pastel pink
Pastel Pink has been a color I have avoided in my paintings, with a few exceptions of course. I have found it hard to take pink seriously as a color. Its softness and innocence were easily overlooked in my primary color dominated palette. It appeared as a result of highlights here and there but rarely as a fore thought. Hot pink has electrified many paintings, while pastel pink has waited to mature in my eyes. Lately, I have seen the value of soft pastel pink. Its understated purity has foolishly invited me to play and unknowingly release some long forgotten qualities.
Innocence and foolishness usually go hand in hand in a childish world of cotton candy and Barbie. As an adult, I have been conditioned to leave pink behind for more mature and powerful colors. Immature girlish dreams were given away with my roller-skates and pink satin warm-up suit. Being responsible, being successful, being independent, being strong, are the qualities that took over. Which are not qualities I associate with Easter Bunny pink. Lucky, the innocent, foolish, dependent, sensitive and weaker side of me still exists… And I admit, it is quite beautiful.
Feminine empowerment has had a resurrection through the color pink, with the breast cancer awareness groups and Victoria Secret adds, yet the subtle qualities of the color are actually still regarded as weak, sometimes with a pathetic or unpleasant connotation. The color is not strong like its parents Red and White. Pink whispers and giggles at the suggestion of dominance, and here lies her true integrity. Her power is hidden in softness as well as innocence, foolishness, dependency, sensitivity and …weakness. Innocence holds the ability to see things freshly, with pure sight, not marred by experience. Foolishness has all the freedom in the world, as it is regardless of logic and acts from the heart- a place of instinctive wisdom when accessed correctly. Dependency is the key to unity, because in truth, all of us are dependent. We live in a world of dependence…on other people, time, resources, things, nature, etc. Sensitivity is a delicate gift as it allows understanding and a deeper experience of life. Finally, weakness is merely softness and where potential takes root. Weakness is the absence of strength or lack or resistance. So it can be seen as openness, flexibility, and acceptance. Weakness surrenders to a higher calling. Weakness allows change through courageous vulnerability. This receptivity is intrinsically feminine.
The feminine qualities of pastel pink are taking on a new value as my self-awareness increases. As usual, my paintings have shown me another aspect of myself. Today, it is to value my femininity as soft pastel pink. I gracefully accept my softer side as I am grateful for the innocent, foolish, dependent, and sensitive qualities that have resurfaced with a new understanding of my “weaker” receptive side. For me, it is not about empowering or making the feminine softness stronger… It is about exposing the real beauty of softness and changing the unpleasant connotation of weakness. Weakness and strength are equal forces; one could not exist without the other.
