Gift in English means present, reminding of the present being a present that is given to us by life itself, yet gift in German means poison – like venom that is typically fashioned in this shade.

I find the paradox unmistakably intriguing and have long pondered on the subject in my imaginative mind.

I love the concept of the word having different meanings in the two languages and often think of the many poisons that are in the world.

The pufferfish has a poison that paralyses its victims – simulating death in them. This must be the most amazing sensation, to be nearly dead for a while – I wonder what an experience that must be? Does the spirit travel to other worlds, for instance, an origin that we all sprang from or do we venture to planes of our dreams or is it just like sleep where you simply shut down and wake up once the dose has run its course?

Then there are poisons that cripple, or ones that make you feel ill – ones that drive you insane over a period of time and, then again, others that get you addicted. On the flipside there are also poisons that cause deliriums or near death scenarios in which one has a joyous time that stays as an event in ones life one will never forget.

So there is a sense of poison doing negative things at times, yet there are positive poisons out there – like the analogy of indulging in a desire that has long been yearned for or the completion of an achievement which’s dream was the initial venom.

It is a thin line between good and bad that is overstepped when willingly ingesting a concoction that could be bad, yet could also be good – it is known that some poisons counteract and nullify certain states of discomfort. Therefore I see poison as being a medicine in some cases – which brings us back to the paradox that makes it a gift. A gift that synergizes with the present and how we are always faced with the choices within our lives that the present PRESENTS us with – like venom the present is. We are all infused with ‘gift’ that is sometimes good and at others’ bad.

So the choices we makes each and every moment change our past, future and present as we change memories, make plans for the future and affect our present quality of life as we move through time and space. It is a journey that, to me, can forever be deciphered and thought about from endless angles and through a myriad of activities reaching from very passive work to work that is deeply involved in determination and drive – almost with utmost impetus, so that the range of ways of being is so great that we have an endless way of being that is uniquely expressed by all the different characters we find in the world.

In my understanding this is why there is an endless expression of life, and there will always be. Each being follows its self-determined greatest good to arrive at a balance that takes it and the rest of existence that step further in cultivating an energy that is unlike any other. Each individual tailors themselves.

Returning to how this relates to the colour – I find that its biting effect translates into a defensive or offensive affect, much like good and bad, depending on intent. Its hue is sly and mischievous – so full of philosophical interpretation.

Definitely one for eccentric spaces or fierce contrasts, it lends itself to shocking scenes, when injecting the viewer with fear or horror. I imagine many depictions using this colour display something that repulses or makes people feel queasy – so that the nature of poisonous green truly hits its mark.

Not getting the opportunity to use this hue often I like simply meandering around its dualistic properties for moments on end, always returning – that in itself is a poison that I have taken.