DORAL, Fla. – At just eight years old, Fernando Dávila from Colombia faced an unexpected setback when he failed a drawing class for painting donkeys in an unconventional shade of red.

This was not a whimsical choice; it was a result of his colorblindness.

Today, at 72, Dávila has established himself as a celebrated artist. His vibrant and dynamic works have graced galleries across South America, Europe, and the United States.

“I am fortunate to have the most wonderful job in the world—painting every morning,” Dávila expressed from his studio in a Miami suburb. “Mixing colors and sharing joy with the world is truly my passion.”

Because of his colorblindness, a hereditary condition that complicates distinguishing between certain hues, particularly red and green, Dávila initially focused on black and white artworks until he turned 30. The condition offers no cure, and for Dávila, it also makes shades like pink, violet, turquoise, and yellow-green challenging to discern.

Since the mid-1980s, Dávila has painted in color through the help of glasses developed by an ophthalmologist in New York, where Dávila was living at the time. One lens is transparent and the other is shaded red, and they help him discriminate between contrasting shades that normally blur together. With the lenses, he can see almost two-thirds of the colors, but without them he only sees around 40% of the colors.

Dávila compared his condition to having a box of chocolates but only being able to eat a sample of the selection. He says he has such a strong desire to see every color.

“It’s something that I miss in my life, that if somebody says, ‘Look at this flower,’ which is bright, bright pink, I want to do it,” he said. “It’s something that comes from my heart so passionately. I can feel the vibration of color.”

Colorblindness runs his family. A grandfather and some great uncles only saw in black and white, while his mother and her three sisters also were colorblind even though the condition is rarer in women. His two brothers also have trouble discriminating between colors.

Dávila has spent his career in Colombia, New York and Florida. He was awarded the “Order of Democracy” by the Colombian Congress in 1999 for his contribution to the arts. He also has published two hardcover books and many catalogues about his paintings, and his work has appeared at major auctions including Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

His paintings include romantic images of men and women embracing and landscapes, often using the color blue as a foundation.

“I think color is one of the most important things in life,” he said. “And especially for me.”

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Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida contributed to this report.