Architecture,  Colour,  Plants,  Sunday Stills

Gallery: yellow ochre

August 14, 2026 / 32 Comments

It is the colour closest to light. In its utmost purity it always implies the nature of brightness and has a cheerful, serene, gently stimulating character. Hence, experience teaches us that yellow makes a thoroughly warm and comforting impression.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Bright, cheerful, serene, warm, comforting … Words that capture the appeal of the colour yellow. And in this particularly hot Northern Hemisphere summer it’s good to be reminded of the positive qualities of yellow when perhaps some of us feel we’ve seen too much of it! Here in London we have not only bright yellow sun but also yellow grass in our parks and yellowing leaves on the trees.

There will be none of those featured here however; I’m looking for more cheerful sights. This isn’t the first time I’ve created a gallery of yellows (and I suspect it won’t be the last). See Yellow big and yellow small and They call me mellow yellow for instance. But I can’t resist the opportunity presented by Terri in her Sunday Stills challenge for this week to share some relatively recent (last few years) yellow images. Following her suggestion I’m focusing on yellows at the deeper ochre end of the scale.

What is ochre?

I did some research on ochre and found this:

Yellow ochre is a pigment that artists have used for centuries to create stunning works of art. Its warm and earthy tones make it a favourite among painters from the ancient Egyptians to the modern day… Ochre is a type of natural earth pigment, a group of pigments that include yellow ochre, red ochre, purple ochre, sienna, and umber. Ochre is composed of iron oxide, clay, and silica. The amount of each component in the pigment affects its colour and properties. Yellow ochre is the most commonly used pigment of all the ochres, and it is an iron oxide hydroxide (α-FeOOH), also known as gold ochre.

Source: https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/yellow-ochre-a-comprehensive-guide

I’ve chosen to focus on two of my favourite yellow subjects, walls and nature. My feature photo didn’t fit either category, but I wanted to include it as it’s a real favourite of mine, taken in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Ochre walls

I can rarely resist an ochre wall, especially if the paint is peeling a little. Add an interesting lamp or sign, or perhaps a pretty flower, and I am sure to be reaching for my camera!

Please click on any photo to see where it was taken

Ochre in nature

Of course these shades appear naturally as well and we don’t have to look too far to find them.

Again, you can click on any photo to see where it was taken

32 Comments

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