Colours with Kalyani - part 1

Is there a right or wrong colour? Or are there given colour combinations that work better together ? The answer is yes and no. But we shall dwell on this later. 
 
Having been trained as a designer, colour theory and it’s aspects come to mind immediately. But that might get too technical and the joy would be lost in the traditional educative learning. Lets see colour in a simple fun way. 
 
I think and know that all colours are beautiful by themselves. It’s our perceptions and preferences that creates our attitude to specific colours. Right for one person and not so right for another. 
 
I love colours as most of us do as it is in our daily life everywhere. Sometimes we are not aware. But without colours, life would look bleak and grey (another colour there). 
 
We are surrounded by colours everyday. Changing colours too, through the day and time. We just need to see and observe and suddenly the joy of colours will enrich you. 
 
Just looking at a new leaf of a palm as it emerges we see a fresh light green almost telling us of how young and tender it is. It grows and opens itself in a gorgeous bright green and the colour or hue changes all the time. As it matures the green becomes darker. The different shades of green from that one palm frond through its growth itself is a large colour palette and the beginning of understanding colour hues and the cycle of change. 
 
Now let’s take the leaf and see what happens. The matured dark green frond or leaf remains that colour till the season changes. And as it grows older it turns into a dull yellow, which we could call yellow ochre. This then changes to a dull brown and then the leaf falls and joins the soil. 

I talked about one leaf’s journey and how many colours and hues it goes through in its journey. And if we take our gaze to see the entire plant or the tree (neem, mango, badam....) one will see much more shades of the green and one begins to be amazed by the colour palette given to us by a small leaf in nature. 
 
Let’s take our minds to seeing something else. It’s a different day. A different time of day. As I sit and look into the garden I see a plethora of birds of various sizes and colours. As the shutdown was long many birds that I had not seen or maybe not observed suddenly came into sight. 
 
The crows, the pigeons, the king fisher, parrots, wood peckers, seven sisters and the list is endless. If one just listed the colours and shades one saw in these lovely creatures of flight your palette of colour would have grown. You would also have seen combination of colours maybe on the king fisher or shades of the same colour on the wood pecker or even the shades and colours on the pigeon. These would give you a little more insight into the world of colour and how they come together to create so much.  
 
Another day and the eyes stray into the garden now looking at flowers. So much that blooms in the small garden of mine. The colours are endless as one would see and sometimes be surprised. Just see the flowers around you, and picture the colours and shades and maybe record them for reference. 
 
So let’s move out of the garden and into the city. Let’s step into the flower bazaar and the colours explodes all around you. Different shades of yellow, orange, the various shades of white of the jasmine, the different colours of the roses and it goes on and on. Suddenly you realise there is so much colour around you that nature has provided and your journey into colour begins with just observing and hopefully recording but also in awe of nature and so much we have closed our eyes too.
 
Let's explore more in the next issue.