How I title my paintings

Tales Like These
Acrylic mixed media collage on panel
6/365
Prints are available here

Have you ever sat there staring at your painting for an hour wondering what to title it? Me, too! It can be a real struggle. I came up with a solution years ago that works well for me. I hope it helps you, also.

I have a list of over 200 titles in a file on my computer, plus I have numerous pages of titles in my paper journals. Every time I need to title a painting, I pull one off the list.

The way I get this long list might seem a little weird to you, but I collect words. This can be from tv, music or by reading books/blogs/whatever. Because my portrait paintings are all about emotion, I will often times pick a soap opera or some heavily dramatic show to sit and listen to.

I grab some paper or have my fingers ready on my keyboard, and every time I hear a phrase or something that sounds like it could be a title, I jot it down. I do this for 10 or 15 minutes, until I get a nice little list formed, and then it’s time to play.

I mix up the words, and rearrange them. I give it a nice little spin, and make it my own. I can get several titles just from one phrase or sentence I hear. I write or type as fast as possible to keep the ideas flowing quickly. If I stop writing, I often get off track. So, I suggest writing fast, whatever comes to mind. You can always delete the title later if you don’t like it.

That’s all there is to it. Before you know it, you’ll have a long list before you, and you’ll never have to struggle thinking up a title again. It’s kinda fun, and I hope you give it a try. Once you start doing it, it’s hard to stop because it will make your life so much easier in the long run.