Almost every artist signs the face of their image. The signature, often placed in the bottom right corner, claims the painting to be by a particular artist. For me, I took a long time to feel comfortable taking a different tack.
For ages I agonized about my signature. Part of the worry was a slip of the brush and messing up my picture. Another worry was making my signature too big and taking away from the image. A third worry was not being able to control such a thin line…all these worries over something so simple.
I look at a lot of art and I look at a lot of signatures. Some are names in full, some just one name, some are just initials, and others are not signatures so much as unique marks. Sometimes, I cannot help but look at the signature that takes up a large portion of the image. I often find myself marvelling at the control it takes to make a signature look the same time after time, the intricate flare and detail some artists engage.
I got married 10 years ago and changed my last name. This meant changing my signature. I remember it came quite naturally to encompass my new last name into a flowing signature that was uniquely mine. I didn’t want to use the same signature on my art, however, so the process started again for coming up with something that I could feel was mine.
I ended up using a combination of initials and arrows. It’s a design that reflects me, reflects my last name, and is simple and easy to remember. My paintbrush – the 00 that I use for this – flows without too much trouble, and I use a colour that is already in the painting.
My biggest statement – to myself, really, as placement of a signature is purely a personal decision – is to place my signature along the side of my painting, always low down on the right. This works because most of my paintings are on deep canvases. However, I have made a few pieces on paper and then I have to place it on the front, but when I do my signature is tiny and hardly noticeable.
Acrylic on Evolon Paper 12″ x 18″
Here’s a challenge for you. This painting was created on Evolon paper and I framed it. Please excuse the reflections that are seen on the glass – it is on display at our local gallery. So, the challenge is: can you see my signature? It is on there, visible, but hopefully not too visible.
So, where do you sign your pictures and how do you sign them? Is signing your work a challenge for you? Have you given it much thought? I’d love to hear back.
Janet and Janet 