20 June 2011

Symphony in Blue


A summer symphony in blue ..... and green.
The cornflower is a much loved summer flower. It grows wild in fields and along country roads. You can find it at farmers markets as well as florists. It lasts well in an arrangement and the gorgeous blue is easy to mix with other colours. Or like here arranged on it's own en masse.  


 I arranged a bunch of cornflowers in an old teacup.
The cup has an unevenly spaced patten of blue flowers on the outside.
The pattern is calld Windflower.
I got the cup many years ago at an antique market in London.  


I wanted to use as many different blue colours as possible.
I found a very pretty blue and white checked ribbon that I tied onto the handle of the cup. 


The whole arrangement sits on a piece of blue and white floral fabric.
On top of that is a white doily, a few light blue paper napkins, two blue ribbons and two different dotty washi tape. 


The addition of green was an afterthought. I was in a charity store...again...looking around and my eye landed on an old book with a beautiful green cover. Well, you know the story....
and the little markers are from an old table game.

********* 

While doing my research I came across two beautiful oil paintings by the American painter Whistler
One is called Symphony in Blue and Pink painted in 1870 and the other is called Variations in Blue and Green painted in 1868.
They both hang in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
In both paintingsWhistler uses stunning colour combinations. Inspirational stuff!




I am sure a lot of you have heard of The Rule of Thirds.
A design principal used in design, architecture, graphic design and photography.
Within the art and design world you also talk about the rule of three and the use of odd numbers.
The basic idea of the rule is that details and objects that are arranged or grouped in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable and effective than even-numbered pairings.

Here is my version of the rule of three and using odd number of objects! 



Washi tape has quite quickly become my favorite kind of tape.
So of course I had to include some. Both are blue and dotty!



I also would like to show you two other paintings that I came across in my travels in the Internet world.
Both feature strongly coloured cornflowers and both are painted by Russians.
The first one is called Group Portrait with Cornflowers and is painted in 1914 by Igor Grabar.
The second is called simply Cornflowers painted in 1976 by Sergei Osipov.
They are very different, both very beautiful and both showing the intense blue colour of cornflowers.

****************

I am taking a little break from blogging.
It is summer and time for holiday.
I will be back soon.
Thank you so much for all your kind and positive comments.
You are all amazing!
All the best for now and big hugs.
I wish you a wonderful summer!

xoxo Ingrid 

36 comments:

letrecivette said...

Nice and elegant post1
i love it!
Have a great week!
Monica

Madelief said...

Hi Ingrid,

Such a pretty post! Love that Washi tape and the cornflowers.

Have a great summer holiday.

Madelief x

Robin Larkspur said...

Cornflower blue...what a lovely color! have a wonderful break. take care.

SWEDISH HOUSE said...

Hej Ingrid

I LOVE cornflowers!
The hue of the blue and your little arrangements and vignettes are very appealing ;-).
I will check out the paintings and artists you link to.
Ha en trevlig sommer!
GLAD MIDSOMMER!
Will you be in Sweden Ingrid?
LOVE PEACE enJOY
Julie
x

Ingmarie We said...

Very lovely! The cornflowers are just right this time of the year, being the Swedish Midsummer Flower number one. Have a nice vacation.

flowersandhome said...

Love this colourful post!
Bye,
Marian

Madelon said...

As a very regular visitor I'd like to thank you for the beautiful pictures you make and share with us. I love the way you style the cups, buttons, ornaments, flowers, et cetera and especially the colours you use.
I wish you a wonderful summer, too.
Best wishes, Madelon

Alysson said...

This is beautiful! xo

http://simplicityisultimatesophistication.wordpress.com/

Frances said...

Have a lovely summer holiday, Ingrid.

I am such a fan of cornflower blue, and this began even before i knew what a cornflower looked like. Back in my late teens...the early '60s, I had a pair of Capezio ballet flats and their color was ... cornflower!

xo

Unknown said...

LOVE THAT MASKING TAPE SO MUCH!!! blu and polka dots!! awesome

Camilla Alvén said...

Hoppas att du får en bra sommar
Kram

NinaH said...

Så mycket härligt i blått!
Jag njuter varje liten del!!
De fluffiga "cornflowers" har en så makallöst vacker färg som bas i det hela!
Och de gröna tilläggen passar precis in! Och du vilka läckra spelpjäser- både i färg och patina!

NinaH said...

PS Skön sommar önskar jag dig, Ingrid!! DS

Anonymous said...

I LOVE conrflowers. They are so beautiful yet so "free", meaning their structure. And the blue colour is so unique in nature. I really like your photos no. 3 and 8. Wish you pleasant and relaxing holidays.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Ingrid, I love your study in blue - so vivid and pretty! Enjoy your holidays. xo

Lisa Gordon said...

As always, such a feast for the eyes Ingrid!
Your work is truly magnificent.
I wish you a beautiful vacation, and I look forward to your return!

lisa xo

Unknown said...

Have a nice holiday, will you go to Sweden!? Have a nice Midsommar fest, jag ska arbeta hela tiden så ingen fest för mig:)
Kram Henrietta

spiral style said...

I love cornflowers. I got married in the 70's and my bridesmaids carried cornflowers in their bouquets. Love your study in blue, with green. Have a nice holiday.

Anonymous said...

The cornflower is a beloved summer flower, I love the picture with the ribbon tied to the side of the teacup and shot with half the cup showing in the photograph very nice. I too will be taking a break shortly, it's summertime, a time to relax an enjoy this glorious season. Have a wonderful summer.
Hugs Rosemary XX

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous colors & photos, Ingrid! Enjoy your Summer!
Hugs,
Zuzu

jacqueline said...

Dearest sweet ingrid, these flowers are so beautiful. Blue and green go so well together and your set up is always so inspiring! I am also a huge fan of Washi tapes! :)
Have a lovely merry happy blog break and a wonderful summer! Love to you!

Agni said...

Have a best summer ever !!!! I will be here, waiting !!!! Hugs-Ag

Britt said...

Önskar dig en fin midsommar//Britt

Fru C said...

Jag har samlat på blått glas...älskar allt som är blått!

Kram och glad midsommar//

silvia said...

I like the lilies, their color is reflected in the blue summer sky.
I like your photos!
Thank you for the beautiful paintings
Happy holidays!
Silvia

Janine said...

Thank you Ingrid for your encouraging and sweet words! Sometimes reassurance is all we need when the road twists and turns too much:) I simply love these cornflowers! Believe it or not, but I don't think I've ever seen them before. Hope you enjoy your summertime break. Everyone needs to relax once in a while... Have fun & be inspired, xoJanine

Carolyn Cochrane said...

Really beautiful blue! I love cornflowers. :)

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

Love your creativity with flowers! So do you just take photos of them and sell the photos as well? I'm sure that's all pretty in your home. I just bought some lavender and I should do something with that, photo-wise. So inspiring you are to me, as one photographer to another. Have a good holiday and look forward to your posts again!

angie said...

hello, ingrid, their decoration is very beautiful, I love the color blue at the moment anyway! I wish them a nice holiday, angie

Louisette said...

Lovely your symphonie in blue, greeting from Belgium

Joan -BORNAY- said...

WOW WOW and RE-WOW!!!!
amazing photos, flower, arrangement.. ALL!!!

Best,
Joan.

Trädgården på Höjden... said...

Vilken härlig blogg du har. Hoppas du har haft en fin sommar. Jag blir en följare direkt!!!

Hälsar Åsa

Angel.Pearls said...

Awesome -you make everything so lovely!!
Underbart blått -är här o 'tankar' lite goda vibbar
Ha en fin dag
Eva

Leonardo said...

Stylish flower arrangement for low expenditure. The way you arranged was very nice and the plaster used was simple and looks stylish. Thanks for the post

Julie the Alkaline Sister said...

Lovely blog with fine inspiration for flowers! Thank you for linking to our blog:)

Annelie said...

Beautiful. Blått älskar jag, speciellt den intensiva blåa.

Nu är vi redo för dig att komma tillbaka efter sommaren.

Kram,

Annelie

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