Weather Diary - Day 6 (Saturday March 25 2006 Partly cloudy 54F)

On Colour

Vermilion. NaplesYellow. Pale Turquoise.WarmWhite. Olive Brown.
Five of the oil pastels nestled in my toolbox, just for days like this. When the light is so sensuous, so tangible, that getting it all down is my only consideration.
I remove just these colours - Olive Brown (earthy, elemental), Warm White (soft, clean), Pale Turquoise (bright, fresh), Naples Yellow (sunny, creamy), and my fire, my soul, Vermilion (so rich, red, blood-like, that it is practically a living thing) - and spend the day with them, and a 14" x 17" pad of 110 lb. acid free white paper, 100% recycled.

Some hours later, on a dog-walk around and about the village, (a dog- walk strictly due to necessity), I manage to reconnect with old friends. They are the owners of the hotel where we have stayed at times in years past. ( Doug and I, that is, not Chester, it being a 'no pets' establishment.) They are a lovely couple, originally from inland NC, and now on this island and in the business of running a hotel with their son and daughter-in-law. We exchange phone numbers, and they tell me not to hesitate to call on them in an emergency, or if I get myself in a 'tight'. She and I chat for some time. She's interested in the art I'm working on, and mentions that, sometime, she would love to have some watercolour paintings done of their place. The hotel accommodation is made up of several charming older buildings. I am both keen and willing to give it a shot.
 I have (luckily) brought with me a beautiful little travel box of watercolour paints, (as I felt they may come in handy at some point), and an 8" x 10" block with 15 sheets of good quality hot press watercolour paper. She tells me that she will find  some photos for me to work from, and we make a plan to have tea at my place.

Well.  I have arrived.  Now, I'm (almost) a 'local'.
I have friends (plural).  I have a project.  I have social plans.  I am ecstatic.  I'm not sure I qualify as a hermit anymore.

It is this course of events which leads to the opening of the little travel box of watercolour paints.

And, oh, the colours.

I realize that, with a range of (some 50) colours, I can capture every subtle shade and nuance of this glittering light-filled place. It is like opening a box of chocolates.
I pore over the wooden box with its slatted dividers, each tiny compartment holding a half-pan, a little square of paint. But, the names intrigue me as much as the colours themselves. The colour names are a whole different language, a painter's language, a language with a deep, long history:

bismuth, gamboge, cobalt,
antwerp blue, potter's pink, alizarin crimson,
indigo, sepia, ochre,
burnt sienna, terre verte, caput mortuum

And so begins my love affair with watercolour - incorporated into the mix, into my daily rhythm.