Colours That Revive Us

I heard a story today about two friends catching up for dinner. One was wearing a new teal coloured jumper. The other friend leaned forward and quietly said, "Thank you for wearing that jumper. I've had a terrible day, and that is my most favourite colour in the world. I think I'll sit here for a while and look at it."

I was thrilled by this story because that's how I feel about the colour teal - to be more specific - Cobalt Teal Blue. It reminds me of the shallows in the water at the beach. It's also a colour you sometimes see in breaking waves.

I enjoy remembering how colours can revive us. They can refresh us, and they can transform the mundane.

My friend grew up on a farm. One day her father arrived home with a teal coloured Falcon 500 station wagon. She remembers the colour as being so rich and exotic; she was mesmerised by it. She found farm life dreary, and she remembers gazing at the paintwork on the family car to feel better.

You can buy that colour straight out of the tube. It's glorious, expensive and highly toxic. I feel better about mixing it myself with a combination of Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green. I use the real thing as a reference point. To be honest with you I feel a little nervous even handling the tube. While I find it a truly wonderful colour, it's certainly not worth risking my health.

I've used some teal in this Rottnest painting, and you can see straight away that it brings so much life and warmth to the canvas. Perhaps this colour is the essence of our summer memories — the surprise of the ocean and the relief of swimming on a hot day.

So here's to the colours that revive us. Here's to the places they take us to and a sweet day soon when we can visit those places again.