Looking out the window today, I’m seeing a lot of white. It’s not surprising that there’s snow on the ground; it Is winter, after all.  It’s pretty cold today, too.  At this point in the season, I’m more than ready for spring! With that in mind, let’s pretend that winter’s almost over and spring is just around the corner.

To help get ourselves into the mindset of spring, I’d like you to consider the color green as inspiration for your art this week.  Green can be warm, spring days and tiny green plant shoots starting to sprout out of the ground. Green can be wide, grassy lawns (or not, since they need to be mowed regularly. I don’t really mind yard work, but some of my friends certainly do!). Or that magical point when the trees all suddenly get all their leaves. It’s like a spring leaf explosion!

Green can also represent emotions. We’ve all heard the term ‘green with envy.’ Though I have to admit, envy isn’t really something I think of when I consider the color green. Green feels more calm and soothing to me. Though undoubtedly, the shade of green can also impact what it means. A bright, grass green feels far different from a muddy, murky, pond scum sort of green.

I don’t typically make a lot of artwork that is green, though I do frequently use it as a background color in my torn paper collage pieces. Of course, another take on ‘green’ could be the use of repurposed or recycled/upcycled materials. In that sense, my torn paper collages are all green!

What does green represent to you? Is it a time? A place or person? A specific emotion? How do you use green in your art?