Purple Majesty

Energyscape #2658, 2010.

Violet has the shortest wavelength in the light spectrum and the fastest vibration. The hues of Purple vary in proportions of Red and Blue, making them warmer or cooler. Violet is the darkest hue on the color wheel. Its complement is Yellow, the lightest hue on the color wheel. Purple is elliptical; a combination of the Blue sphere and the Red square.

Inside Iris,

Chalet Garden, 2010.

Purples which are light in value are often referred to as lilac or lavender while  darker value of Purple often referred to as eggplant, mauve, or dark purple. Mauve is known as the transition color from worldwide use of natural dyes into the use of synthetic dyes. The book Mauve, by Simon Garfield, provides a detail account of its historical importance.

Unidentified Mushroom, Gloucester, 2009.

Sumac Fruit, Rhus, 2009.

The combinations from Red-violet to Blue-violet are stunning. Blue-violet represents solitude, dedication, and sternness. Red-violet represents divine love and good luck; of course experiencing divine love is good luck!

Papaver opening,

Chalet Garden, 2009.

Roadside Echinacea,

Arkansas, 2009.

Lavenders and lilac are delicate, fragile, soft, and calming. They can be nostalgic and sentimental but they can also foster mental balance. More saturated Purples  are considered prestigious, royal, wealthy, powerful, and represent magnificence and an expression of sophistication.

Feng Shui practices associate purple with the element of fire. Chinese astrology associates purple with the North Star. Violet is associated with the crown chakra, while working with the spiritual body, it is useful for vision and anything affecting the  brain. Violet has a strong connection to artistic endeavors, quests, and inspiration; it is the color of  consciousness. It is a color of healing and awareness, cleansing and calmness. While encouraging and impressive, if the improper shade or value of Purple is used it can be oppressive. 

Victorian Home, New York,

2009.

The historic purple known throughout the ancient Mediterranean was derived from Murex, mollusks which produced only drops of the desirable color. Good Purple hues can be achieved using Logwood, Haematoxylon campechianum, or Brazilwood, Caesalpinia species. Cochineal, Dactylopus coccus, and Lac, Laccifer lacca, are natural red dyes; by shifting the pH to alkali the reds become more blue-red. And, using various values of natural red dyes in combination with indigo will yield lovely purple values. 

Acanthus spinosus,

Cornell Botanical Gardens,

2009.

Energyscape #309, 2009.

Purple represents devotion, reverence, respect, and loyalty. Although it is the color associated with royalty, the City of Gloucester, Mass. debuted in January 2009 purple plastic trash bags (@ $2/bag) to replace their pink sticker trash collection service. 

Gloucester trash bags, 2009.

descriptive words for purple:

lilac, dusty plum, lavender, mauve, violet, plum crazy

inspirations from purple:

violas, lilacs, red lettuce, red grapes, Ageratum sp., orchids, Clematis sp., mulberries, blackberries, eggplant, beets, red onions, red cabbages, plums, dew berries, amethyst, red wine, port, Callicarpa, poke berries, prickly pear cacti fruit.

meanings of purple:

Eminence, Missouri ironically is the town we recently “put in” our canoes for our week long adventure down Jack’s Fork River. Pleading ignorance, I did not realize the word was synonymous with purple!

Door #269, Gloucester, 2009.

Bibliography and Suggested Observations (see Oklahoma Tinctoria LibraryThing for detailed information):

Icelandic artist, Olafur Eliasson, One-way Color Tunnel, San Francisco Museum of Art, ‘Take Your Time’ Exhibit:

http://www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/232

Pantone Color Guides.

Dean, Jenny. Wild Color.

Phipps, Elena. Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color. 

Garfield, Simon. Mauve.