Complex and mysterious, purple is the colour of royalty and mysticism. Purples can be redder or bluer in tone and those that appear to have equal quantities of both can confuse our minds as our brains aren't quite sure how to place them. The colour 'Violet Purple' as featured in the Thames and Hudson book, Natures Palette, is a blue-leaning purple referenced by the steel-blue flycatcher, asters and amethysts. I'll take a look at this colour and its references in this week's blog post.
As someone who gravitates to the more blue-leaning shades or purple, Violet Purple suits me just fine. Perfect to complement orange yellows, this colour evokes feelings of calm and majesty.
The Caran d'Ache and Winsor and Newton colour references given in Nature's Palette confused me a little, as the Winsor and Newton colour 'Mauve (Blue Shade)' appeared to fit with the colour swatch above, however Caran d'Ache 'Light Aubergine' was a much redder tone. As the Winsor and Newton colour was only available in their oil range (I don't use oils), I used the Light Aubergine Luminance pencil in the artwork below, but only as an occasional accent (it produced the more red marks in the mixed media piece of the asters).
Vegetable Reference: Aster
Asters are beautiful plants that give late-season colour to your garden. These daisy-flowered perennials all used to be called Aster, but have now been split into the genera Aster, Callistephus, Eurybia, Kalimeris and Symphyotrichum, so don't be surprised if you see what you thought to be an aster with a different name.
Asters are also known as Michaelmas Daisies as they are often in full bloom by the 29th of September, which is Michaelmas Day. This day celebrates the archangel Michael and is traditionally the last day of the harvest season.
The link to an archangel isn't asters' only heavenly association, as it's said that the Greek goddess Astraea was so sad that Earth had so few stars in the sky, she cried and her tears caused asters to sprout from the ground. Another story says that Virgo, the maiden which represents September in the horoscope, created asters when she sprinkled stardust across the earth. The aster is therefore the birth flower for September.
According to the Interflora page about these flowers, purple asters symbolise royalty and beauty. With their yellow centres and contrasting violet petals, the violet purple version of this flower is definitely my favourite.
Animal Reference: Steel-Blue Flycatcher (Myiagra ferrocyanea)
The steel-blue flycatcher (Myiagra ferrocyanea) is a small bird native to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The male, pictured below, has a blue-black head, chest and upperparts. As the blue colour is iridescent it appears a more red-blue shade at times, which I guess is why it was chosen as the animal reference for Violet Purple. To see photos of this bird and hear its call, take a look at the impressive Macaulay Library database, a great resource for any bird-related information.
The steel-blue flycatcher isn't the only animal that could have been chosen as a reference for Violet Purple due to its iridescent colours. The Steelblue Ladybird Halmus chalybeus, found in New Zealand and Australia, preys on other insects and was actually introduced to New Zealand from Australia in the early 1900's to control scale insects on citrus trees. I adore its colour and the fact it looks like a small, walking crash helmet.
The Steel-blue Whydah (Vidua hypocherina) is another contender, as it also has blue-violet iridescence to its black plumage. This bird lives in dry savannah in several African countries, including Kenya and Ethiopia. Apparently, the male whydah bird uses its long tail to attract a mate, and the longer the tail, the more chance the male has of being successful in its amorous encounters.
Personally, I think the Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus or Carabus problematicus), found on the Isle of Man and across the UK, would have been the best choice to represent this colour. It has a beautiful violet hue to it's edges and hunts slugs at night, so should be rewarded. Find out more about this and other Manx beetles on the Manx Wildlife Trust website.
Mineral Reference: Amethyst
Amethyst is a form of quartz crystal, the most common mineral formed from the most abundant chemical elements on Earth, silicon and oxygen. Quartz crystals occur in clear, white, brown, black, yellow and pink forms, but the glorious purple colour of amethyst must be the most striking. The purple colour comes from iron impurities in the structure with the depth of the purple colour being dependent on the amount of iron that's present.
Several vast deposits of amethyst have been found across the globe, one of the most notable in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The municipality of Ametista do Sol, located in this region, has several amethyst mines and so much amethyst is found there that they covered the interior of their local Catholic Church with the crystal.
There's a very interesting chapter on amethyst in the book Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones by Hettie Judah, which goes into the possible origins of the name 'amethyst', beliefs that amethyst is a talisman against intoxication and questions over the crystals healing claims.
Whatever the true nature of these crystals' properties, it is undoubtedly beautiful, and several paint manufacturers have named their purple paints 'amethyst purple'. Most don't actually include amethyst crystal and instead include the pigment manganese violet (PV16) or dioxazine violet (PV23) or a mix of red and blue hues. However, the Daniel Smith watercolour 'Amethyst Genuine', does contain ground amethyst. It's part of Daniel Smith's Primatek range, which have been developed to contain ground minerals (often semi-precious) as their pigments. There's been some controversy over this range, however, as Daniel Smith has been accused of not fully disclosing other pigments that may have been used in the manufacture of these paints in favour of promoting the semi-precious mineral components, and also of misrepresenting their lightfastness. Watercolour Mentor has a video of Daniel Smith's 'Amethyst Genuine' being swatched out, along with a comparison to an actual amethyst crystal and a view of the paint under the microscope. If you'd like to find out more about how the Primatek controversy started, take a look at Eve Bolt's YouTube video on the subject.
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