Post #1600
Terri Webster Schrandt outdid herself in Sunday Stills with her color challenge of cobalt blue this month. Vincent Van Gogh and I seem to think it might be the most compelling color of the year. (next to apple red – I’m conflicted.) What do you think?
“Cobalt is a divine color and there is nothing as fine for putting an atmosphere round things.”
Vincent Van Gogh
“It is considered friendly, authoritative and trustworthy. Cobalt blue color is soothing and peaceful. It can suggest richness. Like azure and other medium blues, its qualities include stability and calmness.“
Jacci Howard Bear
This is going to be a visual post without much commentary for the rest of the post – can you believe it? Enjoy the friendly, authoritative, soothing, peaceful, stable, calm, and trustworthy photos I’ve taken over the past few years.
Added News for WCS
- The Prescott temps in the morning hover at 20 degrees F or less = -6.6C
- Three inches of snow this week 12-11 – 12-17.
- This is my 1600th post! That doesn’t count all the ones that I’ve thrown away. It sounds like a lot but if you divide by 10, that’s only 160 per year or about 13 per month. Geez, that is a lot! Am I that long-winded? Don’t answer that! Thanks for putting up with me!
- I took the test in the book I’m reading, Learned Optimism. Can you guess how I scored? Two choices are Optimist or Pessimist (to varying degrees). How do you think you would score? The test measures two areas of thinking – How you respond to bad or good things happening to you. How you persevere under bad and good circumstances.
- Nutter Butter is still with us despite little change. The big change is that he is done with the antibiotic which is very hard on his system, and starting 12-16-22 he is taking a liquid steroid which should help calm his digestive tract.
- Puppy Girl gets grumpy about putting on her holiday reindeer sweatshirt. She doesn’t like going outside in the cold. Still, she wishes you a Merry Christmas.
Photo Challenges Inspiring This Post
- Sunday Stills – cobalt blue
- Cell Pic Sunday – Lighthouse in Two Harbors, Minnesota on Lake Superior
- Thursday Trios – Christmas shopping at a bazaar
- FOTD – Cee’s Flower of the Day
- Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share and PPAC
Upcoming on Always Write
- December 20: Interview with Challenge Host, Sadje for our next post in the series. If you or someone you know someone who hosts or participates in photo or writing challenges that you love, I’d love to interview them.
- WQW 48 – December 14: Food: Delicious Delights I’m going to need lots of inspiration for this post. What are you fixing this year? Two more days to post on WQW – Winter Wonderland
- WQW 49 – December 21: Holiday: Christmas or Winter Solstice
- WQW 50 – December 28: Reflections on 2022/Writer’s Choice/ or YOUR WOTY Review Voting for the top design for 2023.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
57 responses to “Could Cobalt Blue Become the Compelling Color of the Year?”
Marsha, those are all stunning. I wanted to go to the Van Gogh experience when it was in Portland, but it didn’t workout.
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If you ever get the chance again, it’s a wonderful experience. Thanks. 🙂
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[…] who invites us to create a Tetractys. You probably remember Terri’s Cobalt Blue Challenge and my picture in response to it. It seemed the perfect image to inspire this […]
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These are some lovely cobalt blue photos, the hydrangea is stunning!
Is 20F unusual for Arizona? It sounds like it to me, but I don’t know much about the climate there, I sort of expect those states down the south-west to always have warm weather. Your puppy girl is gorgeous and I hope Nutter Butter gets well soon.
Cheers and I wish you a happy Christmas!
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Thanks, Susanne. I thought that too until I started visiting. Arizona has parts. In the norther part there are defefinitely 4 seasons, and winter is cold because of the mountains. In the central and south valleys, the weather is blistering in the summer and a Mecca for snowbirds in the winter. I wish you a Merry Christmas, too.
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Hi Marsha – I really love cobalt blue – my mum has just bought a new car in that colour and I must say that I’m a tad jealous. And that dog of yours with the Dobby ears is beyond cute! Merry Christmas from me and my new hip to you and your family x
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Thanks, Leanne. Merry Christmas from Vince, Puppy Girl, the cats and me and my old hip. Maybe Santa will bring you something cobalt blue for Christmas. 🙂
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Marsha, Thank you for your weekend coffee share and PPAC. Gorgeous cobalt blue photos! Congrats on your 1600th post, too. I hope Nutter Butter’s health stays stable from now on and you all have a merry Christmas.
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Thanks, Natalie. Have a wonderful two weeks off. You and Terri off at the same time. My blogosphere will seem like the snow has fallen on it and silenced or muffled it somewhat.
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Marsha, I hope ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ 🙂 I need the recharge to go rocking in the new year, lol.
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Have a rocking New Year, Natalie! 🙂
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I so agree Marsha. I love Cobalt blue so alluring and gorgeous. It soothes the senses as do your beautiful pictures!!! “Vincent Van Gogh and I seem to think it might be the most compelling color of the year. (next to apple red – I’m conflicted.) What do you think?”
I do sooo agree!❤️
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You do seem more like an apple red person to me. (heart, fire, passion) Definitely red.
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Cobalt is one of my favourite shades of blue! And yours is a fabulous collection – my favourite is your Prescott heavenly skies … stunning! Right in your backyard!
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Hi Ju-Lyn, thanks for your lovely comment. I have been waiting on pins and needles for Terri’s Cobalt blue color challenge. I agree with you, it’s a great color. BTW, Prescott is a fabulous place to photograph skies. They are unrivaled here.
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That is one bright blue. Thanks for sharing Marsha.
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Thanks, Carol!
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I love cobalt blue. I have small vases of this blue in my bath holding plant cuttings. It’s lovely! I also collect sea glass, and anyone I have ever met who does the same is always looking for a piece of cobalt blue.
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That sounds gorgeous!
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This is a wonderful colour and your gallery demonstrates that amply! I’m glad you included few words as the photos have more impact grouped together like that 🙂
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They would be pretty random without the explanation, LOL!
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I love cobalt blue, Marsha, so thanks for letting me wallow in it for a bit. I’d love to have a vehicle in that color. 🙂
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I’ve had several blue vehicles, but never one that rich, cobalt blue color. That would be yummy, but I’m still a red truck girl. 🙂
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Well, our SUV will be white but as that was the only one vehicle they were getting in, I wasn’t worried about it. White’s not bad in the heat either.
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We have had more white vehicles than any other color.
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Blue is my favourite colour so I think all your photos are gorgeous. We went to a Van Gogh exhibition like this in Brisbane. It was fantastic.
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Thank you, Carol. It was a fantastic show – absolutely breathtaking. We are so lucky to have such entertainment available to us. Life is good.
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I love the treatment on your opening image!
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Thanks, John. I darkened it a little, but I agree. Lightroom is working well for me in that respect.
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This is one of the great colors that keeps coming back. It was considered nearly magical in Van Gogh’s time. I think they created it by grinding lapis lazuli stones for the color.
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That’s interesting, Marilyn. He did use that color quite a bit.
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I so adore that Cadillac and color. 😀 😀
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Isn’t that an amazing car. I wish you could go to this museum. You would go crazy The only problem is the abundance of lighting, so the reflections are impossible.
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Great set of pictures and wonderful quotes! I love cobalt blue too!
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Thanks so much, Janis. 🙂
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It’s such a lovely colour, and you’re showing it off beautifully, Marsha 💙
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Thanks so much, Cathy!
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A very classy selection of cobalt, Marsha.
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Thank you. Would you like a ride in one of them?
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Ooh, that would be nice. Nearly as good as Santa’s sleigh 🤭❣️
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There you go, then! Whoosh! Have fun!
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😁🚘❣️
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Gorgeous cobalts, Marsha! That van Gogh event looks cool, was it outside? And where did you get your cobalt quotes? I struggled… Gorgeous gallery, too. Apple red is quite a compelling color as well–but it works better in classic cars than cobalt would IMO. Although the Cadillac looks amazing. I would hate to keep that car clean! I’m glad you got to share more of those blue hydrangeas–that was a good find!
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Thanks, Terri. The Van Gough was all inside. The temperature outside was about 110. The video show was going on in several different room simultaneously. See the people sitting on the floor.
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I adore cobalt blue, especially in stained glass windows, with turquoise a close second. Aren’t we lucky! xx
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Turquoise is my main blogging color. I wear a lot of blue, turquoise, red and pinks. Thanks for weighing in, Joy. 🙂
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Cobalt Blue is a wonderful color! Plus, you provided good evidence in your images. Wasn’t the Van Gogh exhibit glorious? There are competing exhibits touring. We saw both. One had the better video immersion – the other had better support exhibits, including a virtual reality tour of Van Gogh’s Arles, France. …. and I visited Arles this past October! …. and here’s my toast to Blue. https://beachwalkreflections.wordpress.com/2021/02/18/43-blue/
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Thanks for the comment, Frank. Blue is one of my favorite colors. I hadn’t seen any competing exhibitsWe just had the one, but now there is a Monet exhibit going on in Scottsdale now. 🙂
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Saw Monet too … I liked it. These are nothing like the cave shows in France. Well … Same show but not as effective
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Those caves were so amazing. I haven’t seen Monet. I think Van Gough is a more interesting painter.
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Glad you enjoyed the cave production. The Monet show also included other impressionists. Besides bringing art to life, these shows also bring the art to people who may not know much about the art.
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That is so true. Even if we do know a little bit, this is a way to get immersed in the subject as the producers of the show know so well. We, in education should take a lesson from this – not that teachers have that capacity, but publishing companies do, and could produce some immersive videos on some of the major topics we cover.
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I mentioned the cave in southern France. It was formed by mining limestone – but inside the mountain. The walls are tall (40-50 ft) … and visitors walk around as the show plays. See this video of a Gaudi immersion at this place. https://youtu.be/IBnoUbPNbwk
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Wow, Frank, that was stunning. It’s hard to believe it is in a cave. Do people ever see the walls lit without the artwork?
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Yes … when we entered, the “show” was just about to start … so we could see the walls. It’s easy to see the grooves left by the machines cutting the blocks of limestone.
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I can see why nothing else compares!
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