Communicating with Colour

A bilingual blog on art, translation and gardening.
To see Colourful Language à la française,
click on the little French bird.

Expressions colorées

Expressions colorées
http://expressionscolorees.blogspot.com

Open Garden : An Urban Eden

Open Garden : An Urban Eden
Click on the picture for a virtual tour of the garden

About ths blog : Communicating in any language

Art and illustration and gardening, and two languages: English and French - is there a link other than these activities being of interest to me ?

This question has arisen with my decision to launch this blog with my thoughts on what I do. Certainly, these are the interests and skills that I have acquired as I've stumbled along, sometimes with very little idea of where I'm going but are they too disparate for a single blog, which needs focus ? Possibly, but maybe they are linked by more than serendipity ?

As I've found that studying a language, art and more recently gardening, have put me in touch with people with whom I might otherwise not have had any contact, I can't help wondering if the common denominator is less my interest than the communication these activities have generated.
Learning a language, understanding another culture, is definitely about communication but so too is art where of course the language is visual. Gardening also facilitates communication (say it with flowers ?) as does any activity that allows you to link with people, share and exchange ideas. Sport - I do that too - is another way of coming together, pooling efforts and enjoying shared experiences. So maybe the link is the committed, constructive and creative use of our time that allows us all as individuals to be part of something bigger than ourselves : a community ?

Moreover, gardening, like art and illustration, but also learning to communicate in another language, creates colour (literally and metaphorically) in our lives and makes people... smile. And isn't the best way to start a conversation with a smile ?

So, perhaps when explaining what I do, which sometimes I find difficult to do because I don't fit easily into any nice, neat category, I should say : "I'm a communicator".

Tuesday 18 November 2008

From English to French

A few days adrift in the blogosphere and I'm beginning to feel more at home with the basic functions of my blog. So, after summoning a little more courage (Me, afraid of blogs ?), it's time to start the next stage of this virtual Odyssey : the release of a French version of Colourful Language.
The layout of Expressions Colorées is done, which means I now just have the posts to translate, or "adapt". I say "adapt" because these are my writings and as such I can indulge myself and, if I so wish, make a few alterations here and there to the original texts.
And to celebrate this crossing of the language barrier, I've posted an illustration with a definite French kick.
Expressions colorées is now showing at a blog near you ! Just click on the dzee little French bird at the top of the blog. Or if the little bird has flown, try clicking here :


or on the link in the Blogroll.

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