"Watercolor is a medium that can be as demanding and temperamental as those who choose to paint with it. But it is a colorful and exciting medium all the same – well suited to describing the many moods of the subject, as well as those of the artist wielding the brush."

–Jean Burman

This week in For the Painter #15..

1. An Artist at Work

"As you get older, and you do those ten thousand hours or you spend all that time, then your mark becomes more prevalent. I don't think you can set up to have a style. I think your style will emerge through the person you are by doing the work."

This is a beautifully filmed short documentary (7 minutes) featuring artist Kenton Nelson.

Take a peek at Nelson's process and pay attention to the nuggets of wisdom he shares in the video. Also, his website has an interesting page called Process that shows the sketches and the complete paintings. Nelson works primarily in oils but also uses watercolor https://www.kentonnelson.com/watercolors.

2. Creating Titles for Your Artwork

"From a gallery owner’s perspective, I can tell you that I do believe titles matter. A buyer wants to feel like that artwork they are about to purchase from you is one of your best ever – that it truly is one of your masterworks. They’re going to have a hard time believing that if you’ve called the piece “Untitled No. 427.” A good title becomes a part of the buyer’s narrative."

In this blog post, Jason Horejs shares his insight on what makes a good painting title.

Jason has a great point. The title is more about the potential buyer, and less about you. A good title can become part of the buyer's narrative.

For example, I would be tempted to call the painting below, "Overlook near Shore Acres" but that doesn't provide a narrative. I better keep thinking!

What about you? How do you choose titles for your work?

Plein air watercolor painting in need of a narrative title