Yellow , Yellow , Yellow with a Dash of Purple!
I love it when spring starts to make itself felt with a burst of yellow in the garden. Golden jonquils, daffodils with their heavy nodding heads, yellow daisies and of course golden wattle. But the first flowers to open their sleepy heads from winter slumbers are the dainty little purple violets- their perfume wafting on spring winds.Purple is also the complement of yellow and these two colours create a liveliness together that makes the heart sing.At this time of year the Otways turn golden with many different kinds of wattles (acacia) bursting into flower.
Colours of course have symbolic meaning and the meaning varies from culture to culture. In western culture it is often associated with happiness- phrases incorporating the word yellow have become part of our language eg., mellow yellow. Yellow can also mean cowardly and women tied yellow ribbons around trees and fences awaiting the return of loved ones from war or other cataclysmic events. Yellow submarine ( The Beatles) evokes wonderful images of underwater gardens where every one would like to be!
Many fruits have the colour yellow- lemons, grapefruit ( pamplemouse is such a much more evocative word!), bananas, yellow peaches, mangoes, star fruit, pineapple- in fact many of the delicious fruits are yellow!
Yellow is a colour that many people do not find easy to use, and many artists avoid using it. And yet some of the great artists of the world used yellow to great effect-Vincent van Gogh and my favourite Pierre Bonnard.I especially like Bonnards work as he used lemon yellow,citrien to great effect.
Without yellow there would be no green, orange or brown
