Wonderful World of Color

“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.”  —William Faulkner

I am forever enamored with nature. Overflowing with untold possibilities, getting outside and opening my eyes to the beauty around me energizes me, enlivens me, soothes me. From a glorious sunset, rainbow or cloud drift to the minute details on a variegated leaf, a bird’s wing, or rocks on the beach, the profusion of colors and textures are limitless and I am spellbound.

Even as a small child, I can recall sitting in the middle of my mother’s gardens, picking off little bits of flowers, leafs, pine cones and rocks — whatever was at hand — creating miniature houses for bugs and worms. I would spend hours “decorating” beautiful, lavish homes, all the while singing or talking out loud making up stories, even though my diminutive audience never stopped scurrying about long enough to properly listen. I felt happy and at peace sitting amongst Mother Nature’s treasures. To this day, when I go out with my camera, I notice the tiny details as well as the broad brush strokes of nature.

I recently came across the lyrics for Wonderful World of Color, the theme song from NBC’s Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color? Maybe you watched the show as a child, or perhaps your own children have watched it. I hope you’ll agree with me, the lyrics beautifully paint a picture of our world, which truly is a carousel of color.

Wonderful World of Color

The world is a carousel of color,
Wonderful, wonderful color.
The world is a carousel of color,
History, comedy, fantasy,
There’s drama and mirth,
There’s old mother earth
With all of her secrets to see.

The world is a treasure-trove of faces,
Fabulous, faraway places.
The hopes and the fears,
The joys and the tears
Of people like you and like me.
The kingdoms of magic science,
The glorious story of art,
The world of romance,
Of music and dance,
This world where we each play a part.

The miracle of imagination,
The marvels of earth, sea and sky,
These wonders untold
Are ours to behold
In the funny world,
The sunny world,
The wonderful world of color.

If you’re not familiar with Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, it ran from 1954-1990. However, it was at the start of season eight that the Walt Disney anthology television series moved to from ABC to NBC to take advantage of that network’s ability to broadcast in color. The first NBC episode on September 24, 1961 even dealt with the principles of color, as explained by a new character named Ludwig Von Drake (voiced by Paul Frees), a bumbling professor with a thick German accent, and uncle of Donald Duck. Von Drake was the first Disney character created specifically for television. (Here’s a complete listing of episodes).