Autumn Palette

So after I donned my new specs, I was stunned to discover that in viewing a particular stand of trees, it was no longer just yellow leaves turning against a backdrop of green, but it was a variety of shades and tones of yellows against every kind of green imaginable. Could it be that my blurry vision had smudged all the variety down to a single yellow and green? Or had I just not been paying attention when it was an effort to focus? It made me want to rush home, pull every yellow and green fabric out of my stash to cut up and sew into something. However, sanity prevailed; the last thing I need right now is to turn my studio into what looks like the aftermath of a tornado. And after some thought, I recalled that I already have a grouping of greens, yellows, oranges and rusts set aside for a quilt similar to Wisconsin Memories (upper left in this photo). What I really need to do right now is keep moving forward on Masks.

But this can't stop me from getting the camera out and capturing some colors and sample palettes for future use. Above, another grouping of trees along a vacant lot sporting various yellows and greens and a lean toward orange. Truth be told, the camera was struggling to capture the nuance and proper colors as much as my eyes with the old glasses had. At any rate, these are pretty typical fall colors in this part of the world. Much like I've put in my many fall-themed quilts.

But what about the above pairings?

 
I noted that the maple which I'd seen in another spot looked to be showing leaves in shadow and catching the light, but in truth the actual leaves were either a brighter or deeper red - nearly brown in some cases.

The star of my shoot was a small but brilliant mountain ash. Look at the delicate veining.

It looks like this when run through a color extractor.

Here's a slightly different shot on the same tree and its extraction.

And again, two slightly different shots, not so close up but varied enough for the extractor to come up with slightly different palettes.

I'm still thinking how I could use some of these combinations and I keep coming back to the fall theme, of a jumble of the colors laid down in strips or triangles that would back the elegant curves of towering tree trunks. My afternoon walks of late have taken me back along the loop where my "community" trees stand. I'm seeing evidence that some building might soon take place there - not necessarily taking down the trees, but probably blocking my view of their bases. So even though I have some photos (although not very good), I decided to do a quick sketch. One gets to know one's subject much better sketching it, understand the subtle relationships between sections on a different level, and in this case, ponder ways to render those shapes in fabric now that I know better what they are.