Loved this, Katy! My mom was obsessed with sage in that 90s minimalism way, so I’ve only recently learned to appreciate it again. I loved the idea of it as part of the thin place - I think of it as a ghost color, sad and faded.
Oh, your writing is so gorgeous and generous. I love the depth of your analysis. I had an instant memory of that stretch of months in 2010 when everything was in chevron print of a “neo-mint” hue 😂
I have two enormous flowering sage plants in my backyard and I’ve always found the color a bit frosty, like green under ice. Your writing here has me considering that gossamer quality to the green and how different it is from the brighter greens on the apricot tree. Thank you 💚
Loved your work since Paris Review! Are you able to include a plain Pantone swatch image in your Substack color pieces? I’m always going to click on the comparison color hyperlinks but this would really help to provide an immediate frame of reference.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much and yes, I think I could start doing that! I might not use Pantone, mainly because I think they often mislabel colors and I don't want to confuse people. For example, their sage green reads way too brown to me. Most other companies (I'm looking at paint companies like Behr and Benjamin Moore) choose a shade with more gray and/or blue. Maybe I'll do what we did at The Awl, which is use hex codes to get a precise shade online... I'll think on it :)
Loved this, Katy! My mom was obsessed with sage in that 90s minimalism way, so I’ve only recently learned to appreciate it again. I loved the idea of it as part of the thin place - I think of it as a ghost color, sad and faded.
I have such an affinity for the thin colors - the ones that feel half-finished or slightly polluted.
Very much same
Oh, your writing is so gorgeous and generous. I love the depth of your analysis. I had an instant memory of that stretch of months in 2010 when everything was in chevron print of a “neo-mint” hue 😂
I have two enormous flowering sage plants in my backyard and I’ve always found the color a bit frosty, like green under ice. Your writing here has me considering that gossamer quality to the green and how different it is from the brighter greens on the apricot tree. Thank you 💚
Loved your work since Paris Review! Are you able to include a plain Pantone swatch image in your Substack color pieces? I’m always going to click on the comparison color hyperlinks but this would really help to provide an immediate frame of reference.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much and yes, I think I could start doing that! I might not use Pantone, mainly because I think they often mislabel colors and I don't want to confuse people. For example, their sage green reads way too brown to me. Most other companies (I'm looking at paint companies like Behr and Benjamin Moore) choose a shade with more gray and/or blue. Maybe I'll do what we did at The Awl, which is use hex codes to get a precise shade online... I'll think on it :)
Another banger, Katy! Your craft is a joy to read, and your choice of artwork is always so revelatory. Thank you for writing this piece : )
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your reading & commenting. (Choosing artwork is honestly my favorite part of the whole thing.)