Not a primary one. A complementary one. Basically orange is red and yellow though it is never that simple. The red, of course, may be a blue red or a yellow red, so the orange takes on different hues as the combinations accumulate. Not understanding it, I never liked orange that much in the past. I preferred yellow – all through my childhood, it was my favourite colour when asked. I had a bright yellow cardigan that I wore often, and I was positioned in my father’s landscape photography, adding a spot of colour against the green brown of western NSW or the blue of the Blue Mountains. ‘I need a spot of colour’, he would say and I obliged, ever ready to shine through the Kodachrome wizardry. I was short and round with red hair and the photos were hardly elegant, but now I appreciate the fact that he thought I should be there – well at least as the obligatory spot of colour.
Orange is a colour for restaurants – it whets the appetite and there are global restaurant chains that make good use of the red and yellow. Over time, I have come to appreciate the gentler oranges and yes, it is true, they match my skin tone. But the deep strident oranges still overwhelm me. They are just so bright and so dense. They take over everything in their vicinity. They are just being themselves without any intention of blending in. This is a quality I certainly appreciate, though not necessarily able to manage myself. Blending in means one gets to watch, listen and strategise. That I love. Orange it seems has no time for that. It appears on the scene and can’t be ignored. No introduction needed, it just is.
Now I appreciate the ballsy ‘just is’ nature of orange. I am orange, deal with it. I have a right to be here, get over it. Orange, you brighten up the room, and the world, you teach me every day.
DIMITY FIFER 