Naming A Painting

Lately Ive been coming up with great ideas for paintings and i have been working some of them out. Unfortunately that is not what i will be talking to you about today. The topic is naming a painting.

You may or may not know there is a difference between naming and cataloging. Do I know the difference? Sort of, but I can tell you this much: its a learning process and interpretive. To me a catalogue is a way to organize what you've done and a name is a title. Since names and titles are one in the same, we'll look at my methodology, process and ideas about it. 

Sometimes the name is easy and just comes to you right away, other times it may take months and you still come up with nothing. When that happens that jeopardy theme song from final jeopardy starts to play. There have even been times where I have come up with multiple names for the same painting and couldn't decide which one to use, as they were all fitting for the piece. I may or may not have lost sleep over it.

The dilemma of naming gets even more intense and demanding when you have to display pieces in the public. I have displayed my art in several locations and those pieces and their names were mostly painless. 

Below I can and will give you two (2) examples of pieces that i have displayed publicly and these paintings immediately stick out in my mind of pieces that, for me were relatively difficult to title. 

The first was a piece and idea i had and ran with, the painting process was extremely difficult and ever changing. the naming process was even worse. Finally i said enough, i quit with the painting modifications and finally, named and displayed it publicly.

as of today (12/4) it is called 'down the road'. yes, i hate the name however i am mostly satisfied with the painting, the way i see it, only a few things need to be done but i'll work it out.

the next painting i'll share with you wasn't as difficult to name eventually but i didn't come up with the name until days before the display deadline. 'the extended extension', seen below:

When i first created the piece, the name completely escaped me. i did put the image on my website and Facebook page and from what i hear someone is interested in buying it. Currently it is part of a show in Corning, Ny. Looking at it now, i can say i am happy with the painting and the title.

I would imagine that most people (art appreciators) may not fully understand how hard the process of titling a painting can be until now. And what i said and showed probably doesn't make it any easier. But, Ive learned that a name can make or break a painting, which is sad and understandable to say the least.  If the name doesn't resonate, the painting is dead or at the very least it must take something away. 

I find it incredibly funny that naming children was easier than naming paintings, and i should know, i named both of my children with fitting names. Perhaps I should try and apply that process, whatever it was, to my paintings.

Birthday Art

A dear friend and fan of my artwork recently celebrated a birthday. I immediately knew and was determined to find a painting of mine for her. A spur of the moment decision and a rather difficult task. Where do I begin?
I had a starting place: my Facebook art page. I methodically searched each and every post until I found one that resonated. Thinking back I remembered how she commented on a particular piece on a red background, insightful i know, but to me that meant she could envision herself hanging that painting on a wall. Success!
This particular piece was completed in the very early stages of my artistic journey, with that being said it doesn't mean i cared for or worked on it any less, it just means i had used a paint brush for a short amount of time when it was created. Also its one of the few pieces i have ever attempted to frame, which by the way is extremely difficult, god bless the framers of the world.  Don't wanna dive to deeply into the framing process but it can be nerve wracking, finding the perfect frame, or the frame that compliments your work,  trust me.
It had been hanging in my house (studio) for months and I walked by it everyday and thought about what she had said in the comments...that painting ~ red wall. I had it against a white wall. I had a cool thing going, I lined up every framed piece next to each other and had a miniature framed artwork display.
Back to the special lady and her special day and my anxiety. I grabbed it, brought it downstairs, unframed it and perfected it. I mean I straightened every line, cleaned the glass, removed every speck of dust or dirt and put hanging equipment on it. Once it was readied I had to figure out how to present it in a way that was conducive to prove I wasn't trying to get rid of it but that I actually cared about her support of my art endeavor and her birthday. I had a plan, and an inordinate amount of anxiety.
I had this all inclusive plan but wasn't sure how I was going to convince her to accept something without feeling put on the spot. The sad part is because of my frivolous nerves and fear I ended up being a day late. Thats always been my nature, to make things way more complex than they are or need to be. The encounter went way better than I expected (why wouldn't it?). Not only was she exceptionally nice and accepting but she was also surprised and delighted. I wish that moment would have never ended, I am convinced that her reaction, response, joy, delight and surprise will last and move me the rest of my life. No amount of anything can possibly replicate that. Glad you like it, and once again Happy Birthday!

Heres the Piece...

called "under the light", 2015

here's the piece hanging at her place:

It was pure happenstance that she need a piece of artwork and I showed up to her house with one but this is her first original piece of art she has ever owned. Congratulations and Happy Birthday! Its also the first time I have ever given a piece of art as a gift. 

'tiled'

     As you can see from the picture above, not much to it. Sure it's unique, different, unusual and good but not real exciting. Very typical for a 'Trujillo'. Here we have a moon/sun and a tree done in black with a white background.  I had been painting for roughly 2 months when i created the initial piece. A short time later (days) i added black and white tiles and a landscape and it ended up looking like this:

'tiled', 2015

     Much better and I think the finished product turned out amazing! I wasn't the only one to think so, when I unveiled it people were excited. I was so happy with it that I didn't sleep that night. The pictures (above) were a good representations but no great ones and they don't capture the essence of artwork. As far as i'm concerned pictures never do justice to paintings. 

     The sad part was it had been hanging around my house for about 4 months, I had the opportunity to display it in the gallery but I didn't think it would be accepted. So Instead I placed it in different locations in my home and left it there. Of course I moved it around a bit but it stayed here. There was a minuscule amount of joy placing it in different spots, that by the way in itself can be construed as an art. Each room has it's own color, lighting and sun exposure, which is good and gives you good feedback for a painting in a real world setting. The weird part is it didn't matter where i put it, it just seemed to fit in. Everywhere I hung it, i liked the way it looked. Maybe  it wasn't the locations as much as it was the actual painting? This particular piece is that good, in person anyway. The only regret that I have was that only myself and family who live with me were able to fully enjoy the beauty of the original. That was until I decided to display it and put it up for sale.   

     That ended up being a great decision. It was sold the day it was displayed. In fact rather quickly. Were talking hours, I'm pretty sure it may have been displayed for less than 3 hours. I was on my way to see it hanging and take pictures and it was already gone. It was the first time I had given them a piece of mine to be displayed. In short what happened was odd and is exciting and fast. That's gonna be as far as I'm willing to divulge, don't wanna jinx it!

    One final note is that I believe and I am convinced that I made great progress with the piece. I am even more happy with the end product and I am ecstatic that someone in the world had enough faith in me and my artwork to make it part of their life. That fact alone brings a smile to my face. I am sure that the new owner will enjoy it as much as I did and do, it's one of those pieces of art that makes you stop and think. - James.      

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memoir of a grey piece...

I've been looking at a piece titled 'movie reel'. it can be seen at my website or on facebook. that particular piece was dedicated to my sister for her birthday. i wanted to do something special as she is near and dear to me. i was pondering what to do for days and to no avail no ideas. what i ended up doing instead was just painting and hoping (knowing rather) that it will come to me. what ended up ensuing was what is on the canvas right now. what i really wanted to talk about was the color that was used in it. that piece was the first piece i ever used a color that i mixed by will, no secret formula just mix and there it is. i liked the way that shade of grey can never be bought, replicated, reproduced or remade. that particular shade reminds me of the car from back to the future. it can also be related to a lot of those old movie reels too. it wasn't my first attempt with color (which i hate) but it was my first attempt at making and using my own color and that was exciting. i feel i did a great job, and I'm not know as a man who uses color. in the future i may or may not use more color, who knows. as a self taught artist such as myself, i think it of utmost importance to do what ever controls the art (mind, body, soul, etc.). i personally just paint and shape a piece accordingly, i don't use pictures, references etc., i just think and paint and the combination comes together and great things happen... obviously the main focus is the shade of grey i used in the topic of conversation but the more i think about the art that i do, and the more people ask me about it, the more i realize there is a lot more to it. each piece has an initial undertone and then an interpretation. a picture never does justice unfortunately but an explanation and an emotion go a long way.              

Newest painting

My recent piece, which I have not yet made available to the public for viewing has a lot of interest to me. I didn't have a clue, I just did whatever felt natural. It ended up being intreperpretive. It could be literally anything. That wasn't planned, I was in the mood to paint but did to have anything I felt had intention. I just made lines, filled in spots and it was created. I must say I am happy with it. My concern is, what do I call it? Will will people think? How do I answer their questions? It'll be interesting when I display it. I mean it's bad enough when people look at my work and immediately don't get it. After all it not still life, abstract or something they can relate to, so it should be forgotten. I only know, enjoy and relate to art. My style, my way. I feel what I do and the way I do it is innovative, unique, original and possibly deep. I'm not an art technician. I could be but no thank you. I realized that I can't be a traditional artist like people want. I'm ok with that. My dream is one day someone says wow, he was he Picasso of his generation. I started art 6mos. Ago and I already won an award, copyright and trademark. Also I will be having my first opening in November and am represented in 2 galleries. All I can say is I love what I create and I love the place it comes from...I would have never thought that I would get so much from art. The people I've met, the conversations I've had and the place I go are deeply cherished by me and I hope it lasts a lifetime.

business card

i made business cards awhile back, the idea was to help promote myself a little better (that and people have a tendency to forget you quicker than they met you). yesterday while designing and building the 2016 calendar i felt or rather deemed it necessary to redesign my business card. granted the template pretty remained the same but the information changed a whole lot. it has a lot more social connected website directions and what have you. can't say for sure that i like it better but one thing is for sure, it will give me more access and exposure or at least its supposed to. Just in time too, as i will be traveling to an art opening and handing out my card. as trivial as it may sound having a way to extend  yourself a not totally disregarded it having a forget me not card available, its important to have, to me anyway...

latest idea

I am excited to announce a new idea I have. I am going to make and release an annual art calendar starting with 2016 and it will be available each year I continue to do art. The calendar, which will include my very own work, will be hand selected, arranged and designed by me. I have been putting my heart and soul into this thing. I want walk away knowing something in public was solely completed by me...no shortcuts, help, input, suggestions, nothing. This is my second attempt at it. Each time i have attempt it, it has taken roughly two days of barely eating and no sleep. Currently i have 1 proto-type and a more significantly completed draft. My goal with the calendar isn't to make money but rather challenge myself to match a completed artwork with a month of the year, that way each piece will have a significant correlation to a month of the year and since it will be and is thought out by me, it will be one of a kind! Once the calendar is completed i'll show it off and offer it up. I know I've put a lot of effort into it even in this, the earliest of stages. It may or may not be special to others but it will be individually special to me. I will be able to look back on all of the thought, effort, and creativity that went into the creation of it. I am surprised at the fact that I'm willing to put my artwork on something besides canvas and I'm also glad that my artwork will have another place it belongs so people can enjoy it.