When the Colours Speak of History

When the Colours Speak of History

When my son's friend asked me to make this custom set for her dad's birthday, she specifically asked for the Rastafarian colours, and said I could make any design I thought would look good. I loved the creative freedom, but thought long and hard on it because these colours all hold significant meaning:

Rastafarian colours

The Rastafarian colours are red, green and gold. Sometimes black is added. These colours are chosen because:

  • Red signifies the blood of those killed for the cause of the black community, throughout Jamaican history
  • Green represents Jamaica's vegetation and hope for the eradication of suppression
  • Gold symbolises the wealth of Ethiopia
  • Black signifies the colour of the Africans who initiated Rastafari

Every colour needed to shine and more importantly, they needed to flow together as they all tell one story. I realized marbling was the way to go, but it was important the colours did not bleed into one another and lose their meaning, so I chose a specific type of resin to get the exact right consistency.

An important and sentimental message needed to shine through, so once cured I die cut the message out of a metallic gold adhesive foil and sealed within a crystal clear resin. Her father had an irie birthday ;-)