peach

I haven’t seen a fresh peach since last summer. I remember actually being tired of peaches by the end of summer. I suppose I overdosed on the succulent sundrenched delights at the farmers markets and now, of course, I miss them. I was asked to do a commission this month with softer colors, including peach. I have personally never been a big fan of peach as a color until this commission. For some reason, I never felt the vitality of the color until now. There are no tubes of peach paint as far as I know, so I started to mix and layer colors that I thought felt like peach. In the layering and mixing process I realized how important each ingredient is. In some areas I started with a wash of bright yellow, in other areas pink and some metallic gold silver and copper. Then I added some orange or some red, and a little white here and there. The result was peach, yet more like the fruit, rather than the hue, with subtle variations and an almost juicy texture. This is when I started to appreciate the color. I saw peach as a result of the layers and subtle variations that create vitality and life.

It occurred to me that we as people are just a result of the layers of experiences we have and the subtle variations or constant change we endure. All the ingredients of our lives create the person. For me, it is easy to take a color at face value and assume I know what it looks like, especially if it is straight out of the tube. Yet even then there are variables… what I layer it with, what I mix it with, what kind of brush I use, how fast it dries, what kind of light the painting has on it, etc. The variables are endless, just as they are for a person’s life…their environment, history, company, experiences, etc. It is interesting for me to think about people as combinations of colors and texture, and the evolution that takes place though a lifespan. Perhaps starting with an innocent yellow base, a little gold for personality, add some passionate red…a little white to tone it down… a peach or a person?

Looking at people with this perspective takes away the potential for judgment because how can I judge the spectrum? Colors exist without our approval. All the colors are just vibrations of light…and life.