In Praise of Orange

Years ago, on a leadership trust retreat when I was serving as a dean, the group had to play some silly trust games and then be told what our leadership colors were.  I don’t remember mine—green or blue, I think.  What I do remember is that a vice president in the group from a different college (thank goodness) was a real jerk—competitive, self-serving, little evident respect for his team.  From my view, he was loud and obnoxious as well.

His color was identified as orange.  You know, like fluorescent orange traffic cones.  He was pegged as loud, aggressive, and demanding.  That assessment was probably true about him—he seemed like a real jerk to me.  But it was so demeaning to the color orange.

Although orange is often noticed in the natural world—from my view—it is assertive not aggressive.  It is very natural, heartwarming, energetic, even strong and forceful.  The psychological associations with orange include strength, resilience, optimism and spontaneity. Those qualities make sense regarding the color orange, since orange is the color of southwest vistas, spring flowers, fall leaves and gorgeous sunsets.  Here are a few photos to prove my point about how special orange is!

I’ve shared my views on the color orange before.  This post is my response to the Daily Challenge: Orange—click here to see the other responses to this challenge.

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Oregon Sunset

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

A COUPLE THOUGHTS ABOUT ORANGE

“’I feel a little dizzy,’ said Orion. ‘But also wonderfully elated.  I feel that I am on the verge of finding a rhyme for the word orange.’” Eoin Colfer

“I can throw an orange like a baseball, but I can’t eat a baseball like an orange.  Let that be a life lesson for you.”  Jarod Kintz

“If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable—each segment distinct.”  Letty Cottin Pogrebin

The Wonder of Orange

I love orange.  Especially how it is displayed throughout nature in all its rustic splendor. 

From giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park to the red sand of Monument Valley and red rocks of Zion National Park,

Monument Valley

Zion National Park

 

From sunsets to autumn leaves basking in the sunshine,

 

From the bold color of a tiger to the subdued hue of Monarchs resting from a long flight,

Orange suggests warmth and interconnections and thereby champions the wonder of life itself.

But my favorite representations of the delightful warmth and variety of orange can be seen in a wide array of flowers.

The only real problem I can see with orange is that nothing rhymes with it.  Oh well.  I even have a playful orange elephant gracing a shelf in my house and a batik  artwork hanging on the wall that paints the sky orange.  Oh, I do love orange!  In fact, I wrote about orange before in The Hue of You Challenge.

This entry is for A Word-a-Week Photograph Challenge:  Orange.  Check out the link.  It’s amazing to see what others have posted!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Hue of You

“My teacher asked my favorite color. I said ‘Rainbow.’  I was punished to stand out of my class.”   Saket Assertive

On any given day, I am likely to give a different answer to the question, “What is your favorite color?” I guess you could say I am fickle.  I love the dark violet blue of the sky just after sunset. My favorite flowers tend to be purple (iris, Texas bluebonnet, lilacs), but oh those glorious pink roses.  The soft grey of wolves and pussy willows and kittens is amazing.  And when I see a big yellow dog, reminiscent of my long ago dog Murphy, my heart literally skips a beat.  I also love green, even speculating in the past that it was possibly God’s favorite color.

Today, my favorite color is ORANGE.  In all its shades and hues:  peach, terra cotta, sienna, vermillion, tangerine, amber, and coral just to name a few.  Orange is less vibrant than red but exudes more warmth than yellow.  It is earthy, enticing, and energetic.  According to one website, orange is associated with enthusiasm and creativity, vitality and endurance, curiosity and change. No wonder orange is a hue that speaks to me!

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

I love quotes, but who would’ve thought I could find some about “ORANGE”?

 “There is no blue without yellow and without orange.”  Vincent Van Gogh

“Orange is the happiest color.”   Frank Sinatra

 “If love were a color, it’d be orange. Not because that’s a romantic color, but because it’s the sweetest.”  Jarod Kintz

“Orange is one of God’s favorite colors— He stuck it right there between red and yellow as the second color in the rainbow. He decorates entire forests with shades of orange every autumn. It shows up in sunrises at the start of the day, sunsets at the end of the day, and in the glow of the moon at the right time of night.”   Reggie Joiner

 “Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow.”  Wassily Kandinsky

 “The woman had told the truth. The flowers were the color of sunset. And not the yellowish tinge of a lazy sun either, but the intense orange of a sun refusing to set on anyone else’s terms.”  Dolen Perkins-Valdez

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

 This is my first time completing a weekly photo challenge.  I was inspired by the entries of two bloggers I follow: Tricia Booker Photography and  de Wets Wild.

This was fun!  What is your favorite color?