Inspired by the number pi, I started working on a new encaustic piece using the first 500 digits of pi. 

As for me numbers have colors (e.g. 4 is blue), I thought why not share that with you – make a data visualization – and give you some colorful insights. 

So, I started writing down all 500+ numbers on a big wooden panel. This was my template to guide me.

It‘s getting preeeetty colorful

With the first color dots, it actually looked like a board game and I was not shure if I could stand it – way too many strong colors.

It was new to me, that I could not decide where to put the color. The design was defined by the numerical order of pi. 

And although, I could have decided to go with different colors, I could not. As this is how I see the numbers 0-9, I had to move on with my inner color palette.

Why do I see numbers in colors?

Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. So, the definition. (thanks wikipedia)

In one common form of synesthesia, known as color-graphemic synesthesia, letters or numbers are perceived as inherently colored.

Does anyone have a green 3?

As far as I can say, it has always been like that for me and I did not know that this is kind of weird.

Well, I do remember my friends staring at me when playing cards and I asked “does anyone have a green 3?”
(and we were not playing UNO).

Who else?

I’d love to get to know more people with synesthesia and learn all about the sameness and the differences in our perception.

So, in case you see numbers or letters or music in colors, or know somebody who does, please feel free to reach out to me.

What has happened with ‘pi’ so far?

Every single number on the panel from 0 to 9 got its color dot – 500+ digits (!)
So, voilà this is how I see pi!

Since then, the piece got several layers of beeswax (wax, fire, scrape, wax, fire, scrape, … ). I covered it with black oil paint – wohoo! Wiped away the black to receive beautiful lines, I had scraped in the wax before.

I am not done with it yet and need to proceed. Not knowing where all this will end up.

But that’s another story, right?