Poppy Red - a Pantone Colour Choice for Spring/Summer 2013

Have you noticed Poppy Red in your local shops? It's one of the Pantone colour choices for Spring/Summer this year. 

But it didn't put in an appearance in Abergavenny until June. Maybe that's because, being the colour of fire, it's one of the 'hottest' colours, more associated with summer than spring. 

Or perhaps it was waiting for the poppies to bloom?

This oil pastel painting of a friend's garden is called, 'June Garden'. It's based on a photo I took when I had a birthday lunch with her - in June!

90th Birthday Card for a Grandmother - June Garden by helikettle
 

Whatever the reason for 'Poppy Red's' late arrival, there's a lot of it about now!

It's a colour I love - though, sadly, it doesn't suit me like it did when I was younger - so I looked it up in my big book of Colour. And here are a few of the interesting Facts about Red that I discovered.

• Like yellow and orange, red is a colour that demands attention and is hard to miss. That's probably why the post boxes and the older telephone boxes in the UK are red -

- and of course, red traffic lights mean 'Stop!', a signal you won't want to miss!

• Red is the colour at the top of the rainbow. Of interest to artists and photographers, is the fact that red appears to advance. Something red in the foreground of a painting or photo will give the image depth, especially if the background tends towards the blues, as in distant mountains.

• Red is the first colour that babies perceive. Small children are attracted to it. The red crayons are always the most worn down in the box!

• But in an environment with a lot of red, children become fractious - and maybe it's not just children! Red quickens the heart rate and stimulates the release of adrenalin. We use the phrase 'seeing red'; and 'red mist' is defined as, 'a feeling of extreme anger that clouds one's judgement temporarily'! 

• But on a more positive note, red fruits and vegetables are not only attractive but good for us. You can read what it is that makes them a healthy choice HERE. Although there are plenty of green apples and others that are speckled with yellow and orange, traditionally, the red apples were thought to be the juiciest.

• Red also stimulates the appetite - hence the heavily red-based decor of burger stalls and fast-food outlets.

• In China, Red is the colour of Luck. Just look at these Lucky Lanterns that are bought to ward off evil! So when it came to creating Chinese New Year Cards or Birthday Cards, they had to be red!

And of course, Poppies seem to be one of the most popular flowers with artists. They can be quite a challenge to paint as their colour seems to change with the light and their petals are so fragile. 

Poppies come in a variety of colours but I always think of 'red' when I think of poppies. And this collection of patterns has been one of my most popular.

Here's a blog post I wrote about this beautiful flower a while back -

Poppies

So how do you feel about Poppy Red? Is it a colour you're wearing this summer? For shoes maybe?  You'll certainly get noticed! 

But bearing in mind the effect of red on your heart rate and adrenalin, maybe stick to accents of Poppy Red in your home, rather than large, solid areas of this decidedly 'assertive' colour!