Perfect Pairs: Swirling Yellows

Circling fish in Volunteer Park

Spiraling glass at the the Sandpoint P-Patch

A Case of the Mondays, #4

For this Monday, the October illustration in my Cavallini calendar didn't need any embellishing, but I was intrigued to study the color palate closely:

Bonus assignment:  Take a close look at these colors.  Where do they exist together in nature, either in pairs or as a group?  Are they hues you choose to work with?  If so, what draws you to them?  If not, why not?

Perfect Pairs: Red, Yellow, Green

Bamboo and weeds growing through utility valves

Tulips in a garden

A Case of the Mondays, #1

Welcome to a new feature here on Artgirl Island...A Case of the Mondays.

Have you seen the cult classic movie, Office Space?  It is hi-larious.  It's about 3 disgruntled computer geeks who work for the boss from hell at the company from hell.  As they grumble into their soul-less cubicles on Monday morning the office chatterbox greets them with a revoltingly cheerful, "Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays!"

But here on Artgirl Island, Mondays are different.  Mondays are just one more opportunity to be inspired and to create a little bit of art wherever we happen to find ourselves.

So each Monday I'll post something that I hope will jolt your creativity, with the catch being that I'll only use things that I find in or around my office.  Once I started looking, I was surprised at the amount of creative fodder that I had been overlooking.

So without further ado, here's your first A Case of the Mondays...Artgirl Island style.

We all have those cheesy vendor calendars laying around, right?  You know the ones I'm talking about; they either have predictable nature photos or dorky inspirational quotes or worse...both.  I snagged one such calendar off the wall and borrowed the Engineering Department's Pantone Color Guide...and presto, chango...a cool color study in fabulous blues and brilliant yellows.

Bonus Assignment:  Take a moment and look around YOUR work space...where is there a bit of color or texture or design that draws your eye, lights you up?  Let me know what you find!

Crazy Yellow Stuff

Somehow this bizarre little doll caught my eye as I walked down an alley in Fremont.  The window sill was up pretty high, so I didn't see the x-acto blade or rubber band until I downloaded the photo and enlarged it.  What kind of story is this little vignette trying to tell us???

And these great ski boot planters are in front of Mountain to Sound, a West Seattle kayak and ski rental shop:

And this...I just loved the soft pink and yellow tones together:

And really...have you EVER seen a more fun falafel truck???  No, I didn't think so!

A little treasure in the unlikeliest place:

A big treasure in a very likely place:

Yellow, red, orange and blue!

Yellow, red, orange and blue...at Maxines:

Yellow, red, orange and blue...outside:

Yellow, red, orange and blue...inside:

Yellow, red, orange and blue...used to be outside, now inside:

Red and Yellow! Yellow and Red!

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Yell for More Yellow

A fine line between trash and beauty...

Not-So-Mellow Yellow

I confess I've had more than my share of uncharitable thoughts when I've seen these yellow flags posted by crosswalks in the Seattle suburbs.

The point is for intrepid pedestrians to gamely pluck one from its holder on Side A of the crosswalk, gravely wave the yellow flag to alert inattentive drivers of their presence as they risk their very lives by crossing the street on the yellow lines, and then gratefully deposit said life-saving yellow flag on Side B of the street for the next death-defying pedestrian to use.

Yes Gentle Readers, I admit, I mocked the whole idea of these flags. Now in my defense, I gotta tell you that Seattle drivers are among the MOST POLITE on the planet. I've had many a car screech to a halt 50 feet away from me because I had dared to stick one foot over the curb. In Boston or Rome? Oh yeah, I'd gladly do what I could to stack the odds in my favor. But Seattle? Really? Really?

But then as I was taking pictures, I saw the statistics saying that 62 people who were "not carrying a flag" had been injured...and suddenly I didn't feel quite so smug. I'm not emotionally evolved enough to say that I completely repent for my ill-advised mockery, or that I would actually USE a yellow flag, but I promise not to think uncharitable thoughts any more about those who use them...or at least I promise to TRY...