Associating Colour With Place

Do you remember the television show Miami Vice? If I asked you to tell me the colour of that show, would you say black and white? Not likely. It's more likely that you'd start talking about sub-tropical pastels. Aquamarine waters, peach coloured Art Deco walls, pink shells and pale lime Armani t-shirts. Miami Vice was a colourful show, thanks to the South Beach vibe and Sonny Crockett's togs.

I've been to South Beach, Miami, before. In fact, I welcomed the new millennium there. I spent four weeks of my life sharing the boardwalk with the beautiful plastic dolls of Ocean Drive. I'm not a big fan of cities because I see them in middling shades of black and white (concrete jungles without the chlorophyll). South Beach was a rare exception...it was like a garden in bloom and I was a florist with harvesting eyes.

I have a few favourite places in the world to travel. Maine and New Zealand are two stand outs, though les Iles de la Madeleine are nipping at their heels. New York City, on the other hand, doesn't make the top ten, or the top one thousand for that matter.

I decided to create collages from my trips to Maine, New Zealand, Iles de la Madeleine and New York City. I'm not looking for artistry in the collages, they were created in a 'quick and dirty' manner in Picasa. I'm looking for a feeling in these collages....let's see if we find any:

This first one is from coastal Maine...my favourite place in the world (so far). Take note of the overall colours. You'll see plenty of earthy greens and blues. The pattern is quite uniform, very much like a tastefully crafted quilt.

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The next one is of New Zealand. The blues are a little darker and the greens are replaced by the golden browns of New Zealand's plentiful hillocks. Overall, it's a bright and warm bluish-gold landscape that inspires my tastes.
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Les Iles de la Madeleine appear to be silver water, simmering sunrises and smouldering sunsets, which is often the case. The vibe is definitely coastal and cooler.
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My last collage is of New York City. It looks nothing like my beloved Maine or New Zealand. You could draw comparisons between New York City's palette and that of the Magdalen Islands, though New York City is noticeably darker with a lot more black creeping into the images. New York City, at ground level, is punctuated by deep, dark shadows. Until you seek refuge from the tall buildings, you'll never escape the shadows. This is why Central Park was such an oasis for me. The one green image from the collage is from a Central Park pond.

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I'd love to plan a little experiment for New York City, just to see how it would affect those who chose to live or visit the city. I'd like to give at least ninety percent of the buildings a South Beach makeover. I'd like to paint the towering skyscrapers in pastel hues. I wonder how that might change the mood of the people. I think that it would help.

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Have you ever been to Jelly Bean Row in St.John's, Newfoundland? Could you walk past without smiling or, at the very least, feeling just a little bit happier? Have you ever found a place on Earth where the colours permeate your emotions?

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What are the colours of the place where you live? Do you even notice? Do you care?

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I do.