On Color Deficiencies

I had an interesting question from a reader. They have a slight color deficiency in their vision (red/green deficient) and wanted to know if it would have an impact on their paintings and if they should be doing anything about it.

Here are my thoughts.

It would probably have an impact but how much? I’m not sure. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. One of the interesting aspects of art is that it showcases how we all see and experience the world differently. You could lean into your experience rather than try and correct it. This goes for anything, not just color vision.

Also, if you try to compensate for the color deficiency by adjusting your colors, your paintings will always appear wrong to your eyes, but they may read better for other people. I don’t think that’s a good trade-off. If your work doesn’t read well to you as the artist, what’s the point?

It reminds me of Claude Monet, who battled cataracts and had compromised color vision in his later years. You can tell from his last handful of paintings. They are a bit distorted in terms of color. But, frustrating as it must have been, he kept on painting. And while those later paintings may be a bit distorted to us, they do give us an honest insight into how Monet saw the world at that time in his life.

So if there’s no easy fix to it, and I doubt there is, I would just let it be and keep on painting. Convey to us how you see and experience the world.

Want more help? Join me in the ​Painting Academy​.

Kind regards

Dan Scott

Draw Paint Academy

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