Under one of the themes in my themes book, I’d written “taupe.” It took me a second to recall how that could be a theme. As I write about in my sequel book that I am still editing, I noted the difference in how we Canadians colour our world compared to Latino cultures. In all three countries I lived in, exteriors of buildings are bold dark reds, yellows, ultramarine blues, every colour under the rainbow. Interiors are even more imaginative and lively, no pale shades of any colour—all are intense, full-on, enriching, life-giving, the darker the better. No taupe. Anywhere in my travels. When I got home I painted my kitchen a bright, dark yellow, and my living room a vivid dark yellow. My painter was wildly excited and told me she was so sick of painting walls taupe. So, in my “taupe” mind map, I’d written, “affluence, soul-stiffling, boring and conformity.”No more taupe for me.
