Spoken Editions

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul,” wrote Vasily Kandinsky, the Russian painter and theorist credited with creating the first entirely abstract painting over one hundred years ago. Ian McLaughlin, an artist and filmmaker living in Boulder, Colorado, discovered that he had synesthesia after experiencing a shocking sensation while painting in 2008. “I was putting down a gray color against this vibrant yellow-orange, and the contrast created this very pleasant tone. It was like a phantom vibration, and I could feel it radiating out from my jaw. I looked around my studio and thought, Is anyone else hearing this? Is this really happening? It was bizarre, but it felt amazing,” McLaughlin said. “It only happens when I’m painting in rich primary colors. It doesn’t happen in earth tones. I can’t manufacture it or fabricate it. But when it occurs, it’s a good sign that everything’s coming together.”