Contrast– The art of bringing unlike things together
with an intent to heighten the appreciation of each element.
Contrast is an essential principle of good design, whether we are cooking a meal, decorating a room, building a life, or constructing a garden.
We enjoy sweet with salty; creamy with bitter…
We bring disparate elements together in fresh ways so the element of surprise wakes us up, invites us to see what might otherwise be overlooked.
Contrast jars us into thinking, sometimes. It invites us to make choices; to see the relative values of things.
Our garden is one of sharp contrast: We move from cool shade to bright sun in a single step.
We have areas of dense growth and areas of lawn. Areas carefully curated, and areas sown by nature.
Skillful contrast helps us frame the view to tell our story.
“Happiness ain’t a thing in itself;
it’s only a contrast with something that ain’t pleasant.
And so, as soon as the novelty is over
and the force of the contrast dulled,
it ain’t happiness any longer,
and you have to get something fresh.”
Mark Twain
Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast
Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014
Forest Garden 
Great post and photos. I particularly like the bumblebee with her pollen-dusted bottom!
😉 Thank you Eliza. Please accept apologies for not responding to your comments on other recent posts. I’ve been away a lot this past week with a family emergency. I’m always so happy to see comments and likes from you. Best wishes, WG
No worries. I hope all is well now?
Lately, I, too, have not been attentive to blogging, trying to do a lot of gardening while we had a cool spell. Now it looks like hot/humid for the next few days, so I won’t be out much in it. I know that is what you deal with every day, I don’t think I could manage that!
Hi Eliza,
Mother is in acute re-hab after a serious stroke, and so we are taking turns helping out at home until she recovers. I’ll be a spotty blogger for a while now, with apologies to my blogging friends. Now that we are into July, we’ll all have weather worries for awhile. We have a tropical system off the coast, and we’ve been watching the flooding and storms across much of the country with horror and empathy for those who are suffering. I hope your mornings are cool at least so you can go out and enjoy your garden. May all be well with you, WG
I hope your mom makes a full recovery. That can be so scary.
Nature is showing her strength to be sure. I am lucky to live in one of the few places in the country that has moderate storm patterns. I hope your season ahead is not too extreme.
I try to garden early and late in the day or at least in the shady spots!
Thank you for the good wishes for Mother, Eliza. She grows a little stronger each time I see her, and is regaining some lost mobility. This recovery is a slow process, but they expect her to regain much of what she has lost. IS there anywhere left with moderate storm patterns?? We are watching this storm form off FL at the moment, and the forecast grows more dire all of the time. Rotten timing to ruing the weened off for so many families. They are discussing when to evacuate the beaches and islands off of the NC coast now- this is one of their busiest weekends of the year. We also hope to avoid any extreme weather- All we need is regular rain 😉 Best wishes, WG
Twain makes me chuckle. LoL 🙂 Men and relationships…in contrast;
women are more apt to love and love and love — happy or knot, methinks.
Men long to move on; conquer another; beat the best, win his lover.
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You made me think with your fine commentary today, WG.
A daily stroll through your garden is a nice touch after a day in the factory.
Have a great weekend! Peace and luvz, Uncle Tree
Peace and luvz right back, Uncle Tree. What finer occupation than to have the privilege of instigating an interesting thought in another. Your commentary is dead on, unless the winning be ongoing 😉 Alas, the secret of a happy marriage- harmony of contrasts, and dynamic interaction. Hope you enjoy the weekend, UT Best wishes, WG