October 2024 News

October 2024

September brings about perhaps the most exciting shift in daylight of the year: The summer – autumn equinox. The summer sun sits high in the sky and is more than happy to coat everything in powerful and blinding rays. It demands very little from us in terms of selectivity as most colours of course look their best when drowned in sunlight. Autumn, on the other hand, is a much fussier sun. It has sunk much lower in the air, nosing through our windows and casting its discriminating glow much to the dismay of those who picked their colour only a mere month ago.
But where autumn poses challenge, it also poses reward: that low hung sun will shine extended golden beams throughout the house for much longer in the following months and grant many, like ourselves, much joy.

Holiday Log at Francesca’s Paints

Francesca recently found some time to get away on a holiday, and I was lucky enough to follow in her footsteps shortly after. While it was a bit of a challenge to manage everything on our own, we’re incredibly grateful for the amazing help from the wonderful Stevie, who despite a busy schedule, managed to quadruple her shifts here at Francesca’s Paints. Stevie frequents the office every Monday, and is known to pull an extra shift or two when things get busy, but in the past month she has become a pro and is now often updating the two of us on various things we may have missed. Thank you Stevie!

While Francesca was away, in the early weeks of September, she attended a retreat in Casa Santosha, La Alqueria near Malaga. The retreat was hosted by Emma Brown and her husband Paul with a very appreciated special visit from Swami Govindananda, Francesca’s Teacher of 20 years, who flew all the way from India to join the group and offer his expert knowledge.

“It was ten days of full immersion in yoga, pranayama, and Vedanta philosophy, with fantastic food and great company.

I completely switched off from work, Instagram, and everything to truly immerse myself in this rare and wonderful opportunity.

Swami Nivedananda is an expert in Yantra yoga. Yantras represent the deity that is the object of meditation. A yantra typically has several geometric shapes radiating concentrically from the centre, including triangles, circles, hexagons, octagons, and symbolic lotus petals.

It was mesmerising to see the making of the yantras, their designs, and the precision in their creations.

The colours used are all-natural, the black is made with rice husk, the dark red with Curcuma and white rice powder, the lighter red and vibrant pink are made by adding more white rice powder to the dark red, and the green comes from Albisia leave powder and the yellow from turmeric. So much work and dedication.

Everything is temporary, nothing is permanent.

Be good, do good. Adapt, adjust, accommodate. A precious lesson.”- Francesca

 

Once Francesca returned, Wren also decided to take some time off to visit family in Guernsey:

“Almost the second our plane landed, the ‘long reign of the Guernsey Sun’ (which I had so dreamed of) was plastered grey with the rolling overcast of a thunderstorm. For days I was approached by local Giernésiaises who kept me very much updated on the whereabouts and minor delays of inbound and outbound ferries, before letting out a polite “Cheeri” and continuing on their days (- a customary term I later found to mean goodbye).
Amongst the whips of wind-stirred waters, I found myself a very cold and refreshing swim as often as I could. At night, as star depraved as any other Londoner, I stared for hours at visible galaxies with a belly full of food and a nose full of seaweed aromas.

Not once did I think longingly of home.” – Wren

Wren returned this Monday and has joined the team on some really wonderful and exciting new projects stemming from a few recent colour consultations, one of which at a Grade A Listed, Historical House (More Details soon to follow I am sure).

Colour of the Month

This month, Propezia’s Neutral has been absolutely adored! Soothing and calm with a touch of purple to make it just that little bit mysterious, this earthy tone is a confident companion to any colour, be it calm or fierce. Its neutrality derives from the use of natural earth pigments, offering a grounded and timeless quality. Natural Pigments are each unique which is what gives them so much character, this uniqueness and unevenness helps bounce light around in unpredictable ways, lending itself to softer and often more nuanced tones that feel deeper and richer than their synthetic alternatives. Whether you’re seeking a serene backdrop for bold accents or a harmonious foundation for a monochromatic scheme, Propezia’s Neutral is sure to elevate any pallet.

Have a wonderful October,

Francesca and Wren