Return to Color
About finding joy in simple things — color, light, and small details that stay with you
When I was in China, I saw a few oil paintings hanging in a hotel corridor — bright, pure, almost electric.
They weren’t about concept or story. Just color, light, and confidence in every brushstroke.
It reminded me how much I love that feeling — when paint itself does the work, and color feels alive.
They weren’t about concept or story. Just color, light, and confidence in every brushstroke.
It reminded me how much I love that feeling — when paint itself does the work, and color feels alive.
After that, I started thinking about how often we mute colors, trying to make them “complex.”
But maybe simple and clear can also be powerful.
Since then, I’ve been mixing colors again — testing combinations, searching for that same clarity.
No big projects, just practice.
During that same trip, we also bought several Pokémon TCG cards.
I’ve never really looked at them as artworks before — but some of them are stunning.
Tiny worlds, full of light, contrast, and perfect balance of color.
They somehow shared the same energy as those paintings — fearless, clean, and full of life.
But maybe simple and clear can also be powerful.
Since then, I’ve been mixing colors again — testing combinations, searching for that same clarity.
No big projects, just practice.
During that same trip, we also bought several Pokémon TCG cards.
I’ve never really looked at them as artworks before — but some of them are stunning.
Tiny worlds, full of light, contrast, and perfect balance of color.
They somehow shared the same energy as those paintings — fearless, clean, and full of life.
Back home, I tried painting one of them with watercolor and markers.
Not to copy — just to study how those colors work together.
It turned into my own quiet way of learning again: exploring what makes a color feel fresh and alive.
Not to copy — just to study how those colors work together.
It turned into my own quiet way of learning again: exploring what makes a color feel fresh and alive.
Now I keep a book of illustrations on my desk.
Sometimes I open a random page, pick one image, and try to mix its palette from scratch.
It’s a small routine, but it helps me notice light better — and reminds me that painting doesn’t always need a grand idea.
Maybe that’s what “returning to color” really means.
Not a new phase or a statement — just getting back to what feels alive.
Sometimes I open a random page, pick one image, and try to mix its palette from scratch.
It’s a small routine, but it helps me notice light better — and reminds me that painting doesn’t always need a grand idea.
Maybe that’s what “returning to color” really means.
Not a new phase or a statement — just getting back to what feels alive.
