RED! (or the lack thereof...)

No, not this "Red" (tho' this is my grand-daughter's favorite Red).

I'm thinking about the color red. Red has always been an Important color to me. It's the color I use most consciously to move a viewer's eye about in my work. When I paint, I generally paint an undercoat of various mottled reds under everything I do, so that, if the top coat doesn't cover well somewhere, the red shines through, creating a glow.

And now I am working on the first tapestry in maybe forever that has NO red in it! I really just noticed that. At the same time, I am seeing red everywhere else. The Textile Museum has an exhibit called (you guessed it) "Red". On other tapestry blogs I visit, Meabh is weaving exquisite red squares, and Marilyn has done an amazing portrait in warm reds. But still, I have no red in my current workbasket.

Just for fun, I went to one of those meme sites, to see "What color of red am I?"

You Are Red Orange

You are a very genuine person, although it takes a while for you to show the true you. A bit introverted, you desire respect and affection from those close to you. You are quite empathetic, and you have a true concern for the well being of others. Many people have warm, heartfelt memories of you - even if you don't remember them well.

What Color Red Are You?

Well, OK. That works, I guess. I mean, is that me, or what? And really, although I have no red in my basket, it is full of rusts and bricks (the color, not the object) and a number of shades and tints of oranges. They are the first cousins of red, and sometimes close enough will count... it will have to this time.

Here's how attached to red I am: Once, long ago (great story beginning, don't you think?) I decided I was over-saturated with color. I had spent several years weaving very pure primaries, and I was sick of them. So I decided to weave a tapestry that was totally neutral - no color whatsoever. Just tan and black. I wove the piece three-quarters of the way through, then couldn't take it anymore. I ran to the shelf and pulled out a small ball of red, wound it into a butterfly, and wove it in, gasping a sigh of relief. That small spot of red saved both me and the tapestry! It would have had to have been made into a dog-rug without it.
(By the way, the diagonal lines in this tapestry are lazy-lines... just a side-note for those who might wonder. Did anybody wonder?)

So anyway, I may not make it to the end of this tapestry without grabbing the basket of reds. We'll see...