As usual, Katy, I could rhapsodize about each paragraph in your stories, but I'll not be so self-indulgent. Besides, I can't think of any writer who wants to receive compliment after compliment-- I mean, how tedious, right? : )
I'll say this, though. One of my all-time, all-time favorite writerly quotes comes from Mark Twain: "A powerful agent is the right word." And one of the reasons I enjoy your writing so much (and recommend you to fellow wordsmiths) is that your words are so precise and delicious.
Though you didn't reference the paintings as overtly in this piece, they're nonetheless brilliant choices. I didn't want to let that escape notice. I'm a Pacific Ocean guy myself, and coincidentally found myself flying over it last night (window seat no less). Our family took a trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea in the 1970s or 80s (I just know I was a kid), and my Dad brought back a seascape by Alexander Dzigurski (who I moments ago learned has been called "The Poet of the Sea"). When we'd have guests over, Dad loved to play with the dimmer and show off the painting-- it really was something! In dim light, the crashing waves were wintry and forbidding, but as the spotlight increased, it seemed to come from behind the waves, a shimmery aquamarine. Dzigurski returned to the same subject matter repeatedly, so "January Storm" looks like any of these: https://www.dzigurskigallery.com/alexander-dzigurski-i/seascapes
Something else you wrote stands out: talking about our tendency to see a single shade of ocean blue, where many subtler shades exist. This makes me think of one of my favorite notions, that we perceive the moon to be chalk white or gray, but in reality its minerals are beautifully shaded. There's a zillion versions of this online, but a trustworthy example can be found here. It's nice because you can manually adjust the saturation and watch the colors emerge: https://telescopius.com/pictures/view/134645#saturation=0.51
Oh those paintings are so vivid and beautiful... it's like I can feel that foam and spray and cold. What a cool thing to grow up with. Also, have you seen this website? https://ismy.blue/
This. is. so. cool. I've done it 3 times now to see how consistent the results are-- I'm "greener than 77% of the population," which is nice since I like to be climate-friendly : )
I'm always on the lookout for examples, and last month read this: "Research has repeatedly found speakers of languages with significantly different terms to distinguish between colors and shades – such as the Russian words siniy and goluboy for light blue and dark blue – are faster at distinguishing between those hues than languages that pile on adjectives." https://www.sciencealert.com/your-language-could-make-it-easier-to-tell-different-colors-apart
Isn't it weirdly lovely and tragically necessary? I'm also currently reading a book called "Enlivenment: Toward a Poetics for the Anthropocene" and I think you might enjoy it.
I’ve become an Atlantic convert after years of loving (and growing up by) the Pacific. Bracing is such a good description of its intensity. Love teal/blue, love your writing as always!
Have you seen this weird little thing? It's a blue/green color test. I'm not sure why but I feel like you'd enjoy it. According to the test, I demand more from my blue than most of the population. https://ismy.blue/
As usual, Katy, I could rhapsodize about each paragraph in your stories, but I'll not be so self-indulgent. Besides, I can't think of any writer who wants to receive compliment after compliment-- I mean, how tedious, right? : )
I'll say this, though. One of my all-time, all-time favorite writerly quotes comes from Mark Twain: "A powerful agent is the right word." And one of the reasons I enjoy your writing so much (and recommend you to fellow wordsmiths) is that your words are so precise and delicious.
Though you didn't reference the paintings as overtly in this piece, they're nonetheless brilliant choices. I didn't want to let that escape notice. I'm a Pacific Ocean guy myself, and coincidentally found myself flying over it last night (window seat no less). Our family took a trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea in the 1970s or 80s (I just know I was a kid), and my Dad brought back a seascape by Alexander Dzigurski (who I moments ago learned has been called "The Poet of the Sea"). When we'd have guests over, Dad loved to play with the dimmer and show off the painting-- it really was something! In dim light, the crashing waves were wintry and forbidding, but as the spotlight increased, it seemed to come from behind the waves, a shimmery aquamarine. Dzigurski returned to the same subject matter repeatedly, so "January Storm" looks like any of these: https://www.dzigurskigallery.com/alexander-dzigurski-i/seascapes
Something else you wrote stands out: talking about our tendency to see a single shade of ocean blue, where many subtler shades exist. This makes me think of one of my favorite notions, that we perceive the moon to be chalk white or gray, but in reality its minerals are beautifully shaded. There's a zillion versions of this online, but a trustworthy example can be found here. It's nice because you can manually adjust the saturation and watch the colors emerge: https://telescopius.com/pictures/view/134645#saturation=0.51
Fascinating as always!
Oh those paintings are so vivid and beautiful... it's like I can feel that foam and spray and cold. What a cool thing to grow up with. Also, have you seen this website? https://ismy.blue/
This. is. so. cool. I've done it 3 times now to see how consistent the results are-- I'm "greener than 77% of the population," which is nice since I like to be climate-friendly : )
There's a bit at the top about how "language can affect how we memorize and name colors," which links to a Wikipedia article delving into linguistic relativity. I'm not sure where I land on it, but the concept has intrigued me so much over the years I wrote a short story about it that I republished on Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/stephendforman/p/let-them-have-the-last-word?r=5d26p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
I'm always on the lookout for examples, and last month read this: "Research has repeatedly found speakers of languages with significantly different terms to distinguish between colors and shades – such as the Russian words siniy and goluboy for light blue and dark blue – are faster at distinguishing between those hues than languages that pile on adjectives." https://www.sciencealert.com/your-language-could-make-it-easier-to-tell-different-colors-apart
What a useful, poignant word solastalgia is. Thank you for the introduction as this word and I will probably become quite good friends.
Isn't it weirdly lovely and tragically necessary? I'm also currently reading a book called "Enlivenment: Toward a Poetics for the Anthropocene" and I think you might enjoy it.
Thank you, I will add it to my library list
Lovely.
Gorgeous and profound, like all of your pieces! This color also makes me think of labradorite, one of my favorite stones.
I’ve become an Atlantic convert after years of loving (and growing up by) the Pacific. Bracing is such a good description of its intensity. Love teal/blue, love your writing as always!
Have you seen this weird little thing? It's a blue/green color test. I'm not sure why but I feel like you'd enjoy it. According to the test, I demand more from my blue than most of the population. https://ismy.blue/
WOW this is so cool, im pretty average with my blue threshold
I love reading you
so, so beyond lovely