Painting an essence

As an artist, I'm always trying to capture the essence of the subject rather than just the superficial image infront of me, so it was interesting yesterday to meet a spirit artist and clairvoyant, who talked about the importance of colour in painting the soul. She sees people's auras and paints those colours in her paintings, as well as trying to capture the spirit of the person within the facade of the face. The face is the life we've lived, as well as what we've inherited genetically, but within that facade is the life we want to live, the fantasies within us, the hopes and dreams, desires and emotions that drive us. How to paint that? How to look beyond the surface? To paint the spirit within us?

I know that I'm motivated by particular colours, and some colours are a turn off for me. I can never be motivated by dull "brown" as a colour in clothing or paint (whether its in a painting, or on a wall) but I love shiny "brown" in the hair of a stunning brunette, and as the colour of highly polished antique wooden furniture. I adore turquoise as a colour and am attracted to it as a moth to a flame, its a clear, bright, wholesome colour for me, and I adore it! So when I next paint a portrait, I'll work on gut reaction to colour for that person, whether they are a moodily intense dark chocolately colour or a lively light and airy shade of pink, a vibrant passionate crimson, or a calm and serene mint green.

And I'll spend the next week looking at people I meet and trying to just concentrate on one colour that eminates out of them, to me. Mmmm..... that's going to be interesting, I don't think I'd equate too much to lavender, lemon, beige and brown people, I hope I meet some magenta, scarlet, antique gold and midnight blue people......