Outside vs. Inside Color

I've been noticing the colors outside lately (not unusual I know). I think it is the season for that, because the sunlight isn't quite as strong as we head towards winter. That strong sunlight washes out colors, leaches them of them vibrancy and power. Fall is when the subtle sunlight highlights the brilliant leaf colors that surround us.

I was scrambling (or gamboling) around on our hillside the other morning and gasped out loud when I came upon this small stand of poison oak. Not just because I am seriously allergic to it, but because of the colors. Oh to be able to dye some fabric to look like this. Wouldn't that be seriously fabulous? It looks likes a cross between jewelry and dessert.
Then I was coming back down the hill and looked up into the morning sky to find a bird that was singing to me and I saw this. No color except the small glimpse of sky. The leaves, even though they were close enough to touch,smell, or eat were just in silhouette. Wouldn't this be a great screen printed image?

Next, I noticed this green moss person hanging from the same bay tree. The first picture is with the flash, the second without. See how the intense light from the flash changed things? I find the second picture much more beautiful. I plan to check back in with the moss person later to see if they're still hanging around (haha).

Back inside our house, there is color appearing on the walls downstairs. Slowly, slowly we are preparing to repaint our big room downstairs (living room, dining room, two story high sloped ceiling). When I was gone for the day at PIQF I came home to find out the boys had done some painting. Voting for their fave color for the biggest wall in the house by placing their initial above it.

I vetoed their choices though. The green looks hospital-ish in the light downstairs (upstairs it is gorgeous), the grey is just too dark and energy sucking (upstairs with the orange on opposite walls it is balancing, the blue is too grey and I just don't like blue all that much. And so we're going with the warm very very pale brown of baked scone on that wall.

On the short wall opposite that has the two windows and french door, we'll be painting in this great green we found called Tate Olive. (the one with writing on it). Geez that is a bad picture of it, a very blue caste, must have been the lighting when I took the photo. It is a much warmer green than that.

I'll share pictures once the painting is done! Which will probably be next year this time. Hopefully, I am kidding with that one!