan, green is regarded as the color of eternal life

* There is a superstition that sewing with green thread on the eve of a fashion show brings bad luck to the design house.

* The solid green flag of Libya is currently the only national flag of a single color

* Green is the color of love associated with both Venus, the Roman goddess and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess

* Malachite was used by the ancient Egyptians to make the first known green pigments, used in tomb paintings and eye makeup.

Green energy

Green is seen as the balance between the other colors in a traditional rainbow and of the chakra system enabling it to be the balancing factor of energy, combining yellow (soul) and blue (spirit).

It is associated with the center, the heart chakra, symbolizing harmony, creativity, health, abundance and nature, As green is nature’s color it also offers new energy and revitalizes our tired nerves. For healing, green is used to balance the vibrations of the nervous system and your whole body. Positive aspects of green are: compassion, generosity, harmony/balance and love. Negative aspects include: indifference, jealousy, misery & bitterness.

Think about the way that green makes you feel. How do you feel when you are in nature or wear green?

Art, design & photography – some of my work and explorations in green so far

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Green for the 5 senses

Smell: Lime is a fragrance that is refreshing, uplifting, and purifying.

Taste: Green tea for it’s natural aroma and widely acclaimed health benefits.

Listen to: “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand

Say: “I am green with envy”

See: Why not grab your camera and explore the world outside your door to find green in many places, not just nature.

 

Moyo magazine green color storiesThis article was published in the November 2012 issue of Moyo magazine – the worlds first online magazine all about surface pattern design. {brought to you by “The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design“}

 

 

 

Would you like to explore color and mixed media? The Creative Colour energy workshop starts on Monday August 4th, 2013.

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