Today, I am sharing a blog post from my fellow artist and friend, Cindy Michaud.
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.
see more work at: www.cindymichaud.com
Dancing in Color,
Cindy
