MAUVE HOLT
Two colors, one kitchen nook with good morning light
Mauve Holt paints in the morning, in a nook in her kitchen that catches the early sun. Both of the paintings behind this collection were made there, on the nook table. She named both colorways herself. We sent her a list of questions and asked her not to tidy up the answers — what follows is what she sent back.
FIR
When you mixed this one, what were you trying to get to?
“I have a group of trees I like to frequent on my walks. Over the course of the past year, I have grown exceptionally close to them. They bring me such comfort and I do a lot of thinking and wishing around them. I really tried to grab their essence here, and I think I did.”
Does this color already exist somewhere in your life?
“Yes, this green is from my trees.”
If you had to call it something other than green, what would you call it?
“Fir.”
Closest thing in nature? Closest man-made thing?
“My trees. Camo pants.”
What does it feel like?
“She is fall and crisp air.”
What color could you never put next to it?
“Probably red, too competitive and green deserves her moment.”
MANGO
When you mixed this one, what were you trying to get to?
“This particular piece was a commission in which I used a photo of the client’s wedding bouquet to curate the palette. I really wanted to encompass the delicacy of a flower while also preserving the passion and feeling behind it. This fin pulls from the yellow hues that were in the painting, but when you zoom out and look at the piece in its entirety, you can see even more color and vibrancy- just like a bouquet!”
Does this color already exist somewhere in your life?
“I recently purchased soft yellow bed sheets for some more color in my bedroom and they remind me so much of this fin!”
If you had to call it something other than yellow, what would you call it?
“Mango.”
Closest thing in nature? Closest man-made thing?
“Love picked flowers. Gummy bears.”
What does it feel like?
“She is definitely spring to me, specifically the first few days of nice weather that give you faith summer is around the corner.”
What color could you never put next to it?
“She’s a chameleon, I think she’s gentle enough to play well with most colors!”
THE TWO TOGETHER
Same stretch of work, or different times in your life?
“They were both created during the winter of 2026, but from separate projects.”
Are they siblings, or are they strangers?
“Maybe a nice in between, your cousins’ cousin.”
Would you ever put them in the same painting?
“No, I think they are better stand alone.”
If someone could only take one, which one are they?
“If you take the yellow, you are a person who likes to love and be loved. If you take the green, you are a person who likes to think about things past the surface level and find connection in places most would skip over.”
Which one was harder to get right?
“Definitely the green.”
Which one is more you? Which one do people think is more you?
“I think both have been me at different eras of my life. Currently, I feel much more connected with Green with the introspective season I am finding myself in. I think at first glance people might peg me as Yellow, which in all fairness, isn’t entirely wrong.”
If these two were a season or a time of day?
“Yellow is spring, green is fall. Yellow is 10 am, green is 8 pm.”
HER
Where were you when you made these?
“I have this nook in my kitchen that is gifted with the most beautiful morning sun. I made both of these pieces there on the nook table.”
What time of day does the work actually happen?
“I paint in the morning. I rely on the sun to help me see if i’ve mixed my colors right and for the caffeine bump of my morning coffee to hold me accountable to perfecting the work.”
What’s the thing you make that nobody sees?
“I write a lot in addition to painting. Poems help me identify the emotion I want to convey and then I can channel that into the painting. Each piece is so much more than just paint on canvas. They are time capsules of lived experience.”
What’s a compliment about your work that misses the point?
“When people tell me my work is good and that they wish they could paint. I thoroughly believe anyone can do anything, especially painting. It just comes down to sticking with it long enough to perfect your craft. I was never innately good at painting or art. I just engaged with it repeatedly and stuck through the growing pains to get to a point where I can be proud of the work. I want people to know they can do it too, in their own way.”
Who taught you something about color that stuck?
“Recently I went to Giverny and did a tour of Claude Monet’s home. Every wall in every room of his home was filled with beautiful pastel colors. It was such a powerful moment to see how incredible it is to invite color into your home and into your life. Color reflects us and it’s beautiful to let it in.”
What are you bad at, and have you stopped trying to fix it?
“I am bad at keeping myself from forming an emotional bond with my pieces. When they get purchased and I ship them off, it can put me in my feels knowing I won’t see morning light on them again. But I think the fact that I care so deeply is my superpower and just goes to show how much heart is behind the things I create.”
THE OBJECTS
You’ve got both fins in hand now. First thing you noticed?
“They both emit such gentle, grounding energy. Both are little snippets from a larger canvas, and it’s cool to see which section of the piece MidFin gravitated towards when crafting these.”
Do they look like your paintings, or like something that came from your paintings?
“They look like something that came from my paintings.”
Do they belong on a board or on a wall?
“Green aches for the water and def belongs on a board. I really think Yellow would be a perfect dose of cheer for an apartment’s interior aesthetic.”
RAPID FIRE
Fir — one word: earthy. One sound: rustling. It’s the color of: your favorite tree in direct sun. The song that goes with it: Garden (Say It Like Dat) by SZA.
Mango — one word: gentle. One sound: pillow-talk. It’s the color of: sunday market flowers. The song that goes with it: Mango (Freestyle / Process) by Orion Sun.
Limited guest run, made once.
