The world is a colorful place, but many of us may not realize that our backgrounds color how we interpret the colors surrounding us. 
Studies have been done to establish that color does have a psychological influence on each of us.
Studies also indicate that we do NOT have the same responses to the same colors.  Our ethnic background affects the associations we may make to a color.  
We need to recognize that not only does each color have many shades, but each also has varied shades of meaning.   A glance at the chart below provides an insight to why a Chinese bride would prefer a red dress to a white dress.The meanings listed on the chart are NOT absolutes; they merely reflect possibilities.

Different Cultures have different symbols for similar colors

Color	Generic	African American	Asian American	Latin American*	Native American*
Red	Courage, vigor	Life and Blood	Luck, happiness	Communication	Faith
Blue	Patience, tranquility	Innocence	Sinister, self cultivation	Intuition	Intuition
Green	Fertility, wealth	Africa/Earth	Authority, eternity, family	Living Willfully	Will
Black	Mourning, evil	People/Unity	Career, knowledge	Hearing/listening	Harmony
Gold	Persuasion, protection	Strength/ Fortune	Strength, wealth
White	Purity, truth	Brightness	Mourning	Sharing	Magnetism
Yellow	Charm, confidence		Against evil>	Love	Love
Brown	Hesitation			Knowing	Self-discipline
Purple	Ambition, Power	Spirituality	Wealth	Gratitude	Wisdom
Orange	Adaptability			Kinship	Learning

*The Latin American and Native American definitions are interchangable.

The ethnic background of an artist influences the colors on the artist's palette.  Artists have the same color choices, but the African-American artist may select different shades and tones of those colors than the Native-American artist. 
For an interesting color experience and a lesson in cultural color selections, examine a set paintings completed by artists with similar ethnic backgrounds to note their color preferences.  After studying the works of art, use the color palette of one of the artists to paint or color your own masterpiece.   Click here for pages to be colored.

Color Palette of artists from different cultures

African American (Deep, primary colors)	Asian American (Lighter shades, pastels)	Latin American (Earth Tones)	Native American (Earth Tones)
Red Blue Green Black Gold White Purple	Red Pink Blue Yellow Green Purple Black Gray White	Red Red Earth Orange Gray Blue Green Blue Violet Brown Turquoise Yellow Green Yellow White	Red  Rose Terra Cotta Orange Tan Green Aqua Silver Turquoise Black White