Color-blind painter creates artworks that sell for at least PHP40,000

Although this Cebuano painter has trouble identifying colors, it has not stopped him from pursuing his love for the arts. His masterpieces even sell for at least PHP40,000. How does he do it?

According to Katrina Son’s report on “Dapat Alam Mo,” Celso Pepito relies on the paints’ labels and arranges them from light to dark.

“After sa puti, warm to cool so warm colors, halimbawa iyong yellow, ilagay mo [muna]. Then after that, darker [so] orange. From light to dark siya,” he said.

Celso also gets help from his wife Fe, who is also a painter. Fe said Celso sometimes still committed mistakes, but it’s all part of the process.

“Minsan iyong sa paa, minsan iba iyong kulay. Nilagyan ng green or orange. Sabi ko, palitan mo kasi iba iyong kulay, bakit nagiging green?” she said.

Celso learned about his condition after he graduated. Fe also first noticed it when he didn’t use the right color for the woodcraft he was making.

“At first, sabi ko baka hindi ko lang natunton iyong kulay then noong nagpunta ako sa doktor, doon ko na-confirm na meron pala akong gano’n,” he said.

Instead of being disheartened, Celso said he used his color blindness as motivation to do better.

According to optometrist Dr. Teresita Yambot, having trouble identifying colors may either be a cause of color blindness or color deficiency.

“Ang [colors] ay blue, red, and green. In color blindness, absent,” she said. “Pero kapag tinawag nating color deficiency, present iyong tatlong cone—blue, green, and red—kaya lang may weakness.”

Color blindness is usually checked through the Ishihara color test, which identifies if a person has red and green color deficiency. Treatment, meanwhile, is through neuro-vision therapy.

Based on global study, 8% of male and 0.5% of female population are colorblind. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News