The Colors are Slipping Away

Fall color is almost over here in northwestern Massachusetts. The other day I was out walking and all of a sudden the leaves were blowing off the trees at a furious rate. It doesn't take long and they are all gone, until next spring.


Being a color person, you can imagine how sad this makes me feel. I am now going to have to reach down into my inner depths and create all the color in my life totally by myself. Ugh, that's about all I have to say. So much work for me to do.


The beech leaves are still hanging on - they are about the last to turn here. Beech trees are native to our local forest and I am really crazy about them. In the spring, their leaves are a lovely chartreuse. As summer develops and fall begins, the chartreuse ages, then turns gold and finally a lovely toffee shade. On our "sheep trek" the other day, I passed this lovely forest full of beeches.


When the leaves start turning it is altogether overwhelming if you just start looking at each an every individual leaf. They are like little paintings that nature creates. It would be hard to paint them as beautiful as they naturally turn. I love this maple leaf - a study in contrasting colors of red and green.


All the tree varieties' leaves turn different colors and I feel so very fortunate to live where I do. No wonder fall is my favorite time of year - it's a color show every time I wallk out the door. Even the lowly weedy sumac turns a wonderful red shade. How pretty this sumac leaf is when inspected closely. The speckled texture of the rock beneath echoes the green speckles on the leaf.


Because fall is so fleeting, I wanted to document it so I could remember the colors come this winter when I am craving natural color and there is none in the landscape. I took quite a few photos the other day. Here's my first attempt at Julia Yarn Colors interspersed with autumn leaves.

As you can see, way too much contrast. It was late in the day and I didn't think the light would be so strong, but it was. So I walked the leaves and the yarn around to the front of the house and placed them on the lovely speckled rock that is the front stoop. Julia acted as a sunblock and everything looks nicer. Better color definition and much less glare.

Taking photos for this blog has really been a stretch for me. I have always snapped photos but for my large projects, there has always been a professional photographer with an assistant. I have learned some by watching them but I will never be a pro. It has been fun to capture little things and document the way I think about color for my work and this blog. But I really admire how real photographers can assess the light situation on the spot and move a subject to take advantage of the best light. I'm getting a little better at it but I still need to look at the photos on the digital screen to actually know what I am getting.

These are some of the results of a few minutes in the afternoon the other day before all the color went away.


Enjoy the leaves and the weekend.