pink

OK--today I have been thinking about the word "pink". Not sure why--maybe because it is one of those very grey rainy days in March. Still snow on the ground although gradually it is melting and turning into the dreaded mud season leaving the detritus of winter behind. Fog. Haze. Did I tell you it it is grey and dreary? Now in winter there is not a lot of pink around--the colors of dawn and sunset. The light reflected on the snow. A few branches in the distance can create a wonderful pink color. Birch bark peeling shows a bit of a pink color. But no--it is more the color of spring and summer.

Pink hyacinths. Pink cherry blossoms. Tulips--ah the pink of tulips so bright and cheerful. Then cosmos, zinnias. Some wonderful pink iris. Even the occasional pink daylily. Such a delight amidst the reds and yellows.

Think of the word itself. Strange isn't it. Say it out loud. "Pink" does not sound like the color pink does it.  Think of the rhymes--pink, mink, blink, stink, wink,sink....I look it up in my OED. Where did the word actually come from? Now this is actually most interesting. They don't know. Can you believe that? They don't know. Shakespeare used pink to mean the finest flower--embodied excellence. Dianthus were called pinks--maybe because of their scalloped or pinked edges. (Think of pinking shears.) There is even speculation that pink may have come from pink-eye. Banish that thought--UGH!!! According to my OED it wasn't until the 18th century that pink began to refer to that pale light red color--and especially the color worn by fox hunters. Fascinating isn't it?

Now I don't normally use that much pink in my work. Sure it occurs in the quilt--colors of my garden. I needed that pink to transition from light to dark red. See.

A bit of pink in rainbows of summer. Pink in the dawn of summer sky. Pink as a transitional color or a highlight. I used to use pink more when I made baby quilts but that was eons ago. Recently though I heard a great discussion on Interior Design Chat about the color pink. Pink with brown, pink and grey. Pamela Farrell on her wonderful blog had a post about the color pink--check it out here. More pink art than you can imagine.  Maybe that was also stirring in the back of my design brain--not sure. I do know they have recently added some great fabrics in pink--or maybe I just noticed them.

Anyhow I decided I had to make something pink. Now a pink wall hanging probably wouldn't sell. Sure someone would buy it but it could be custom ordered. But pink for pillows. They would add a nice spark to my selection. I learned a long time ago that the colors you display must look alive and varied enough to give customers a choice. To let them have the fun of choosing. Isn't that one of the reasons they come to craft shows?

And of course I do have to play. One of those new pieces I am thinking of? Maybe not quite this combination but there are possibilities here. What do you think?

And you--do you find yourself working with specific colors as the seasons change?  What do you think of the color pink?