The name Opal derives from the Greek Opallos, meaning "to see a change of color."
An Opal's beauty is the product of contrast between its color play and its background.
Opal is a formation of non-cryatalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata.
Through time and nature's heating and molding processes, the gel hardened into the form of Opals. The Opal is composed of particles closely packed in spherical arrangements. When packed together in a regular pattern, a three-dimensional array of spaces are created that give the Opal its radiance
The American Gem Society
The lantana flower.
When I first read the description of the Opal I instantly thought of the Lantana. I have many growing in my own gardens and love the different colors of small flowers displayed within one blossom.
How perfect this tiny flower is to represent the Opal. And how perfect that a birth stone whose name means "a change in color" is the stone for the month of October, when the world transforms in front of us all month with the change of seasons.
The symbolic meaning of the Lantana is generally associated with rigor.
Victorian bouquets often contained Lantana as a secret message of a tryst between lovers.
"Opal" October
Watercolor, 8" x 10"
©Carmella Tuliszewski 2013
The greens of the leaves set off all the brillant colors really well. The sun gently shines down on the scene, leaving a softly ethereal shadow on each blossom.
This is a wonderful start to the Autumn season, my all time favorite time of year!
You may purchase "Opal" original painting or a Giclee Print from my website under
"Portfolio of Works"
http://carmellatuliszewskiart.com
Have a happy weekend!
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