I had a hard time choosing one color, the way I have a hard time choosing anything. When I looked over the list of Crayola colors, I realized I must have had a 64 box of crayons because it would have been impossible in my age range to grow up with a box with 80 or 120 colors. I couldn’t choose between Mahogany or Goldenrod, two of the colors I used the most. My skies were a combination of Midnight and Periwinkle blue. The lines I drew between sky and earth – Black.
But Mahogany – Mahogany was the color of the table in Mom’s dining room in South Carolina. The table would be buffed and shined with a layer of S.C. Johnson’s Pledge wax. The chairs were ornate curls at the backrest, with what I remember to be red-striped, satin seat coverings. It’s another detail I have forgotten to ask Mom about, the history of that table.
I remember family gatherings there by the windows, Grandmama with her pearls and white chrysanthemum clip-on, costume earrings, light streaming in from the carport where my brother, J, once fell off his trike, reaching for a glass jar, and slit his wrist. Mom and my step-dad recalled the memory when I was visiting in June, how my step-dad grew faint from all the blood. And that’s what I remember, blood, all that blood. But it was Brick Red, the blood, more than Mahogany.
And Goldenrod reminds me of a mustard seed, the name of a restaurant in Missoula, and the wheat fields of North Dakota and eastern Montana. But mostly, I like the name Goldenrod. I used to choose colors based on the names as much as the hue and tone. And what happened to Indian Red? They changed the name in 1999 so as not to be offensive.
Like the Burnt Sienna comment about the color Peach and Lillie Belle Allen and how flesh can’t be defined by race. And now I’m thinking of the over 100 different colors for flesh that I saw at a Minnesota Science Museum exhibit about a study in Brazil on skin color. And later I looked it up and found an article that listed all the colors, names created by the people themselves.
But the mustard seed – Goldenrod reminds me of the parable, was it Matthew, Mark or Luke? And how giant things can grow from a single mustard seed. Or what about the Buddha’s story of the mother whose son died. She wanted a medicine to bring him back to life. And the Buddha said to gather a handful of mustard seeds from homes where no one had lost a child, husband, parent, or friend.
And when she found no home untouched, she realized that death comes to us all. We will all experience loss and grief. And she buried her son in the comfort of that knowledge. Community. Sangha.
And now I’m thinking about Brick Red and the scary movie I watched last night, Skeleton Key. It was set in New Orleans swamp country in an old plantation. About hoodoo and how drawing a line of red brick dust between you and your enemies keeps them away. In the movie, it worked, and there were layers of history and giant draping trees (what kind were they?) on a wide canopied, dirt road leading up to the antebellum home.
And then another movie called Practical Magic, with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. And I turned to Liz and said, “Someday I want the practical magic of a movie room with Bose speakers built into the ceiling and a huge, high def, flat screen TV on the wall. And a comfy monstrous couch that soaks up your body with fluff and throw pillows.” And she smiled back at me, then we turned to watch the rest of the movie in which Sandra Bullock gets her man, one eye green, one eye blue.
And now I’m wishing that life were more like the movies where everything works out. But then, everything does work out in one way or another. The things I can’t control, well, that’s the Serenity Prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
And now I’m back to Goldenrod and Mahogany and don’t the two colors look nice together? The mustard seed and the brick dust and the family dining room table in South Carolina all meld into one memory. Which is real, which imagined?
I didn’t write everything I know about Mahogany or Goldenrod. I wrote everything.
Dancing Crayons, photo of an illustration on a tablet given to me by a writing friend (tablet published by Carson-Dellosa Publishing), December 2007, photo © 2007 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
-posted on red Ravine, Sunday, December 09, 2007
-from Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT THE COLOR BURNT SIENNA…
redravine.wordpress.com 
“And when she found no home untouched, she realized that death comes to us all”.
Some very powerful words QM and the truth in them (no matter how hard the struggle) should make us appreciate all we have in this life …while it’s still within our grasp.
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You ladies are giving me so much more to think about when I experience colors. Mine has always been so ‘academic’. Color wheel, primary, secondary.
You talk of place and feeling and associations.
Very cool to experience color via you.
Thanks.
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H, thank you. I’m working on trying to appreciate more while holding less tightly. It’s a work in progress. I get the sense from your writing and photography that you really do appreciate life. And it is contagious.
leslie, I always smile when I see your name in our comment thread. A feeling about you. You’re a connector. Thank you. I remember the color wheels well. I was so excited to learn about color in that way when it first appeared to me in Visual Studies. I had trouble with it in photography: RBGY in varying degrees of precision. I was much better at black and white. But give me a feeling – and I can run with it. In living color. One huge color wheel. 8)
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Goldenrod was one of my favorites. It went well with Cornflower ; – ).
The part about J falling off his trike and slitting his wrist — well, your step-dad and I are kindred souls when it comes to fainting.
Did you enjoy the crayon color writing practice as much as I did? Something soothing about those boxes of crayolas. So many memories wrapped up with them.
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Yeah, I really did enjoy it. I was thinking I could do more colors in the box someday. I think I’ll pull this Writing Topic out again when I feel stuck. It’s quite fun and mixes childhood with the here and now. Great topic. Thanks!
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Did you notice that most of your colors of choice are warm tones? 🙂 I find that very interesting.
If you believe that our favorite colors reveal a side to us then this tells me that you’re probably passionate and earthy. Fiery yet grounded, maybe?
Another point of interest: your use of black to separate the sky from the earth. It makes me think that you can be decisive, and, with the image of you lining the horizon with black, unrepentant in your choices.
I had an unusual experience with color recently. For years, I used to gravitate towards black. My clothes and things were mostly black. While shopping for clothes a couple of months ago, I noticed that violet called to me. It was all I could see and I yearned for it. I don’t know what this means exactly, but I know that something in me has changed of late and maybe violet resonated in me because of it.
In music, we have sympathetic vibration where, when a sound is created, surrounding objects with the same frequency vibrate along with it. Is it possible that we, or something inside of us, “sympathize” with certain colors? 🙂
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QuoinMonkey,
The pleasure is all mine! When I hit Red Ravine in my blogroll, I am always looking forward to what’s in store…
Liz’s comment makes me recall…
When adults used to ask me, ‘the little girl’, “what’s your favorite color, honey?”, I would always answer truthfully and say black. They would be expecting “pink” or “blue” or maybe “green” if the little girl was truly an individualist, and I would hit them with “black”.
I have a visual memory of adults going from a bent over patronizing position, looking into my face, to a ramrod straight, looking down their nose, and then walking off, thing.
Here’s what I never got to explain to them…black goes with just everything, and makes you look slimmer. If a girl has one good black skirt and a nice black sweater, she can pull together a great wardrobe for not much money. Simple black bag and shoes, black leather gloves…What’s not to like about black? They showcase jewels on black velvet…wouldn’t that stand to reason that it would make your eyes really stand out against a nice black turtle neck?
Black is classic and classy.
See what everybody missed by not asking why I liked black? 🙂
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Liz, I always love your comments. They make me think in that way that changes the way I perceive reality.
Your observations about the warm tones and the black lines I think are spot on. It was funny in the practice when I wrote that line about separating the sky and earth with the black lines – I had forgotten I did that. But then I had an image of one of my drawings from grade school and I could clearly see the dark black lines. I like your take on it, decisiveness (I used to think it meant I just didn’t know how to blend color).
The shift from black to violet in your clothes is something to note, isn’t it? And vibrating with that color. I think we are drawn to the colors of the chakras we are working on, drawn into, pulling from at the time. I do believe colors vibrate (and we with them). I like that you made the connection to music.
I love the color violet. It’s a purple with a little black in it, too. Deep, kind of mysterious is how I picture it.
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leslie, I agree – Black is classic and classy. I go through black phases, too. But I don’t remember black being in my wardrobe much as a kid. That truly is something about your childhood. Isn’t it funny, that Black is considered an adult color? Why not for kids, too?
The associations people make with black are most times pretty dark and stark. But your explanation makes perfect sense. I have the feeling you were a kid ahead of your years in classiness. 8)
You know something I haven’t investigated much (but I’m sure there’s someone out there that has) is why black is the color of choice for artists (?). When I went to MCAD, I was surrounded by a sea of black. One of my professors only wore black (and she still does. I see her once in a while at art openings. She’s a dedicated artist).
I went through a period where I wore a lot of black, too. What’s with black and artists?
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My opinion…artists think of themselves as “jewels”, and as I said, they show off best on black 🙂
(How’s that for corny?)
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Liz’s comment about what our colors say about us… QM, you are grounded and earthy and passionate. Are you an earth sign? I’m an air sign. Isn’t that wild?
Black. It’s a good color for me, so I wear it pretty often. But I also like pink and blue. Both go well with olive skin. And light greens. I stay away from yellow and orange. Brown is not great on me either. Have you ever done a color chart for clothing?
Violet. Definitely mysterious. And black for a kid — definitely a kid who knows his or her mind. Not being swayed by what all the other kids seem to like.
Right now I’m wearing midnight blue with a brick red undertone. It’s velvety. One of my favorite shirts.
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this inspires me to try the exercise *now* instead of putting it off anymore.
I like most of that movie, practical magic. One eye green, one eye blue.
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amuirin, when you say “most” of the movie, which part didn’t you like? I thought it was going to be hokey but I ended up liking it. Especially the “put the lime in the coconut” scene. 8) It was a feel-good romantic movie about coming into your own personal power. But also addressed the ups and downs of being a witch. One eye green, one eye blue.
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leslie, I like your theory. Jewels shining against a black background.
ybonesy, I am kind of an earth sign. I’m actually a Cancer which is a water sign. But when I had my chart done, I had a Taurus Moon and Taurus Rising Sign (very grounded). I’m passionate but in an earthy way. Yes, the air sign, ybonesy, I see it. It would be interesting to see what else is in your chart.
I didn’t know you wore a lot of black. I like black. Though I am being drawn to more color lately. Reds, oranges, yellows. I had my color chart done a while ago and I’m a Winter. But for the life of me, I can’t remember what colors those are. Just that I’m a Winter. Does anyone know?
Midnight blue with a brick undertone, I like what you’re wearing. 8)
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QM: Yup, violet isn’t very removed from black which makes me think I haven’t strayed far from my original color of choice. Why do artists wear black? I used to wonder, too, since it seems to be the musician’s uniform during concerts. 🙂 I was given a metaphysical answer by a visual artist I met: he said black deflects bad vibes. I accepted that it had to do with bad vibrations or negativity BUT I think it’s the opposite. If you wear black, and because black absorbs all colors, it doesn’t deflect. It absorbs the negativity directed at your person (by critics, detractors, snide audience members, et al) before it reaches you. Does it make sense? 😀
Do you know anything about Scorpios and water rats? Teehee! This is quite fascinating!
Ybonesy: Really? You’re an air sign? Then cornflower blue does make sense. 😀 QM’s comment about chakras make a lot of sense, doesn’t it? And waht Leslie said about jewels shining against black, I think that says a lot. We wear black, maybe, because it allows everything not black, like us, to pop up. (Of course, dark-hued skin can never be entirely black so it’s still applicable.)
Leslie: There’s black and there’s black. I like vibrant black — not shiny. There’s a ‘shade’ (can black have shades? Intensity, maybe?) that I find quite boring. It looks dead and doesn’t do anything for anybody.
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Yeah, I’ve seen a dull black, especially in cotton. Not vibrant or rich. And your comment about black absorbing colors and therefore not deflecting negative vibes does make sense.
And yes, I really am an air sign. I need to pull out my astrological chart to see what else there is in it.
QM, I want to say I’m Winter, too, but I did that so long ago and didn’t really follow it that I’m not sure.
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Liz, yes, black definitely has shades, tons of them like white and gray. I know what you and yb mean about shiny black as opposed to dull cotton. And then there are all my cotton shirts that fade with time. The black never stays constant in cotton (which is mostly what I wear).
Your theory of artists wearing black to absorb the critical voices and negativity before it gets to them…that’s a winner. No wonder we all wear so much black. 8)
Are you a Scorpio? I only have a few Scorpios in my life, my mother being one of them. Passionate, unpredictable, and a little mysterious. Also big-hearted. A lot depends on the rest of your chart though, particularly that Rising Sign and Moon. I’m told they heavily influence.
Have you ever had your chart done? The last astrological reading I had was when I turned the big 5-0. It was a gift from friends and one of the greatest presents. She was spot on and told me things from my past (just validated in June) and things I’d be doing with my writing that I had no idea of. Quite fascinating.
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QM Yes, I am. My father was and my brother and I are. You can imagine the ruckus that caused at home. 😀 Poor mom. She is a Gemini, though, and her flexibility kept her sane.
I’ve never had my chart done. I bought a book to do it myself but it sounds so complicated. It’s like a whole ‘nother language!
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QM- I didn’t like all the parts with Nicole Kidman’s boyfriend, especially when they raised his creepy butt from the dead. He worried me. They were so happy and good in their little bubble, but his character bothered me a lot. I know he was supposed to, but I was really anxious about the sisters, even the second time I saw it.
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amuirin, that guy really was CREEPY & dark & abusive. I guess it was a tale about the forces of Good vs. Evil, too. Shadow and light. Yeah, that part wasn’t so much fun to watch.
Liz, 3 Scorpios in one family? Wow. I bet your mom really did have to be pretty flexible. (I know another Gemini close to my heart.) You know what I’ve noticed is that there have been a lot of certain signs in my life, and not as many of other signs. Lots of Cancers and Libras and Tauruses. It’s been kind of across the board. (And I’m talking about the people closest to me now.) I always found that so fascinating. But the last 5 years, it’s shifted to include many other signs.
I bought the books once, too, and tried to do my own chart. For me, there was way too much math involved. And then all those trines and conjuncts and retrogrades. Retrograde is about the only term I’ve come to understand. I think it’s because it’s used commonly in daily newspaper astrology. I finally decided it was worth it to pay people who were astrologers as a life calling. Then I could focus on my art and writing.
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I wore a lot of black for the simple reason that I was a part of so many stage crews and we had to wear black during scene changes! Supposedly, we were less noticable. Pretty hard to be “invisible” when you are vacuuming up slivers of glass from the stage with a
“Dust Buster.” You see, it was during the scene change just before the last act of “Dracula,” and the director insisted on using a real mirror, which Dracula knocked off the wall, usually breaking it. In the last act, one of the actors is thrashing around on the floor and I was afraid he would get cut, so out I would go with my trusty little vacuum. As Assistant Director for that play, I also had to figure out a way to keep the live mouse from chewing his way out of the pocket of the lab assistant’s coat. (I solved that one by going to the local hobby store and buying a kit to make a leather bag, ordinarily holding something more friendly, like a little girl’s jacks, or a boy’s marbles.)
Brings back wonderful memories!
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Marylin, great backstage stories about the live mouse and the Dust Buster. Sounds like you had a ton of fun during scene changes. The makeup for Dracula must have been something to see. Now I know why you enjoy those summer visits to the Guthrie so much. Theater is in your blood. And seems to run in the family. 😉
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QM,
I loved every minute of my years involved with theatre;
(both kids’ & adult,) whether it was on-stage, back-stage, ushering, ticket sales, column in the newsletter,
(under the name of the Dormouse,…that’s another story,) chauferring the Shade Tree Players across ND, etc. Yes, Liz inherited that love from me.
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