Going Green

I recently moved into a new house and fiber arts studio. This has led me to be doing an unusual amount of surfing through decorating, organizing, and house maintenance websites. Today one thing led to another and I was reading about the color green being the new neutral in home decor. Even though I felt this came across as a bit of a marketing ploy to buy new paint for the walls I do agree with the article's claims that this hue has life, vitality and even joy and there are simply no rules to mixing the great variety of yellow greens, blue greens, light greens, olive greens, etc. etc.

Waterlilies and Japanese Bridge, Claude Monet, 1897

Historically green dates back at least to the Egyptians who obtained the pigment from Malachite. The Greeks introduced the first artificial version of green called verdigris.Thanks to strides in chemistry in the 18th century artists had a more complete range of green pigments to work with. This led to the Impressionists being able to paint all of those works outdoors while they were studying how atmospheric conditions touched their natural world.

A selection of our Ordinary Time ministry stoles

Given that professionally my art is centered on the church year calendar I think of the variety of greens we appreciate being able to explore while creating clergy stoles for Ordinary Time at Carrot Top Studio. I'd like to think that we don't do it for decorating reasons but that in the church we use this great variety of green as a symbol and visual connection to growth in our Christian lives and faith during these days between Pentecost and Advent. Along this line of thinking it is interesting to note that in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color green also means young. I have many days I feel very young in trying to comprehend the mysteries of faith. Maybe I'm not the only one? So bring on the many greens! Make a visual connection to the Word. Honor Ordinary Time by making it extra-ordinary with a plethora of green.