Tangled Heart 12 x 24 (or "Red Hot") As I complained in the last post, if botanical painting is to be accurate, counting is called for. The exercise did, however, give rise to the painting's title, which could have been written in my blood: "The Tangled Heart." And I thought that problem had been solved.
Any artist will tell you that naming a painting is almost as difficult as painting it. The choice becomes more fraught when the title must precede the painting and even the painting's subject matter, as so often happens before a show. Most of us paint feverishly until the last second to be ready, but the list of submissions must be done far earlier. This gives rise to a glut of vague titles such as "Explosion," or (my personal favourite) "Spring." One friend has a huge series of the Gull River, which are simply numbered. Telling them apart by title then becomes a challenge, although I admire her efficiency.
Back to the tree peony. As I paint, I chew over the essence of what I'm doing and why. Eventually, a ragged title idea spits itself out. Seeing as tree peonies, like all flowers, are all about the sex, I started to wonder if "The Tangled Heart" might be too wishy-washy. Four red glazes later, "Red Hot" arrived. I compounded the dilemma by using it for the website, having already submitted the earlier one for the show. Oh dear.
I
Any artist will tell you that naming a painting is almost as difficult as painting it. The choice becomes more fraught when the title must precede the painting and even the painting's subject matter, as so often happens before a show. Most of us paint feverishly until the last second to be ready, but the list of submissions must be done far earlier. This gives rise to a glut of vague titles such as "Explosion," or (my personal favourite) "Spring." One friend has a huge series of the Gull River, which are simply numbered. Telling them apart by title then becomes a challenge, although I admire her efficiency.
Back to the tree peony. As I paint, I chew over the essence of what I'm doing and why. Eventually, a ragged title idea spits itself out. Seeing as tree peonies, like all flowers, are all about the sex, I started to wonder if "The Tangled Heart" might be too wishy-washy. Four red glazes later, "Red Hot" arrived. I compounded the dilemma by using it for the website, having already submitted the earlier one for the show. Oh dear.
I
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