Visual Reflections: Nature Photography as Palette in an Age of Uncertainty: No. 14 (“Black” Dahlia Photomontage)

02 October 2017

Lens:

Taken in Polamatic and edited in Snapseed, Pixlr and FX Photo Studio.

“Black” Dahlia Photomontage; All Rights Reserved 2017 Sally W. Donatello

Click onto image to enlarge. Let me know your response to this photomontage. Prints are available upon request.

Pens:

Some dreams can be realized, and sometimes it takes a leap through memory to tap an unlikely forecast. Black flowers really do not exist. The Queen of the Night tulip that graces by spring gardens can appear noir, but in reality it’s a sensational deeply intense purple.

Its presence brings pause to recognize how color can sway our senses and thoughts. To color personality is evident by our outer choices. The inner hues may be different, depending on our own idea of self. Gardens are similar, they reflect our sensibilities and palettes, and definitely are a major part of my selections.

Color reigns. And by definition black is the absence of color, not the combination that is strutted by white. While I was creating the photomontage, I intuitively added layers. Then the conversion of the white dahlia to black was a stroke of the moment:  it belonged more than just in the realm of my fantasies.

The image became the flower that I’ve imagined exists somewhere, but alas does not. As the tulip, which seems black, a real black dahlia is either dark burgundy, maroon or red. That darkness is still revealed as color, and is not true black as we perceive it.

It’s all about pigment and science explains it. Still, with the kinds of dahlias (20,000) that exist only about twenty have an appearance that we can pretend is black. So I made my own, an image to reflect the idea of an idea.

Note:

“All is connected… no one thing can change by itself.” ~~ Paul Hawken

“The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them.”  ~~ Paul Hawken

Paul Hawken, who is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist and author, has devoted his life to sustainability and redefining the relationship between business and the environment. Generally, he is optimistic about the chances that humanity can alter the course that we have created. His latest book, Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming (2017), proposes 100 solutions, which are based on experts in the fields of climate and environment. These solutions are supported by critical policy and science, will turn–he says–the course to reduce global warming. Examples of themes in his book include energy, food, women and girls, land use, and transport.

If you want to learn more about his ideas, go to the Yale E360, which is an online magazine from Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Science. It’s definitely worth the read to discover ways that individuals can make a difference.