Painting & music

[Michele Rushworth]

I've been playing more classical music in the studio lately and have really noticed an increased feeling of "synesthesia."

A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.

The high violin notes are definitely a light blue grey (Gamblin Portland Grey Light, I suppose!) and the deep cello notes are burnt umber/alizarin crimson/burnt sienna. Clarinets produce a sound that is sometimes a medium blue green -- am I nuts (probably!) or do other people experience something similar?

[Jean Kelly]

Hi Michele,

No, you're nut nuts. Lots of artists have this same sensitivity. I see colors with many aromas, and sometimes I find that I can't use a body wash because it is too "sharp". Classical music is wonderful for this, I "see" the music swirling with different colors but have never tried nailing them down to the exact pigment that you seem to be able to do. A baritone sax is definitely "chocolate"!

Jean

[Wayne McMichael]

Lately I've been dissatisfied with my room color... and now I realize it may be caused by the Electronic Bug Repeller. Then again it could be my guitar. Just kidding. Ever heard of String Theory? ( a theory of quantum gravity - http://superstringtheory.com/basics/basic4.html ) Could be that something similar to musical vibrations, their harmonics, could be responsible for different forms of matter. Yea, this is deep, but it would suggest, "Music is a symbol of God's order for the universe"... literally. So why shouldn't music touch us on our most basic level, and of course influence our art, mood, creativity... you name it. And if this were true, different colors would definitely have different vibrations or frequencies associated with it. Good composition, audible or visual, touch or smell, is something that touches us at our most basic level of existence. How that interacts with "Soul" I don't know. But it seems to me we would benefit from looking inward, exploring our feelings, our soul and deeper if possible. "Use the Force Luke"