Pink! Paule Marrot and That Pink “House Beautiful” Magazine Cover (thanks Barry Dixon!)

Pink has always been a favorite color–I grew up with a pink and white bedroom. And fast forward, when we renovated our 1905 vintage grey shingled cottage that shared the shores of Lake Washington with our neighbors in Beaux Arts Village, we painted the entry way and the all the cabinets and bookshelves in the family room a glossy “Pagoda Pink.” It didn’t seem outrageous or daring; it just seemed familiar and comforting.

Now, years later, in another vintage home on the Salish Sea, I am still painting with pink. A few years ago, House Beautiful showed up in our mailbox with Barry Dixon’s “pink” cover with Paule Marrot’s painting over the mantel and it was such a moment. To see pink, front and center–not too sweet, not too cotton candy, but a wonderful and lovely color that has a place in adding beauty to a room. That was a wonderful moment.

As always, I continue to paint with pink. Sometimes with orange, sometimes with red, sometimes just by itself. Pink will always be such an important friend in the studio.