The Colors of Humanity

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Imagine our earth a giant color wheel
each of us a gorgeous dot of pigment
equal reds, equal greens, all colors equal

but we humans don’t think in terms of equal
quite as much as we should
we are alike
but ‘enjoy’ thinking otherwise
we tend to shove one another around
crash head to head
  we cancel each other out
and become void
we choose to destroy our brilliance

yet
if we agreed
equal to be equal
equal reds, equal greens
if we learned to stand
side by side
what beauty there would be

on the color wheel they call this complimenting
on the earth we’d call it peace
parrotI can’t think of a more beautiful, earthly color coexistent than a parrot
parrot in Prisma pencil done around 2002

opposing colors on the color wheel are called complimentary because when placed side by side they brighten, when these same colors are mixed in equal measure, they create a neutral or gray

41 thoughts on “The Colors of Humanity”

  6. This is a beautifully-rendered parrot (again, those darn eyes — or rather in this case, “eye”). Such a beautiful extended metaphor that paints the truth of the matter in subtle but masterfully-controlled strokes — what we’re seeing here is an artist painting with words. And many thanks for explaining complimentary colors — which I never did understand until now (such a perfect, perfect metaphor all-around, in all its depths). All lines wonderful of course, but those last two — pure frisson.

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    • When it comes to fur, feathers and all that good stuff – I’m not a detail person and don’t enjoy doing realistic detail – I focus on the eyes because they are so very meaningful and bring more (I hope) to the personality than a silky coat:)
      Thank you for your superbly generous comment – wow! 🙂 And you’ve chosen a word from my, favorite word list,”frisson” – it’s on my list not only for meaning – it reminds me of the friesian – an absolutely gorgeous, ivory blue-black breathtaking horse – my favorite:)
      Enjoy the day:)

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  9. I love this! Words and drawing. I especially like the word “brilliance” here — as in color brilliance and also intelligence or lack there of. I have a color wheel illustration that sits in the bottom of my knitting basket — and I do refer to it when choosing colors for projects. The idea of brilliance coming from different colors complimenting each other — in art — as peace in the world. Juxtapose this to that wonderful song Ebony and Ivory — probably not the name of it…..but I like your idea much better. So many hues in the world. Smiling I am, over my second cup!

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  11. O, my friend, this is heartbreakingly beautiful and all very, very true! I absolutely loved the ending, or better I choose it and I hope it to be a beginning: “on the color wheel they call this complimenting
    on the earth we’d call it peace”! ❤

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