Color as a Substitute for Words: An Emotional Dictionary

There is a common misconception that in visual art therapy, the therapist analyzes the artwork and draws conclusions about the patient on their own.

While there are certain general indicators that may signal to us, as therapists, that something deserves attention, or that a red flag might be present, we try to not analyze patients through their artwork. Much like in verbal therapy, where patients speak and arrive at their own insights, art therapy works in a similar way: you create, and through the process of creation and observation, you come to understand yourself. Our role is to accompany you, to support you, and to offer tools.

This does not mean that we lack the ability to analyze artwork. That ability exists, and if you wish, we can explore interpretations together. The reason we avoid one-sided interpretation of clients’ artwork is that each person is a world unto themselves. It may sound cliché, but it is true. Each of us grew up in different environments, was influenced by different people, and lived through different experiences. My parents are not yours; one person’s childhood is different from another’s. This means that each individual has a unique inner associative world. While there may be overlap or similarity at times, the way thoughts and emotions develop is deeply personal.

For example, for some people the color red may express anger, rage, or even hatred, while for others it may represent love, pride, or longing.

In order to create a shared foundation of understanding between myself and my patients, I often like to create an emotional color dictionary together. I do this most frequently with children, but at times also with adolescents and adults.

An emotional dictionary is essentially a personal mapping of colors and their shades alongside the emotions that arise associatively for each one. This dictionary allows me, as a therapist, to become more familiar with my clients’ inner worlds and to understand their artwork without guessing or drawing conclusions based on my own personal associations- conclusions that might otherwise be projections.

In this way, a shared language is created between therapist and client, allowing for a more sensitive and accurate understanding.

Like any dictionary, this one serves to define and translate. Color is a language, and in many cases it carries meaning. This is just one variation of an emotional dictionary; there are others as well, which I will try to explore in future posts.

Exmaple of a color-based Emotional Dictionary

And now, back to color.

We understand that each color can be associated with a particular emotional meaning. But why is this so important? Does it really matter? Can’t we understand what a client is experiencing simply by looking at the artwork itself?

Sometimes, the content does speak for itself. A drawing of a black hole that swallows everything until nothing remains is a fairly clear and familiar image of distressing emotional states. But the psyche does not always express itself so clearly. At times, it appears in an abstract way—there is a form, but no recognizable image. Sometimes there are only color stains, or layers upon layers of material covering one another in opacity.

In cases where the image—or the absence of one—is not immediately clear, we can look at the artwork through the emotional dictionary we have created together: Which colors are present? Which colors are hidden? Is there blending or mixing? Does one color dominate while another shrinks, nearly disappearing—or perhaps peeking through cracks and hidden spaces?

Let us take the following painting as an example:

In the artwork, there is a clear image of a forest, with a small mushroom within it. The color that dominates most of the space is green, and within it appears a small red spot that immediately draws the eye. The red is vivid and striking against the green; it is difficult to ignore.

Before we continue, I invite you to pause for a moment and notice what sensations or feelings arise as you look at the painting. Try to put those sensations into words, before assigning meanings to the colors.

Now, I will offer the following meanings for the colors in this artwork:

• Green – calm, nature, wholeness

• Red – anxiety, pressure, fear

If the feelings that arose for you before reading these definitions differ from what I have suggested, that does not mean you are wrong. On the contrary—it simply reflects your personal meanings. These are not necessarily my meanings. This is similar to what happens when we look at artwork in a museum: it evokes something personal within us. In therapy, what matters most is the meaning the artwork holds for the client themselves.

For me, this artwork expressed an attempt to conceal and contain feelings of anxiety and pressure that emerged during a period of relocation. There was an effort to “paint everything” in a pleasant color, to convey that everything was fine, while internally the anxiety was rising and occasionally breaking through.

In this case, the image of the mushroom emerging above the ground also connected for me to the fact that mushrooms exist beneath the surface, in a wide and hidden network. Anxiety can function in a similar way: present below the surface, concealed, yet at the same time its red color stands out and cries out within the green, as if saying, “See me. I’m here.”

This painting is an emotional expression with a clear image, and color plays a central role in it. It is a piece that was not planned in advance—it is not realistic, not precise, and in parts not even logical. And that is okay. This is how my psyche chose to express itself in that moment. Through the artwork, I was able to acknowledge that relocation can be a stressful and frightening experience. Recognizing this does not invalidate the decision itself, nor does it make it wrong—it is simply part of the process.

Sometimes, colors know how to say what words cannot. All that remains is to listen.

What meanings do colors hold for you? Is there a color that has been accompanying you lately?

As always,

Greetings from Georgia 😉