Concerning my comments, they were a misunderstanding on my part. The problem was caused by "shape" being set to "from clipboard". See bug/question # 1430689, comment 2:
"Switch 'Shape' to 'None' instead of using 'From Clipboard'.
'From clipboard will apply a path effect even if the clipboard is empty. Don't use the setting unless you want to draw a path with the brush currently on the clipboard. As with any of the 'Shape' options other than 'None', the last used 'Stroke' color is applied for the fill."
Concerning my comments, they were a misunderstanding on my part. The problem was caused by "shape" being set to "from clipboard". See bug/question # 1430689, comment 2:
"Switch 'Shape' to 'None' instead of using 'From Clipboard'.
'From clipboard will apply a path effect even if the clipboard is empty. Don't use the setting unless you want to draw a path with the brush currently on the clipboard. As with any of the 'Shape' options other than 'None', the last used 'Stroke' color is applied for the fill."
http:// bugs.launchpad. net/inkscape/ +bug/1430689