Titling Art - follow up insights

I recently offered a blog exploring the

importance of titles to artwork.  Review it here.

I asked for your opinions and you didn't let me down!

Herewith I am sharing some of your comments:

I start with a compliment:

Certainly to titles. I think they should not merely be, but add - as in causing you to go dizzying about trying to figure out why the artist chose that particular title. As in the one you picked for this painting. Way to go! (I also have done market research to confirm that a title can draw a judge's attention-poetry or painting.)

and briefly:

I like titles as long as they are not too abstract. A title helps me understand what the artist was thinking.

a friend shares:

 Sometimes I think I just can’t come up with another title for a seascape; however, I frequently have a painting named the minute I conceive it. Like “Femme Fatale” or “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.” I had a photographer friend who did a photo of a man on a street talking to a clown; yes, a fully-costumed clown. The clown was pointing down the street. The title of the photo was “So I Stopped and Asked Some Clown for Directions.” I saw the photo in 1983 and I never forgot it because of the clever title. 

Some of my favorite titles are derived from songs, like the one you did here.

from an artist:

I always hated to name my drawings, didn't want to influence the viewers interpretation. But at an art show, if a judge picked it for judging it needed a title, sometimes a real struggle ...(see judge reference in first comment!)

a two-step method of viewing:

A title should add, I want to be able to enjoy the piece "on my own terms" first and then be able to turn to the title for some insight into the creator's thoughts.

another artist:

 I like my titles to say something about the piece, even if it is a personal memory that someone else might not understand.  That often allows the viewer to ask about it, or perhaps dream their own interpretation.  I don't understand some titles; they are almost like the artist stuck it on as an afterthought, as in a piece with circles within squares and the title is "Forest"?  But then, maybe that is what the artist actually sees.  So titles to me are very important but I'm sure that's not true for all artists!

I mentioned that some artists just prefer to number their pieces, which I think, gives me no reference at all as to their thoughts. And "untitled" to me is just lazy; apparently I have like minded reader:

As for numbering systems, I think they have their place, as in Earth Study 1, Earth Study 5.  I do not like them as indicative of the number of pieces an artist makes.  And I am flummoxed by pieces titled "Untitled".  Surely it evokes something in the artist, else why did he/she make it!  Where did it come from?  What does it evoke?  That just blows me away.  So that is my two cents, for what it's worth!!

more to chew on:

Hi Cindy,

I think titles are important, since they can often give the viewer insight into what inspired the artist.  When I look at art, I first study it and then read the title.  I want to see if I got anywhere close to figuring out the artist’s intent.  Sometimes the title will cause me to look again and notice something new.

... I’m not keen on predictable titles.  Although I’ve used them (and will probably continue to do so, at times.)  But, I prefer a title that’s a little more poetic.  Something that sort of circles around the main idea.  Like my recent quilt with 3 large tomatoes.  That could have been the title, but instead I named it “Vine Ripened.”  Still not earth shattering in its creativity, but much better than the super obvious.  

Thanks to all who responded and/or thought about this topic, it was fun to read and share your opinions. I'll close with this delightful non sequitur sent in:

For some reason this topic reminds me of what Ogden Nash had to say about eels. 

The Eel

I don't mind eels.  Except as meals. And the way they feels. 

In Titular Color,
Cindy
have you seen my FaceBook page?  to keep up with pieces as they come off the easel
LIKE ME here.

Dizzy Dancing Way You Feel

Have you ever listened to music and had

a line just jump out?  Often I am in the car and think

to myself "what would that lyric look like painted?"

I rarely go further as I can't make a note

while driving but every now and then...

Does the Title Affect Your Viewing?

Titles for paintings are funny things.  To some artists they are merely a locale, to others they become a marketing gimmick; sometimes one struggles for a title and once in a while the piece instantly names itself.  Purchasing a piece, I once asked the artist where it was. "Oh," he answered, "that was from Siena, Italy."  I paused writing the check and looked up. "Shoot, it reminded me of a place my husband and I stayed in Provence, France," I replied.  He grinned, "yes, that is just what I meant to say!"  We both laughed, I finished the purchase and simply re-christianed the piece.  All the same...

What does a title mean to you?

I am serious.  My husband and I go round and round (I won't say out loud that he likes trite references which he thinks are literary....oh, did I say trite??) and I wax and wane between what I feel and what I see.  Frankly I have rarely bought something for which the title was a critical component, yet I usually ask.    The selection is often a point of reference or at least starts a conversation with the maker.

Which brings me to the piece I share today.

We stopped by an amazing "You-Pic-Em" flower farm in Oregon which also had a winery and a gourmet food truck.  It was a spontaneous stop on a long but spectacular drive and with one eye on the dark clouds rolling in we stood in awe of the acres of flowers ready to be picked.  Wine, lunch, flowers...a few photos and we happily resumed our drive.

Can one ever re-capture that experience?  I think not.  The dark, mountainous backdrop and the swaths of floral color are perhaps better rendered in the abstract of masses.  But on another rainy day in the studio I can play and remember.  So I did.  And then to title, humming...I will borrow, with respect for Joni Mitchell's endless talent,  a line that is laden with meaning...for me.

"The Dizzy, Dancing Way You Feel"

24 x 18, oil

available

How do you feel about titles?  Do they influence your view of the art?  Or do you prefer a numbering system? I am really curious, so please share.

Dancing in Color,

Cindy

The Gentle Shove of a Deadline

Nothing like flipping over the calendar only to discover one is less than 4 weeks away from a deadline!  Usually I love having specific points of reference for project finishes, it helps to focus on keeping the main thing the main thing!  But yikes....so here we go with a need for speed and a critical look at several unfinished pieces.  Photographing them really helps to see them better for corrections.

Duneside, 11 x 14, underpainting

This little scene is from an area in Ponte Vedra, FL, a cozy little spot tucked in the sand dunes of the ocean...a lovely place to sit and dream.  Of course this is the first of many layers of paint and colors but I do want to stick to a predominately purple-ish tone and feel.  It was the gentle time of day when the sun was sinking and the gold light made everything so soft.  Lots more work to do.

UnNamed, 24 x 18, oil

work in progress

This piece is crying out for a name...suggestions?  There is more work to be done on the tree and its nest of roots as well as raising the sandbar in front of the water.  Roots like this are always so fascinating to me...and always so difficult to paint.  But I am anxious to get back to this one...I feel I have visited this scene many, many times.....

Heron, 30 x 24, oil

work in progress

I found this scene in the Everglades, FL.  There is still much to do on this very large piece but I like the vagueness of it in its present state.  It will be interesting to see where it goes....all this green calls for a little bit of pink dont you think?  and more blue?  hmmmm.  It could use a fancy name as well.

All of these pieces need to be finished and framed before the ArtWorks of Eau Gallie show on November 22.  The festival has added a patrons night before the opening which means that instead of working until the very last minute, putting up your tent and heading home to crash, we will be on site, gracious and smiling at 6 pm to greet the fine folks who make the show possible.

More on the show and my progress over the next week or two.  Meanwhile, if you are near Brevard County, FL mark the dates and come see us.  And cross your fingers I can get these done and dried before I hit the framers!

Colorfully yours,

Cindy