Payne’s Grey
Hannah Cauthen
Payne’s Grey is often used in painting to create soft shadows. Being a blue-grey, it is not as harsh as black, and therefore creates beautiful contrast without drowning the work in darkness.
His soul was like dark navy; not quite blue, not yet black—something un-definable, like his sadness. I didn’t know where it came from or how long it had been there, but I did know that it sometimes settled into his features in the middle of conversations and flowed out of his fingers when they brushed my skin.
But this soul I’ve stumbled upon (or that’s stumbled upon me) is different. While it is also un-definable, it is not out of uncertainty, but chosen unreasonableness. When exposed to nature or great beauty, it is a calm, deep forest green. When it laughs, the color grows brighter, but always remains serene. When frustrated or angered it turns bold orange—the literal color of fire. It fades to a pale blue when looking at me—the color of his eyes. In this blue is a strange mixture of peace, determination, admiration, and apprehension. Even through all of these colors (and many more I am still discovering) is the underlying tone of dark navy. Instead of being sad, though, this brings great contrast to his multi-colored anomaly of a soul. The slight darkness keeps it from being overwhelmingly bright; it is the perfect Payne’s Grey.