Friday, April 10, 2009

Stick a Fork in it...

I have finished my giraffe for now--thinking of calling it something humorous like My Other Car is a Jaguar or What??!!




Actually I have to live with these guys for a while before I decide the title. Titles are important, don't you all find? Just the right one can evoke a whole new level of understanding in or communication with the viewer. The wrong one (or one that, perhaps, is too personal to the artist, can make an otherwise appreciative viewer, say, HUH?--completely taking them off the track of enjoying your work.

How do YOU come up with your titles?

10 comments:

Jean Spitzer said...

My very favorite title is "untitled," because even an apt title feels too limiting. But, I have been forcing myself to title my work in some way. Sometimes the title comes from the name I use when thinking about the work in my own mind or referring to it. So, yours might be "Giraffe with Bird" or "Bird on Giraffe." Not very imaginative, really.

FitFoodieMegha said...

After seeing the painting..whatever comes to my mind first is the title..Lovely giraffe..Take Care! Happy Easter!

Anonymous said...

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for your kind words. You are a star. Have a great day.

Cheers Rebecca

Jane Hunt said...

Sad to say, but I now consider search engine optimization when I name pieces - kinda takes the romance out of it!

dominique eichi said...

First , your piece here is fabulous and second your question about titles is great . Yes a title is very important if you are in the business of selling your art it can be an important piece that can enhance the picture or make us go ,OK what ever, I knew that, I did not need you to tell me what I'm looking at, but I guess our imagination stops at drawing sometimes. I have to admit my imagination does stop at drawing. When I find a fabulous title on some-else work I wonder how they came up with it. So lately I have been making a conscientious effort to find a message in it also . I'm not there yet but trying to get better in that area.
Bottom line yes titles are important.
That why movie titles or book titles are also so important.
I do like the answer of Jane Hunt it is good advice even if it feel the romance is taken out with a good title it can be back in.

Kathleen Krucoff said...

Hi Elizabeth,

I just love this one. It certainly makes me smile, especially with your proposed title.

I definitely struggle with coming up with titles and I think your comments about them are dead on! Sometimes I'll see something and I know just what to call it. Other times, I just need to stop thinking about it and hope something will bubble to the surface of my mind.

Thanks for following my blog and your comments. I'm happy to be following yours too!

Great work!

jennifer woodburn said...

I love your titles - a little humour always goes a long way. I suck at giving titles to my paitings - it seems the creativity is out of me by the time I complete a painting. So often I give them boring names like "afternoon woods" or "grey barn". I am trying out a new system right now. I list as many variations of names as I can think of and put them on a sticky note next to the painting. I usually leave my paintings on their own for a couple of days, in case I want to make any final changes. By the time I am done with the painting, it seems that one of the more interesting names sticks for me.

ArtPropelled said...

I really love this painting because its quirky and makes me smile. How about ..On a clear day I can see forever...Actually it's the first thing that popped into my head so just ignore me :-)

Elizabeth Seaver said...

Thanks for weighing in on the discussion everyone!

Robyn, I think I would love to have a giraffe to ride on the top of....Hmmmm.

Paula Villanova said...

I love this piece. I agree, the title needs to be thoughtful but I do struggle with this because I feel that the piece should speak for itself. I often think about what impact the title should have on a piece of visual art, but it certainly can alter or enhance the perception of it...so my titles tend to be more like labels I think. I do enjoy some of the witty titles I see though..!