CC: A Bit of Pink

Pink is a controversial color. It's not a color in the traditional rainbow. Some women have a problem with pink because they associate it with excessive marketing of pink products for girls, and also with a girly-girl style that doesn't appeal to them. You can count me among them. Yet I try not to be prejudiced when it comes to colors: they all are beautiful.

And Mother Nature certainly loves pink. Especially in the springtime, she does a fabulous job of displaying its amazing variety of shades.

Pink is not just pale red. We do think of it as a separate color. So love it or leave it, I think pink deserves its own swap in this neutrals series. In any case, a little bit of pink is a whole lot more pleasing than an overwhelming amount of it.

The intention of this series of swaps is to explore the power of color used sparingly, with the greatest part of the collage being colors I am calling "neutrals." By "neutrals" I mean not just white, the infinite greys, and black, but also all the various shades of brown, which include cream and pale tan. This time you will create a collage with mostly neutrals and just a bit of pink. Future swaps will be devoted to "A Bit of Orange," "A Bit of Yellow," and so on through the rainbow.

The "A Bit of..." series will always have the signups due by the 25th of the month, and swaps due in the mail by the following 15th of the month (with minor adjustments, as needed, for holidays).

So! Your challenge, this month, is to make one collage postcard of any size or shape with mostly neutrals and just a bit of pink as the allowed colors. You may use any shade of pink—pale, hot, dusty, deco, flamingo, anatomical, and so on. This swap is "sender's choice," which is another way of saying, "don't look at your partner's profile." In fact, this whole series is about developing your own imagination as a collage artist, not about pleasing your partner. Think of it as a chance to expand your repertoire! You may, of course, add other media of all ilk to the PC, but collage should be the main medium. Mail it naked unless there are flimsy bits. Mail it by the 15th of December.

Mini-FAQ:

• How much, exactly, is "a bit of pink"? I've debated about naming a specific percentage—such as less than 5%, less than 10%, whatever. Instead, I've decided you should let yourself be guided by the examples I've provided below. Past that, it's up to you to decide what's "a bit."
• Does the neutral portion have to include a shade of brown? Not at all. You may restrict yourself to black, white & grey in the neutrals, or even purely black & white with no shades of grey. You get to pick which neutrals you use. But if you can stay away from the very orange- or yellow-toned browns, and very blue- or green-toned greys, please do so. In other words, in your neutrals, lean toward undersaturated.
• May I include a teensy bit of other color(s) than pink? Yes you may, so long as the amount of the other color(s) is quite a bit less than the amount of pink.

Some examples of mostly neutrals with a bit of pink:

• "Untitled" by Eva Eun-Sil Han —> larger view of the one featured above
• "Untitled" by Sundrey Sullen
• "Sep. 6th" by Clare Murray Adams
• "Aurora" by Francisca Pageo

I hope the examples will inspire you to try new and different things! Have fun!

FYI: I will be out of town & off the Net over Thanksgiving weekend. Otherwise, I'm open to any questions you have. In fact, the first comment below answers one of them. =smile=

I hope no one will be too shocked if I end this write-up by quoting one of my favorite Aerosmith songs:

"Pink—it's my new obsession,
Pink—it's not even a question,
Pink—on the lips of your lover, 'cause
Pink—is the love you discover."