Friday, January 23, 2009

All Things Orchid....

I love orchids. Those in our dining room are in full bloom, so I thought I would stop by the campus greenhouse on my way to class to see who was showing off their colors in the dead of winter.
The walk to campus was cold, so when I stepped inside the vestibule of the greenhouse, I braced myself for that first breath of warm, thick humidity. Upon opening the inner door, I was hit by that heavy, moist fragrance. I can't help but gasp when I take in the dampness through my nose and into my lungs after stepping in from the January cold.

There they were, arching out over the greenery, wearing their beautiful colors for all who would come to see their show. (it is here that I have to pull out my McCoy pot with all the Prismacolor colored pencils to get these colors exactly right!) Sunburst Yellow with freckles of Mahogany Red. Process Pink melting into Dahlia Purple. Veins of French Lilac and Greyed Lavendar sliding into throats of Tuscan Red.
Ohh...the greens. I could go on and on, for green is endless when Mother Nature is present. Peacock green with Yellow Chartreuse. Apple Green. Olive Green. There is Jade Green and Limepeel, then Apple Green again. I see Celadon with dots of Parrot Green. All beautiful, plentiful green.

Orchids are delightful anytime of the year, but especially so when the wind is howling and the snow is piling up outside. Gazing upon the face of an orchid blossom in the depths of winter brings the fragrance of spring rains and the warmth and humidity of heavy, summer thunderstorms.

2 comments:

  1. Check out the scroll to the right. Toward the bottom is a foto of a fir tree I photographed early one morning last October. The Studio Master assigned fotos to be brought in that fit the description, "Nature Manifest in Light." He selected it as one that captured the true spirit of the assignment. (We all had to look up the word to understand what he wanted). I find it intriguing that it has become a word of power for you. I love it!

    ReplyDelete