SIGNATURE

Have you ever seriously contemplated your signature?

It is an evolutionary process for every artist. Some artists create some kind of stamp or logo which they use as a signature and use this all their life, however, most of us go through a process of evolution.

Sometime in 1987 I came up with a kind of Gothic lettering signature which gradually evolved into a stylized, almost always white, signature in the left side corner.

Then over the years when I started using colour shapers and especially when I was very expressive I started occasionally signing with the shaper simply carving my name into the fresh paint.

Later I started signing on the right hand side edge of the painting and eventually it has become my ground rule because often customers like to hang my vertical paintings horizontally and vice versa. By signing on the side I solved that problem and they can hang it however they want. Also I felt that the signature somehow interfered with the painting. I continued to sign a few paintings on the left bottom corner and it just didn’t feel right any more.

However, I am signing my limited edition prints on the left side edge, including the number of the edition.

I often suggest to my students when signing their paintings to leave some space on the side just in case later they may want to frame their paintings and the frame might cut the signature and it might look silly.

I noticed that Dick Frizzel signs his paintings, including the title on the right bottom corner and all of his canvas paintings are gallery wrapped. So the choice is yours. Set the rules for yourself or break the rules all the time. It’s up to you.

Happy painting!

 

Blue Horse, 2007, oil on canvas, with old signature

 

 

Buddha’s Hand/Oh Superman, 2008, oil on canvas, 122 X 31 cm with expressive signature