Beyond Seeing: My Relationship with Color, Yellow, and the Freedom to Choose

Viewing; something beyond seeing

For me, color isn’t just one of the elements of painting; color is pa

My son paints; he has a special talent in music and #painting .

rt of my experience of life. Sometimes I feel that before I even notice the shapes, colors draw me toward themselves. Colors can change the mood of a space, awaken a feeling in me, or make me step away from the usual flow of life for a few moments and just watch.

Among colors, yellow holds a special place for me. My interest in this color isn’t limited to my paintings; I look for yellow in my surroundings too. Sometimes this color is a sign of light, warmth, or energy for me, and sometimes, alongside other colors, it takes on a completely different meaning. Maybe that’s why yellow appears repeatedly in my works; not necessarily because I decided from the beginning to use it, but because it naturally exists in my gaze and feelings.

I usually pay attention to the colors around me. The color of the walls, the way light reflects on surfaces, the changing hues of the sky, and even subtle differences between shadows can catch my attention. For example, while watching a sunset, I might get so absorbed in the colors of the sky that I just stare for a long time. At that moment, my mind starts analyzing the colors: where did this orange come from? Why does the red look deeper in some parts of the sky? How are the purple and blue sitting next to the yellow and orange? How does the light link these colors together and change the boundaries between them?

This analysis isn’t always conscious and calculated. Sometimes I just watch and let the colors affect me; other times my mind, even without me wanting to, examines the relationships between them. For me, #sunset isn’t just a beautiful view; it’s a kind of living experience of color, an experience where nature creates the most complex combinations before my eyes without using a canvas or brush.

Maybe one of the most important things painting has taught me is just to pay attention. Colors are all around us, but seeing them is different from just looking. When we look more closely, we realize that no color is completely independent. One color changes next to another, looking lighter or darker, and it can even create a different feeling. That's why choosing colors in painting isn't just about picking a few pretty colors; it's about choosing relationships. You have to see what each color does next to the others and how it affects the overall space of the piece.

This perspective on color is also present in my relationship with my son. When he paints, I sometimes guide him in choosing colors. I might draw his attention to color harmony, contrasts between them, or the effect one color has on its neighboring color. I like for him to learn to see colors more consciously and gradually discover the reasons behind his choices. However, it's important to me that guiding him doesn't mean making decisions for him. Alongside guidance, I also give him the freedom to choose. If he wants to paint the sky green or pick an unusual color for a tree, I don’t want to immediately steer him toward what I think is more correct. Sometimes, it’s necessary to just let the child experience their own choice, even if the outcome is different from what we expect.

I think teaching color isn’t just about teaching the names of colors, understanding the color wheel, or explaining harmony and contrast. An important part of it is developing the ability to see and the courage to make choices. A child should have both the opportunity to learn and the chance to experience, make mistakes, and discover their own ways. I can share my experience with them, but I don’t want my experience to replace their independent perspective.

Maybe this idea is important for every painter as well. Through education, study, and experience, we learn the principles of color; but in the end, every artist has to find their own personal relationship with color. Some choices come from knowledge, some from experience, and others from a feeling that's even hard to explain. #Art becomes more fascinating to me when these different aspects come together.

I still watch colors in everyday #life ; in the sky, on the street, in simple objects, and in the subtle changes of light. Sometimes an ordinary scene can teach me more about color than hours of study. Maybe that's why I still pause to watch the sunset and stare at the color combinations. Even if I've seen a similar sky many times before, the colors find a new relationship with each other every time.

For me, an interest in the #color yellow and paying attention to the colors around me are two parts of the same experience: trying to see the world more clearly. And maybe one of the most beautiful parts of this experience is sharing it with my son; letting him see the world through his own eyes and choose his own colors, while guiding him along the way.

In the end, I think color isn’t just something we put on a canvas. Color is something we learn to see; something that can change the way we look at the world and give us a fresh possibility to discover every time.

Sorry if my message is long, I felt it was necessary to talk to you about color and share my perspective on this topic with you. Please write your valuable opinions for me.