KIND OF RED

IN-BETWEEN COLORS IN BIG RED’S SHADOW

They’re murky and hard to pin down. They display hints or strains of red but they lack the full-blooded punch and gravitas of that giant among colors. Instead, they whisper or hang around with a certain sense of languor and world weariness, dreaming of the day when they’ll be able to get their red on.

Color chart issued by Sherwin Williams showing its range of not-quite-full-red interior-paint colors. Screen shot from the Materials-World website

Steven Hirsch, “Red-headed woman on her way to criminal court,” 2022, color photograph; courtesy of the artist

Detail of an unidentified painting; photo by Edward M. Gómez
Untitled, undated photograph of unidentified plants by Cathy Ward; courtesy of the artist
The main color of the sky in this photograph by David Ensminger hovers somewhere between orange and red; photo courtesy of the artist