Friday, March 04, 2022

Let there be Peace for Ukraine and the World

Perhaps you remember this photo from the Christmas season.

Or this one from the previous Christmas.

There have been other banners in front the house of our town councilor and other photos of us posing with them. Linda recently changed it again after the Christmas sign, but we knew we didn't have to rush our photo because it would be up for awhile. It is still winter after all, so we could wait. 

Then the invasion of Ukraine occurred, and she quickly switched again to a blue and yellow peace banner. We had to respond and quickly, even getting through the snow in front of the gate. It was interesting for this old, gimpy guy to press the timer on the camera and hurry to get into position for the photo through the snow, but as you can see, I managed — barely, let me tell you.


Sue had fashioned blue and yellow ribbons/braids. She has one around her neck, and I have one around my hat. Unfortunately, they are no too visible at this distance.

I was wearing my red coat, which I was able to change to blue in photoshop, and her red heart, I transposed to yellow. I was holding a photo of a orange sunflower, which I was able to morph into the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Earlier in the week, I had edited another sunflower photo into those flag colours. I thought I had posted it here already, but when I checked, I found that I hadn't. I did post to FB and Flickr at the time, but it slipped my mind to post it here as my old brain did an old brain thing.


There is an optical illusion in that photo ↑ for the blue and yellow sections are exactly equal, but it doesn't look that way.

The message for today is: Let there be Peace for Ukraine and the World.


20 comments:

Patio Postcards said...

Beautiful. Indeed let there be peace.

Marie Smith said...

Great job on all that colour editing, AC. The last one is brilliant.

Barbara Rogers said...

Lovely photo work in editing! Couldn't agree more with the message. However, I must mention that the sunflower seems to be yellow and purple...especially when I look up at your perfectly blue coat! Maybe my monitor is playing tricks, but there's the blue sign, and blue coat! You all are the greatest to get out there and make that sign demo!

Boud said...

Thank you, that's lovely.

DrumMajor said...

You guys are so creative! It's like you met in high school stage plays and continued being involved with productions, performance and set design. (Your little Bear parties think so too.)
I know lots of folks start "blending" their colors and descriptions as we get older. I'm still seeing blue on the poster you're holding.
Ok, the bigger sunflower photo is wonderful. I'm not sure the illusion is real: you cut the photo in half for the two colors, but maybe should have cut the center of the flower in half, regardless of where that division made the color on the entire photo. This is getting too picky.
Your love for people and the spirit of helping the Ukrainians is heartwarming, no matter how much snow you jump around! Linda in Kansas

gigi-hawaii said...

Very nice blue and yellow photo. Amazing what you can do with editing. Appreciate the sentiment.

Mage said...

I like that sunflower a lot.

Anvilcloud said...

@Barbara: colouring over things in Photoshop isn't the easiest thing for me. I do what I can in the right spirit. I don't claim mastery.

William Kendall said...

Very well said.

PipeTobacco said...

I am wondering if the “rule of thirds” for the orientation of the flower is in part responsible for the illusion of the color halves being disjointed? I was just speaking of optical illusions in one of my classes this week in reference to how the retinal projections map onto the brain’s ocular cortex.

I too am hoping for peace and safety for the folks in Ukraine. While it is all very sad and disturbing, I am especially concerned today with what may occur at the nuclear power plant the Russian’ captured.

PipeTobacco

Marcia said...

Wonderful sentiment. I pray it can come true.

Joanne Noragon said...

God save Ukraine!

DJan said...

Your beautiful blue and yellow sign. Makes me tear up to think of what is happening, and I wish for a good outcome, soon!

Red said...

Great message at this sad time.

Margaret said...

Love the sunflower and I would have sworn that the yellow was bigger. Those are wonderful photos of Sue and you!

Kay said...

Good for you and Sue. We are all feeling for Ukraine right now. You are truly the Photoshop Whiz Kid. I need more lessons.

Jenny Woolf said...

That's a fascinating optical illusion. I worked out it is because you see the biggest part of the sunflower in yellow, which you expect to see, and then you expect the sky to be smaller, specially as it includes much less of the sunflower.
It's nice to put up things like that on your gate. I had never thought of doing it here but I suppose it would be possible.

Rita said...

Yes, let there be peace!

Jeanie said...

I love these. All of them. I think your councillor must be a wonderful person and I love the signs -- and the fact that you are there in them. If I was visiting your city, I'd want to be there, too. Very nice work in photoshop too. I've never mastered that!

Jenn Jilks said...

Lovely sentiment.
Well sone. It's so good to have projects like this. There are so many people helping one another. That is comforting.