Gallery: the colours of the season
Red and green should never be seen without a colour in between.
Old saying
Whoever coined that old phrase clearly didnβt have Christmas in mind. Surely there are no two more seasonal colours than red and green?
But itβs not just at Christmas that these two pair up beautifully, as I hope my photos below, shared for Ceeβs CFFC Holiday Colours theme, will illustrate. As a bonus they also fit last week’s Basically TwoΒ Colours one as well!
Hover over the photos to see the captions; or click on any one of them to open a slide show!
To read all about the haunting Bake-JizΕ, see my post The Bake-JizΕ of Kanmangafuchi Abyss.
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38 Comments
Forestwood
I have heard that old saying but without the last clause. One can’t help but feel the colours are Christmasy, even though the Christmas plants that allude to this colour combination don’t flower here in summer. (Ironically). One plant, the New Zealand Pohutakawa does, but seeing yours, I would have to vote for the poppy and its seedpods.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amanda, glad you found these Christmassy! I’m with you on the poppies – one of my favourite flowers π
Forestwood
Are they used as a symbol of remembrance of soldier sacrifice in WWI on November 11 in your parts, too?
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, absolutely – paper ones sold to wear on our lapels, wreaths left at war memorials and so on. But of course it’s completely the wrong time of year here to have fresh ones.
amoralegria
Wonderful collection you have posted for this challenge!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Katy π
Teresa
The reds are very strikingβ¦love the sculptures with the red scarf and beanies the best π
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Teresa π Those Bake-JizΕ in Nikko were a poignant sight but they do also make for great photos!
Cee Neuner
Congratulations! I have featured this post on CFFC for this week.
I hope your week has been wonderful so far.
https://ceenphotography.com/2021/12/21/cffc-colors-of-your-flag/
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Cee, I really appreciate that π Thank you too for hosting so many fun challenges throughout the year, and here’s to more blogging fun in 2022!
Cee Neuner
Here is to 2022 π π
SJ Butler
Lovely collection, I especially like the red berets (Bake-JizΕ in Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Nikko, Japan)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – the Bake-JizΕ were a really poignant sight but also very photogenic!
restlessjo
Such cheerful reds, Sarah! I notice them far more than the green. Hoping you have a joyful Christmas, whatever you have planned.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Jo π I think the big question right now is, will we be able to do what we have planned?! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too ππ π
restlessjo
There has to be a better way to deal with this than the way it’s being handled at the moment, Sarah, but I’m just hoping I can navigate through and keep smiling. π βοΈππ
Sarah Wilkie
Amen to that Jo!
restlessjo
ππ
wetanddustyroads
I like these two colours together … it shows their beauty in your pictures! The red autumn leaves are really lovely (but so are the rest of your photo’s) π.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for that kind compliment π
rosalieann37
When I was taking Home Ec (sewing) in 7th grade c 1949 it was “Blue and Green should not be seen without a color in between” because our teacher told us that blue and green together clashed. My BFF did not agree. She said, what about the sky and grass? I think they were using the color wheel theory – two colors next to each other on the color wheel clashed. My opinion is that neither of the saying is correct.
When I started a still life painting class, for the first painting, the teacher restricted us to two colors (plus white and black). I picked blue and yellow and of course I got green too when I mixed them. Blue and green would not have worked well, and I don’t think red and green would have worked well either. It would have to be two primary colors.
Sarah Wilkie
Interesting Rosalie π Several people (here and on Facebook) have suggested that the saying is ‘blue and green’ rather than red, but I’ve seen both – and obviously red suited my purpose better on this occasion!
amoralegria
Green and red are complementary colors. Your teacher didn’t know what she was talking about. They are complementary because the secondary color (green) is made up of the other two primary colors (blue and yellow), not red. Other complementary colors are: blue and orange, purple and yellow. Notice how many athletic teams use these combinations! What I learned about the color wheel and complementary colors is that artists use complementary colors to make their subjects “pop” – in other words, one of the colors makes the other color stand out.
Sarah Wilkie
Well it wasn’t a specific teacher, just a saying I’ve heard quoted π As Rosalie has pointed out, others say ‘blue and green’ but that seems equally wrong to me – you only have to look at a green tree against a blue sky!
rosalieann37
amoralegria – exactly what I was thinking. Red and green are complimentary. and there are other colors between them on the color wheel. THe saying doesn’t really make good sense either way, but if we assume that it comes from the colors on the color wheel, it has to be blue and green. It makes a great seasonal photo essay as red and green. But maybe later you can do one on blue and green to show that it isn’t correct there either.!!!
Sarah Wilkie
That could be a good idea for a post Rosalie – thank you π
Rose
Nature certainly offers the best βholidayβ decorations.
Sarah Wilkie
Very true Rose π
Alison
Gorgeous gallery Sarah
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alison π
maristravels
The spirit of Christmas made real.
Sarah Wilkie
Ah, thanks Mari – that’s just the effect I was aiming for πππ
Cee Neuner
Oh Sarah, your reds and greens are gorgeous π π
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Cee, I’m happy you liked them π
Stephanie
Red and green quilts for me all season longπ
Sarah Wilkie
That sounds festive!
Nemorino
The version I heard (from an English colleague) was ‘blue and green should not be seen’ β but he was talking about clothing styles.
Sarah Wilkie
I’ve heard various versions Don, but I think the red and green one is the more common. And to be honest, I think most colours go with green – you only have to look at flowers to see the truth of that!