16th March 2025
Mixing colours and sampling food on a Creative Walk in Nature was a first! This walk, partnering with Wyldwood Arts as a part of their Fringe Festival in March required considerable preparation because the aim was to mix colours observed in nature and sample foods of similar colour.
Deciding on the route I needed to consider which colours reflected possible foods. In the early weeks of March the colours were mostly greens and browns, I had hoped for a little more variety of colour with some early spring flowers blooming!
Fortunately, a few primroses in the area near the Ruspidge Halt railway sign saved the day… pale, buttery yellows adorning the bank. However, although about 50+ plants were blooming prettily in the sunshine 2 days before the walk, on the day itself as I led the group to the spot….. none. Where had they all gone? I felt a little confused…. until I saw that the ground had been rotavated by wild boar! On closer examination, the group, all realising I was not as daft as I felt saw many plants with their heads bitten off.
Although I had never considered parts of the visual starting points being eaten by animals, I had very luckily brought primroses from my garden in a couple of plant pots to show the group! I had thought it might be useful to show the flowers close up, if anyone could not bend down to the ground, to examine the shapes of the petals and the colours of the centres. These ‘visual aids’ came to the rescue so the group could closely observe these rather than the ones on the bank.
I showed the participants how each petal was the shape of a heart disappearing into the centre of the flower. We counted the number of petals – 5 – and sketched out the shapes on the dark brown paper provided in the sketchbooks. Providing poster paint, brushes and water, I demonstrated how to use white paint first to provide a base onto which to add the pale yellows. Standing up and painting outside whilst carefully examining a flower is an art in itself! The contrast of the pale yellows and green against the dark paper helped provide contrast to the study.
So, with pale yellows and greens achieved we wrote down a few words to express these colours – cream, beige, cadmium, sunshine etc. I read a poem from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare which mentioned ‘Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie’ and later ‘From lovers’ food till morrow deep midnight’ (Hermia: Act 1 Scene 1). Everyone received a copy of this poem which had a lovely illustration on the reverse.
And next, what foods to eat? A kind volunteer carried lunch boxes of prepared foodstuffs and found the one labelled ‘Yellows/Primroses’. Wensleydale and Double Gloucester cheese cut into cubes and placed on cocktails sticks with green grapes were happily munched by all!
And next…. well you would have to have been on the walk to learn about mixing more colours, eating more delicious foods and having fun creatively outside in nature at Linear Park.
Sara Rickard
See all of our upcoming creative walks in nature
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