I’m very lucky living where I do. Home is down a country lane on the edge of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire and I get to see the seasons at their best. Bright vibrant greens and yellows in spring, through to the burnt reds and oranges of autumn.
As the leaves start falling, I get to see different scenes on my drive to work. Then as winter emerges, I see piles of bright leaves turn brown and get covered by snow, while the stark shapes of the tree branches that were once covered in lush green leaves forming different shapes in the sky.
When I get into Leicestershire though, the picture is slightly different and the colours are brighter and greener for longer. Not that far away, but a different picture to home.
As I make my trip into work, I can’t help but stop and take a picture of the different colours and shapes laid out in front of me. Each season changes my view, but what stays the same is how different the two counties are.
I love the way nature gives us colour palettes that just work together. In the autumn, the greens are still there in the fir trees, the birch and oak trees are yellow and brown, and the golden reds of the beech trees hang on as long as they can to their branches.
Trying to make colours work well together is a lot easier with the help of nature, something that’s very important in my job too and something I think is one of my skills. Always happy to have a helping hand from nature though.
On a recent journey, I went past Twycross Zoo and looking to my right, saw a flock of flamingos. In my head, pink is not a natural colour for a bird, but when I looked at them in their surroundings they combined in perfect unison with the colours around them. And quite nice to see something unusual on my journey. I’ll take that route again.
One of my recent 50-mile journeys has inspired me to get my paints out and create a colour palette for autumn. Have a look and see what you think.
