The Power of a Title

Coming up with titles for my paintings is something I love to do. It broadens my creative enjoyment and gives me another important avenue for communicating my message to the viewer. However I realize that not every artist relishes that task, as evidenced by the numerous paintings with ho-hum titles such as "Vase of Flowers," or "Lake Shore" or even the nondescript "#57." Okay, I admit to the occasional "Blue Truck" or "Aspen Grove", but at times I have delved deeper to tell a little story with "Elizabeth's Canopy" when a simple "Old Cottonwood" might have sufficed. Doesn't a painting named "The Pilgrimage" arouse your curiosity more than if it had been simply called "The Hike?"

Still not convinced?

First of all, if you have a working title in mind when you begin a piece, it can serve as your mission statement, the Big Idea to help keep your painting on track.

And secondly, when a viewer is looking at a room full of paintings, your clever or insightful title gives him one more reason to pause and consider your artwork. On several occasions, purchasers admitted to me that they were prompted to buy based on their interest in my painting's title.

So even if you don't consider yourself a poet (I certainly don't) reaching beyond the obvious solution just might start a conversation that gives you a deeper connection to your viewers. It's worth the effort!