The month of July was originally called Quintillis, meaning ‘the 5th’ in Latin, as it was the 5th month in the Roman Calendar. It was later renamed in honour of the Roman general Julius Caesar, who was born in this month and died in 44 BCE. This month is synonymous with the height of summer. It is also characterised by a palette that captures the essence of warm days and the vibrancy within nature. That is why the Colours of July that I have chosen are rich, bold, and full of life, reflecting the peak of the Summer season.
These colours are Blue/Violet, Sun Yellow and Ruby Red, which can create an infinite variety of bright energy and happiness.
Blue/Violet happens to be the colour of several of the flowering plants which bloom in this month. This includes the Larkspur and some varieties of Waterlily, which both happen to be the birth flowers of July. There are sometimes two flowers for the month as not all flowers are native or bloom at the same time across the world, so both can be used to represent the month.
This brings us to the Larkspur, a beautiful pollinating flower commonly found in a stunning blue violet colour. These also come in shades of pink, white and lavender, and can range from up to 6ft tall to tiny dwarf varieties, cultivated for centuries.
In ancient times its flower was used to create blue and purple pigments used as a dye for textiles. Also known as the Larks heel, Larks ties, larks’ claw and knights spur. This references the spur like calyx petals which resemble the claw of a bird. It is an important plant in the language or ‘floriography’ of flowers, where it symbolizes an open heart, happiness, love, grace, honour, and respect.
It also is used in numerous ceremonies and rituals as it is considered a sacred plant. According to Greek Mythology the Larkspur plant first flowered on the ground where Ajax dies during the battle of Troy.
Larkspur in Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour
The aquatic water lily flowers are significant in many cultures and recognised as another birth flower for July, ranging from giant to miniature species. They are one of the oldest known plants dating back 130 million years and are considered scared. They are also important symbols especially for Buddhists and Hindu’s as they signify rebirth, resurrection, and purity.
In Egypt the blue lotus is considered especially sacred, and is often depicted in Egyptian art and hieroglyphics, and was used for medical purposes. The water lily was also a large inspiration for artists such as the Frensh Impressionist artist Claude Monet, who created a series of water lily paintings inspired by the pond in his garden.
The flowers open in the day and close at night, which I theorise is why they symbolise creation. These flowers thrive in a body of still water with plenty of sunshine.
Shining the brightest is Sun Yellow representing the warmth of the sun in my Colours of July. More importantly for me it represents Sunflowers, which is a flower I love. Every year I plant a sunflower for each of my nieces and nephews and they have great fun watching them grow and seeing whose flower grows the tallest, I have previously included my sister-in-law and brother and they were just as competitive. The Sunflower standing tall is another flower which enjoys the sun and tracks it through the day reorient overnight to face east in anticipation of the morning.
Brought to Europe from the Americas this bright sun yellow flower blooms during July. Both ornamental and a food source such as oils and the seeds, the Sunflower can also be used for medicine, and as a dye.
The Sunflower epitomises the Sun’s yellow colour and has been the inspiration for a number of artists, such as Vincent van Gogh, who was heavily inspired by sunflowers and these commonly featured in many of his paintings especially during the period 1886-1889 where he would repeat the image altering colours, backgrounds and playing with the composition.
He also created several studies of scattered sunflowers and included them in self-portraits and in portraits of others. One of his most famous paintings ‘Sunflowers’, painted in 1888 is currently exhibited in the National Gallery, London.
Sunflower in Daniel Smith Gouache
Then there is the rich Ruby Red, not only after the birthstone for the month, the precious Ruby gemstone. It is also a colour which can be seen in rich succulent fruits like raspberries and cherries which ripen during July. The birthstone for July, the Ruby, is one of the inspirations for the final colour in my Colours of July. The striking distinctive Ruby red colour is the perfect companion to the Blue/Violet and Sun Yellow colours of July.
There are a vast range of other colours which can be created from these three Kings of colour to create the energy and promise of the month. In the Classical language of the Indo-Aryan, the Ruby gemstone was known as “ratnaraj” meaning “the king of the gems”. The more recognised word originates from the Latin word for Red “ruber”, which is of course reminiscent of the word Ruby. One of only four precious gemstones, the others being, Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond.
The red ruby colour is also the colour of many of the rich fruits which ripen in July like Cherrie. As a child I remember hanging these off my ears as earrings. Other fruits that bare a similar shade of red are Raspberries, redcurrants, Rhubarb and hybrid fruits such as Loganberries and Tayberries.
There we have the colours for July full of vibrancy representing all the colour and joy this summer month brings.
