Brush Strokes - our own festival of color....... inside

Welcome ....Our Front Door (outside)

Color is the most important element of India. From bright colorful clothes to beautiful and creative paintings, pottery and handicrafts. From mouth watering Indian cuisines to the seasons and festivals, it all reflects the distinctive and rich culture and colorful spirit of the people of India.


Our TV/Computer Room

Color is everywhere.........the vivid colors capture your attention from the moment you land and hold tight to your senses until the moment you leave.......trust me when I tell you that after spending time in India, one of the first differences you will notice when you return home, wherever that may be, is how monotone things are! I experience it when I return to the US......



Same room Different Wall....Different Color!

For the devout Hindu, colors play a very important role in their religion and culture and have a very deep significance in the way they are used in their lives. Color plays such an important role it is more that a fashion statement and color transcends purely decorative value. Hindu art is filled with color, and should the painting be of a deity or god, the artist will surely use specific colors to represent certain qualities and character traits of the god. Color is also plays an important role in the creation of ones environment, so color is chosen carefully to ensure that a person is always cheerful and relaxed. Religious ceremonies include the colors of red, yellow, green and white.


The Colors of Preston's Room

Red - Red is perhaps one of the most widely used colors, and is typically found used on the most auspicious of occasions; marriages, birth of a child, festivals, etc. Those in attendance at a religious ceremony will usually have a red mark placed on their forehead.

Saffron - Saffron represents fire and since fire is the destroyer of impurities, saffron is sometimes equated with purity itself. It is also the color of holy men, but yet has found it's place on the battlefield as well, as it is the battle color of the Rajput, or warrior caste.

Blue - Blue symbolizes the qualities of bravery, manliness, determination and the ability to deal with very tense and stressful situations. Blue represents a stable mind and a person with a depth of character. It is found in the color of the sky, the oceans, the rivers and lakes....it is the color of nature.


Currently Valley of the Stars.....soon to be Indian Copper

Green - Another color that represents nature is the color green, but, green is also the color of peace and happiness and is used widely to calm the mind.

White - White is symbolic of knowledge, cleanliness, purity and peace......it is the color of the lotus flower who's use is woven throughout the culture of the society.

Yellow - Yellow is the color of happiness, joy, peace, and meditation. It is also seen as the color of spring.....and like spring which brings an awakening of nature, yellow is seen to also represent knowledge, learning and mental development.

Phewwwwwwwwww........have you ever given much thought to colors other than perhaps having a favorite?


Dining Room

Spring not only ushered the annual Festival of Colors - Holi, but it also motivated Linda in some way to bring the colors of India inside our home.........while I was traveling, she was busy organizing a work crew and choosing colors.

After being gone a few days, I would return home to find our formerly paste white walls donning such colors as "Burnt Brick"......."Gilded"......"Indian Copper"......"Ra Gold"......"Nanette"....."Copper Leaf"....."Arizona Sun"...."Indian Spice"....."Balsam"..."Wedgewood"...."Valley of the Stars"....."Burnished Gold"...."Great Canyon" and the one that sounds like you could taste it....."Applesauce Cake".


Dining Room and Foyer in distance


At home in the US........I was the painter..........one of the benefits of living in India is that skilled painters are not only available, but affordable as well.........

So for those of you who can only make a virtual visit to our home, here are a few pictures of the how the inside of our house has come to life with the colors of India.....


Looking from the Dining Room into the Foyer (front Door)