Why Color Theory Is the Heart of Every Painting I Make

Long before I could write a clean sentence, I could see color. Dyslexia made language a slow, uphill climb, but a red placed next to a green needed no translation. That is still how I paint: I trust the eye first and let the story follow.

Every canvas starts with a temperature decision. Warm ground or cool ground. That single choice decides how the rest of the painting behaves, because every color I lay down afterward is judged against it. A gold that sings on a violet field goes flat on a warm ochre one.

When people tell me a painting changed the feeling of their room, that is color theory doing quiet work. The hues carry mood into the space long after the initial look.