Driving and walking in Northern Westchester at this time of year is always a treat. The changing leaves add a colorful vibrancy to the landscape. The maple, beech, oak, aspen, poplar and white birch trees put on quite a show during the fall season.
Glancing out of the windows on a recent rainy afternoon, I beheld a spectacular impressionist painting scene right in my own backyard. I stopped for several minutes to notice how many different shades were presented in this colorful panorama courtesy of nature’s paintbrush. What a mesmerizing palette of red, russet, burnt sienna, yellow, gold, orange, celadon and sage!
The color variety outside of my windows reminded me of that enchanting box of 64 Crayola crayons that one girl in my first-grade class possessed. That magical array of crayons included a built-in crayon sharpener! I remember looking longingly over her shoulder each time she placed that special crayon collection on the top of her desk. Other kids noticed that special crayon box, too. We all asked nicely to borrow the extra colors that were not included in our own regular crayon packs. In addition to the primary colors and a few more shades of green and blue, the 64-pack of Crayola Crayons included silver, gold, copper, lavender, magenta and pink crayons!
Of course, we could not blame Janet for not wanting to lend out those precious colors to her classmates. An entire pink crayon could be used in coloring a fairy princess dress. The silver and gold might be used up in coloring the coins inside of a pirate’s treasure chest. Or even worse, a clumsy classmate might grasp the crayon too roughly or press too hard on the paper and break the coveted crayon into pieces!
I recall a long-ago arts and crafts project at Girl Scouts. We were asked to collect colorful fall leaves. We placed our colorful leaves on a clear rectangle of contact paper and then covered the leaves with another piece of sticky, clear contact paper to create our own fall leaf placemat.
When we were young, my mom always bought art supplies for my brother and me. We had watercolor paint sets, finger paints with large shiny paper sheets, magic markers, colored pencils, and colored pens. Does anyone remember playing with Spirograph? We enjoyed creating unique designs using the various plastic rings and color pens on paper.
As an adult, I’ve purchased my own art supplies and experimented with acrylic paints and pastels. I framed one abstract painting I completed and hung it above the fireplace in my old house. I also created a replica of Monet’s famous bridge using pastels as a gift for my friend Ellen’s new home. I remember standing on line at the cash register of the frame shop in New Canaan and a woman on line ahead of me glancing over her shoulder at my framed pastel bridge scene.
“Oh, did your little one do that?” she asked haughtily.
There are so many other ways to add color to our daily lives. Maybe dressing in bright colors (I prefer pink baseball caps) or bringing cheerful flowers into the house. I also like to add color and flavor when I am cooking or baking. Recently, I added a spoonful of harissa red chili paste for a spicy kick to a corn and black bean soup. I also like to add color and flavor to meals by baking yellow cornbread or orange pumpkin muffins to accompany warm fall dinner entrees!
Kim Kovach creates colorful characters in her fiction writing stories. For class information, visit her website at kimkovachwrites.com.
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