The Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco is a botanical garden that was created by oriental watercolourist, Jacques Majorelle, during the 1920s and 1930s.
Although the garden was opened to the public in 1947, the world rediscovered it when the late Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge became it's owners in 1980. This was a place of great inspiration for YSL. Each time he visited, he created a specific design for the garden. All of which are on display today in the garden's museum. His ashes were scattered here when he died in 2008.
It was that close to his heart.
Jacques Majorelle will not only be remembered for creating this incredible space, but also for the special tint of blue that he used on the garden finishes.
Today this rich lapis lazuli blue with a hint of magenta, is referred to as Bleu Majorelle.
I've had this dream to one day have a proper garden that is filled with scatterings of this wonderfully rich tint. I don't consider myself as somebody who is gifted with green fingers. But you might say that my fingers are blue... with paint....
So I decided to start by having my own version of Majorelle Blue mixed.
For a test run, my 2 year old and I tackled some of my outdoor moroccan lamps with paintbrushes.
(Note to all: Use waterbased acrylic paint when joined by a toddler in your painting ventures! It is odourless and washes off with water - no turpentine needed. Oh, and a plastic paint jacket really goes a long way to help preserve the little one's clothing!)
Love this blue, but it needs to be toned darker for future projects.
Once my vision is implemented, I might just end up calling
our farmhouse Maison Majorelle....
Mmm...
What do you think?
Very clever and inspiring, Anel. There are also the colours Alentejo Blue (Portugal), fienze blue (I hope the spelling is correct from Brazil) and fez blue (Marocco), and we know Delft blue. They are all more or less the same intense ultramarine. Most of these terms refer to pottery and it just shows that a bright blue is buried deep in the hearts of people who are close to their roots. Enjoy your project, you are creating a piece of eternity!
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