Frost whitewashing the cars created a fresh pallet for an imaginative artist to create some whimsical creatures. Thanks to Bristol AfterDark, www.afterdark.co, for posting this picture and providing inspiration!
This photo plays into a “theme” from a recent writers gathering. Topic starter phrase for our timed writing exercise was: FROST WHITEWASHING THE CARS….
Frost whitewashing the cars levels the visual playing field. A white blanket creates a sort of anonymous cloak, covering the color of the vehicles especially.
Color is such an integral part of what the eye perceives in an object, cars are no exception. A red Corvette; that bright color almost screams “fast, speedy, hot, and sexy” to categorize this sporty vehicle. In fact a car’s red color is often heard as the “excuse” for a speeding ticket, issued because the cop noticed the red color more than a grey or white vehicle. We are supposed to commiserate with the unfortunate recipient, rather that ignore the fact that many owners of sports cars like the Corvette Stingray, like to drive a bit faster and maybe take a few risks.
Taking color out of the equation is like removing expectations or possibly even prejudice about the abilities of an item’s performance or behavior.
Imagine that Corvette, or any sporty racing vehicle for that matter, painted a Mary Kay Pink! A “Pepto -Bismol®” hued hotrod would be hooted at and the car’s owner could risk humiliation for the audacity to even drive up such a vehicle to the starting line of a race. The car styled with the same sleek aerodynamic lines and the same powerful engine under the hood as its bright flame colored sister would pale in comparison. It would not be the odds on favorite to win or even place in this competition.
The photo above shows what can be dreamed up when the colors are taken away. What treasure can be found? In looking a bit deeper, scratching the surface a bit to see what is under the surface. By digging under the frosted white exterior these impromptu artists created an opportunity to share humor with their whimsical display.
How different the world would be if one morning we all work up to a frost that masked each of our exteriors, so that the work of knowing our fellow man involved digging a bit deeper , not judging what we “see” on the surface.
A family joke is that our son, who is blind and works with many musicians made a hilarious mistake about the ethnicity on two of his friends. The recording technician with short clipped speech, our son “assumed” to be a Caucasian person, like himself. The tall skinny bowed bass player, who spoke softly in jive talk and used words that he heard from many of his black friends, was of course not African American at all.
Upon realizing his error he blurted out “I guess I truly am color blind as well as not being able to see!”
We tend to “eat with our eyes” and “judge books by their covers”.
Could we try “dining in the dark”? There is a new restaurant in Seattle area called Seattle Blind Cafe. www. theblindcafe.com/seattle-blind-café. It encourages diners to use their“other senses” to decide if that unknown morsel is truly pleasing to our pallet.
Take a risk; open a book that has lost its jacket and to read for content,without expectation. Many a used book store or the local library’s used book sale has literary treasure on sale for $1 a volume.
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