Depth of Color

When asked how I get such bright colors I can only answer with--"I see them." I love to be outside, to hike, ride horses and just be. I can only be in my studio, hidden away from the world for so long before I need to have sky above and earth under my feet. With watercolors on early travels, I first started to see the depth of nature. I wasn't sure what all these colors were, but began to paint them because it was fun. Years later I studied about color from books and took an impressionist workshop from Susan Sarback. I finally figured out that I wasn't having flashbacks, that the colors were really there!
All of us have learned to block out sensory input until we don't believe it is there. With training, anyone can see again, like we must have when we were babies. Ever noticed a baby stare at something--they're not seeing the object with a name, they are looking at all the shapes and colors on it and around it. As we learn to label things, we block out the excess sensory input and only notice what is needed to explain the object. I suppose we must do this or we would be overwhelmed. Artists that paint from nature, be it still lifes, landscapes or people, learn to un-name things and again see the colors and shapes. As you relax and look-- a green leaf becomes a myriad of colors and shades, a white wall becomes a rainbow. The world at that point is infinitely beautiful and an adventure to discover. The grandiose and the minute are whole new worlds waiting to be seen. How lucky we are to learn this. Now, go start "seeing."